[fiddle.lydia]

Hi Val!

Picks are definitely not essential, however I think the greatest benefit to being able to use a pick is versatility. Some styles like flatpicking and chickin picking (hybrid picking) can only be accomplished with a pick. Also, you will find you can get a totally different tone and much more volume with a pick – which may be handy especially when playing with others when you might need more volume to support a singer, etc.

That said, my husband prefers not to use a pick and he still sounds good (in my opinion). There are some out there who are fingerstyle guitarists who never use a pick and play beautifully, and who can adjust their volume through their pickup/amp.

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference, but if you can do at least the basics with a pick it will make you more versatile to say the least.

Hope that helps 😊