The flat pick adds volume and clarity to the tone.
Flat picking is the art of using a single flat pick, a "plectrum," to sound the strings on a guitar, mandolin or any other stringed instrument. The ancient Arabic Oud, the forerunner to the lute, was played with a feather, while the lute was played with the fingers. But today the flat pick is prevalent in many styles of guitar playing, including everything that involves an electric guitar: rock, jazz, blues, country and bluegrass.
Doc Watson Bluegrass Picking
Doc Watson's style consists of an extremely strong alternation, up and down, coming straight from the forearm and not too much from the wrist. This powerful melodic style moves across and up the neck. One technique in particular he used when playing on one string involved picking the down note and then bouncing off the string below and then back up to the string just plucked. This bounce can considerably increase your picking speed.
Cross Picking
Cross picking involves playing a pattern and moving back and forth over the notes in chords while emphasizing the melody notes. Alternating bass notes can provide a steady beat to the tune. Combining open strings with fretted notes creates a nice ring that follows through as you play different fretted notes.
Sweep Picking
This technique, popularized by metal bands, found a place in most musical styles since. By playing a chord with the left hand and sweeping across the strings with the right, you cause the notes come out not as a strummed chord but as single notes, one following the other. You can move extremely rapidly up and down the neck in this way.
Damping
An interesting flat picking effect involves using the edge of the right hand to dampen the sound of the strings. To do so, lay the edge of the right hand long the bridge, just behind the saddle. Lean the hand forward so it just touches the stings. Play some notes. You should still hear the notes -- just slightly muffled. Push a little harder on the strings, and try it again. This technique works well for controlling overly loud electric guitar notes and overtones, and it also provides an interesting tonal variation mid-song.
Hybrid Picking
Hybrid picking is a cross between finger picking and flat picking. Hold the flat pick between your thumb and index finger, and pluck a low note on the guitar. Reach out with your middle and ring fingers, and pluck two higher notes. Try playing three notes together at once. This style allows you to play using the flat pick but then finger pick passages if desired. You can also achieve this effect by using a thumb pick, but you'll likely find it difficult to adjust to using a thumb pick as a flat pick if you still want to strum or play single note lines. Thumb picks tend to be thicker, and because they are attached to the thumb, the angle of string attack may differ from what you're used to.
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