Flatpicker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A guitarist who uses a flat triangular pick held between the fingers to strike the strings rather than fingerpicking
2. A musician who plays guitar by striking the strings with a flat plectrum held in the hand
3. One who plays guitar using a flat pick as the primary means of producing sound from the strings

Etymology: The name describes the instrument before the player. "Flat" refers to the flat-topped acoustic guitar, as opposed to the carved arched-top instruments used in jazz and orchestral settings, and "pick" is the plectrum, the small piece of plastic or other material used to strike the strings. A flatpicker is therefore someone who plays a flat-top guitar with a pick rather than with bare fingers. Both parts are old English words used in plain, descriptive combination. The compound was not a coinage from classical roots. It grew up among American folk and bluegrass musicians, who needed a short label to separate pick-driven melodic playing from the fingerpicking and clawhammer styles common in the same tradition. The term "flatpick" is also used as a noun for the pick itself.

Synonyms: guitarist