# Pick slide

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A **pick slide** or **pick scrape** is a guitar technique most often performed in the [rock](/source/Rock_(music)), [punk](/source/Punk_rock) or [metal](/source/Metal_(music)) music genres. The technique is executed by holding the edge of the [pick](/source/Guitar_pick) against any of the three or four [wound strings](/source/Strings_(music)) and moving it along the string. As the pick moves across the string, the edge of the pick catches the string's windings in rapid succession causing the string to vibrate and produce a [note](/source/Note_(music)). This rapid rattling of the pick's edge against the windings also gives the resulting note a grinding or grating quality.

The [pitch](/source/Pitch_(music)) of a pick slide rises as the pick moves closer to the [bridge](/source/Bridge_(guitar)), and lowers as the pick moves up to the [neck](/source/Neck_(music)). Since pick slides usually start near the bridge and end over the higher frets, these slides have a characteristic of gradually lowering the pitch. A pick slide causes little – if any – damage to the strings, [pickups](/source/Pickup_(music_technology)) or guitar, but it does ruin the edge of the pick; thinner picks made of more durable materials are the best choice for the technique.

## External links

- [Pick scratch theory](http://igdb.co.uk/guitar-lessons/pick-scratch/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pick slide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pick_slide) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pick_slide?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.