Find A Penny, Pick It Up - Coins as Picks

Playing guitar with a coin as a pick is either a decision based on tone and feel or a necessity after dropping your pick on a dark stage. A few guitarists choose to regularly use currency as plectrums, probably most notably Brian May who buys sixpences (which are no longer currency) to use. I thought today I'd try out a couple of coins I had in my wallet.

First up is a two pence piece. Made out of 1.85mm thick copper plated steel, this coin is totally round and has a smooth edge. Without bevels, this coin can be a bit scratchy, but the lack of edges mean that there is little friction between the pick and the string making your playing balanced and even. The tone of the 2p in almost mid scooped, with brightness and attack at the top end and warmth and support in the lows. The 2p would work well for a rhythm guitarist who didn't do too much intricate picking but rather spend most of the time strumming.

The 10p coin is slightly smaller than the 2p, made out of nickel plated steel, and has ridges on the circumference. The ridges add some texture to the pick sound which his recollective of the Queen guitar tone. The tone of this pick is thinner and I found it harder to play lead - using this coin would take some getting used to as I would have to relearn a picking technique which didn't produce scuffed notes.

The 50p coin is the largest of the four coins I'm trying today. It has seven corners and is made of cupro-nickel (an alloy of copper). The corners in this coin definitely make the playing experience easier and more similar to using a standard plectrum, and it does exhibit the same qualities as using a larger plectrum in the increased volume.

Finally I have a 20p coin, the smallest of this selection. Again this coin has seven corners - they are admittedly quite blunt but I still would rather have these than a rounded edge. As with the other picks, the sound is a bit scratchy but still has plenty of clarity and would work just fine in a band mix. the smaller footprint of this coin tempts you to play faster, but I kept tripping over myself using this pick for articulated lead playing, and I found myself wanting a more acute corner rather than the smooth corners of this small coin.

Overall I think using a coin as a plectrum is a choice you must make on feel and tone - they definitely do work as picks as plainly shown by Brian May, but I found the experience challenging and I did not enjoy the tone enough to want to change my playing habits and relearn picking muscle memory for it. Definitely experiment using a variety of coins though, find one which suits your playing style in feel and sound before settling, and remember many companies offer metal picks or round picks as alternatives which might suit you better.

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