Waylon Krieger

Rick Manzarek

Deceased (1939–2013)

76 years (December 1, 1944)

Robby Krieger recalled the big move from acoustic guitar playing to an electric version of the instrument just weeks before he joined the Doors in 1965. I’d never played electric; I’d played only flamenco guitar, where you use your right hand a lot, and no pick. …

Some of the famous guitarists who didn’t use picks were Robbie Krieger, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, Albert King, Tommy Emmanuel, Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery.

Ed Sheeran alternates between using a pick and strumming the guitar with his bare fingers. This is an advanced yet painful technique that Ed has acquired through years of touring and performing.

Picking = using a pick / plectrum Playing with a pick (or plectrum) is especially useful when playing lots of notes fast. Strumming chords on a steel string guitar tends to be richer with a pick, and you get a louder volume in general.

Ed Sheeran is an accomplished, and occasionally even virtuosic guitarist. He combines elements of fingerpicking, nail raking and strumming into one fluid expression of self. The sad and somewhat telling fact is that his legions of young fans probably don’t harbor the faintest interest as to why his music sounds good.

Sheeran’s first guitar was given to him as a gift by his uncle. Ed initially taught himself, before going on to have proper music lessons. When Sheeran was 11 years old, he went to see Damian Rice perform an intimate gig in Ireland. Ed met the musician in a bar after the performance.

Sheeran is far more than your average rhythm guitar player. He uses loops, percussive sweeps and rakes, and gentle fingerpicking to create a dynamic and ever engaging bed on which to lay his lyrics and catchy melodies.

In short, Ed Sheeran plays a combination of three different guitars. For acoustic guitars, Ed Sheeran plays his signature Martin Ed Sheeran Divide guitar and the “Little Martin” LX1E. Ed Sheeran’s electric guitar of choice is the one of a kind “Crash X Teddy M” Fender Stratocaster.

According to his guitar tech, Sheeran only uses Elixir Acoustic Nanoweb light 12-53 strings. He also used Dunlop Trigger capo on some songs.

Key specifications

1. Small hands make it harder to span the frets, especially at the bottom of the fretboard where the beginner or “cowboy” chords live.
2. On the other hand, you might find that further up the fretboard, the neck of your guitar becomes too wide or (more usually) too thick to grip the chords.