The Best Guitar Pick For Jazz

So you like jazz picks.  Through trial and error you have determined this as fact, but jazz may not be your style.  So what makes the jazz guitar pick so ideal?  There many articles and videos that you can search for on Google that will try to answer this question, but it really boils down to how the pick feels when you play. 

Some of my early handmade jazz picks.

Your style might be metal, rock, blues, country or even jazz; all can be performed with the trusty jazz pick.  So the real question is… Why do we like jazz picks so much?  First we must examine the following question.

What is jazz?

First off, Jazz is more the feel of the music and the moment than anything else.  Jazz music is often hard to learn and even confusing when displayed on paper in conventional musical notation.  Some of the greatest jazz recordings ever laid down were improv sessions and have proven extremely hard to duplicate even by the artists that originally performed them.  Syncopation, swing notes, blue notes, and unique scales; all harmonious in defiance of the conventional concept of music. 

My 1986 Fender Stratocaster with System One Tremolo and heavily modified electronics.  It took me awhile to get his guitar just right, but it goes from warm clean to raw scream.

You could say jazz is “that which sounds good, but doesn't fit into the music “box”.  

Pun intended:)

Playing jazz guitar

I have heard exceptional recordings and live performances, from many groups and individuals that transcend that which has been classically defined as “proper music”.  As artists, I believe we all aspire to perform music that touches the very soul of our audience, even if that audience is only ourselves.  The greater achievement, in my opinion, is when we can collaborate and perform music that touches all the players and those listening around us. 

To me, this is the core value of music and, what jazz is all about.  Strip away the rules, the categories, and the special effects.  Play the sound that is in your heart and other players will feel the beat, be touched by it, and help you carry it. 

One of the Greats!!!

Some of the great players identified with jazz style include Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck, Buckethead, Kevin Eubanks, B B King, Les Paul, and Frank Zappa.  This really only touches on a few of which you may have heard.  Snoop around online, you may find many big names come from from jazz roots.  

What makes the jazz guitar pick so good?

The jazz pick of course got its name from those great players that favored its style and used it to push the limits of music.  Today there are many players, of all styles, that favor the jazz pick.  It is favored by many of us because it is the design that allows us to push those limits.  Those of us that have come to rely upon and express ourselves with the jazz pick design are fortunate to have a deep connection to those players that have come before us.  Those players that wanted full expression, and wanted to step outside of the conventional music “box” to which the world so often holds us.

The Dragon's Heart, Held as a Jazz Guitar Pick

So which Jazz pick is the best?

So now it’s time to plug our product.  One of the Dragon’s Heart Guitar Pick playing edges is a jazz style edge.  The Dragon's Heart jazz edge is the result of a detailed analysis of the most popular jazz picks on the market and input from players that tested my prototypes.  It offers an unparalleled level of speed and control.  Now, of course I am going to tell you that ours is the best and I could go on and on about why I believe this.  But you can read all that on our home page. 

Dragon Heart Guitar Pick -- Optimized Jazz Edge

If you are looking for the best jazz pick out there, I honestly have to say there is no truly definitive answer.  It all comes down to how you play and how the pick feels to you.   While I believe the Dragon's Heart is the best, the only way to find the best one for you is to play as many of them as you can get your hands on.  This is what I did, and that subsequently lead me to designing the Dragon’s Heart -- we currently offer 3 variations, which all include the optimized jazz edge -- Original, Pure, and Hardened.  

Until next time, Play with fire… in your heart!!!

Corey W.