If all you wanna do is play that funky music and play it right, you need to make sure you’re using the right guitar pick that compliments your playing style.
Doing this can not only improve your sound, but can also make playing feel easier and more intuitive instead of awkward and cumbersome.
But playing funk isn’t like other genres.
It’s a technically varied and sonically complex style of music and funk guitarists are expected to do a little bit of everything, from rhythm to lead and back to rhythm again.
That’s why we’re gonna take you through some of the best guitar picks for funk, what to look for when choosing a guitar pick and some tips in nailing that funky groovy playing.
Our Top Picks
- Dunlop Ultex – Crystal clear tones and incredible durability, that’s just some of the reasons why so many funk guitarists love the Dunlop Ultex pick.
- Fender 351 Shape Wavelength – The Wavelength is essentially the classic Fender 351 standard pick design now upgraded to include a grip on either side giving you more control while still keeping that celluloid sound.
- Dunlop Jazz II – We couldn’t have a list of the best funk guitar picks without including the Dunlop Jazz II. Flexible enough to cut through the strings with little resistance, but still stiff when it comes to playing lead, this pick does it all.
- D’Addario Casein 351 – If what you’re looking for is that bright and jangly funk sound perfect for scratching, then you need to try the Casein 351 from D’Addario.
Contents
What to Look for in a Guitar Pick for Funk
Because of the mixture of playing styles needed to play funk, the number one thing we’re going to look for when choosing our guitar pick is versatility.
There’s a lot that goes into a guitar picks design, and understanding how these factors impact tone, playability and performance can help you to make a solid and well informed decision.
Thickness
Guitar picks range from thin to extra thick, and choosing the right thickness is super important for playability and comfort. Funk is characterized by quick, percussive strumming techniques that give it that iconic groove.
Because of this, you want to avoid using a pick that’s too hard as it’ll create too much resistance against the strings and is therefore more likely to jump out of your hands.
At the same time, using a pick that’s too soft won’t give you the accuracy you need to pluck out lead riffs and embellishments.
That’s why a lot of funk guitarists like to use a medium/heavy gauge pick, anything above a .70 and below a 1.10 works. This gives you the best of both worlds and helps keep things versatile.
Materials
If our goal here is to choose a plectrum that gives us the most versatility then we need a material that offers us both flexibility and stiffness.
Nylon is a popular choice for funk guitarists because it’s warm toned, flexible and durable, capable of withstanding the percussive repetition of funk rhythm. Picks made from nylon also come with textured grip for extra control.
Delrin has remained the go to industry standard when it comes to guitar picks because of its brightness, clarity and durability. Funk guitarists love the control and sharpness of sound Delrin gives them, especially when playing rhythm.
But as always, we recommend you try out different materials to see which ones suit your playstyle the most.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to this stuff and funk players have used everything from plastic, to tortoise shell and even metal.
Shape
Because funk can be intricate and technically complex, requiring precision and control to get right, the shape of your pick can have a huge impact on how easy some of these techniques feel.
For example, a lot of funk requires accurate palm muting which can feel tricky and awkward with certain pick shapes.
Also, funk strumming is heavily centered around 16 note rhythms and you need to be fast and fluid to get that rhythm sounding right, so you don’t want a pick that’s gonna be big and slow you down.
The standard shape, or teardrop shape is perfect for funk guitarists, as it gives you the versatility to play both rhythm and lead, while also staying low profile enough to not get in the way of you and your hands.
The Best Guitar Picks for Funk
1. Dunlop Ultex
Crystal clear tones and incredible durability, that’s just some of the reasons why so many funk guitarists love the Dunlop Ultex pick.
Whether you’re aggressively “scratching” your strings to build up a tempo, or grooving to the 16s in a long jam session, Ultex will resist wearing down quickly and keep you playing long after you get tired.
Available in a range of sizes, this pick is great for giving your sound clarity and definition with every strum. It is lightweight and has a discrete profile, meaning it doesn’t get in between you and the harder techniques of funk guitar.
2. Fender 351 Shape Wavelength
The Wavelength is essentially the classic Fender 351 standard pick design now upgraded to include a grip on either side giving you more control while still keeping that celluloid sound.
Warm toned, flexible but also strong enough to survive a couple sessions of percussive rhythm, this plectrum gives you the range and versatility you need to play funk guitar.
What a lot of guitarists love about the 351 wavelength however is the “flapping” sound it produces when it hits the strings giving you more percussive depth with every strike.
3. Dunlop Jazz II
We couldn’t have a list of the best funk guitar picks without including the Dunlop Jazz II. Flexible enough to cut through the strings with little resistance, but still stiff when it comes to playing lead, this pick does it all.
It comes with an integrated grip design to help keep things where they should be and the Jazz II’s tip is sharper than the standard pick design giving you more control and accuracy while still being a solid chord strummer.
4. D’Addario Casein 351
If what you’re looking for is that bright and jangly funk sound perfect for scratching, then you need to try the Casein 351 from D’Addario.
Casein is the closest man-made material we have to turtle shell, and because of this it produces a sharp and bright sound that really cuts through the mix and begs to be heard.
Regardless of what thickness you choose, it’s solid and doesn’t offer much in terms of flexibility but it’s still a great rhythm guitar pick that keeps you fluid and in control.
Tips for Funk Guitar Strumming
The most popular rhythm in funk guitar is the 16 note rhythm. It’s fast, syncopated and if you’re used to genres like rock or blues, it might feel a little weird at first.
But it’s all about timing, and understanding which beats to accent and when. Let’s walk you through a few tips to get you strumming like a pro in no time.
Loose Wrist
Firstly, relax man…
This tip is more mental than technical, but can make such a big difference to your playing. Because you need to be both fast and fluid when strumming funk you want to avoid sharp, corrective movements that could put you outside the beat.
Relaxing your wrist and finding a rhythm with your arm instead of just your hand is a sure fire way to get your rhythm funk strumming sounding solid.
Vary your attack
A great way to improve your funk strumming is to vary as much as you can.
Funk is like the blues. The rules that define the genre are thought of more as guidelines and not restraints designed to keep you boxed in.
This means playing with feel is sometimes more important than raw technique.
Strumming at the neck and by the bridge is a great way to add texture on the fly while you strum and can help your rhythm stand out and give it character.
Conclusion
Funk is fun. There’s no other way to put it. Once you get the technical stuff down it’s an incredibly deep and complex style of music that you can spend years mastering.
Choosing the right pick won’t have you sounding like James Brown overnight, but it’ll help get you half way there… the rest you just gotta feel.