Thumb Pick Poll and Question

[frybaby]

Forum folks,
I am working on my finger picking technique and though I have never used a thumb pick for finger picking, my research has indicated that a number of online instructors highly recommend using a thumb pick.
I purchased a NATIONAL Medium pick and began my journey. However I find the thumb pick to be awkward, thus I see some serious practice ahead if I decide the effort to use a thumb pick is advisable. Thus the POLL. Also if you care to please list you favorite thumb pick

[gh1]

After three years without a thumb pick -- i recently (last 3 months) decided to dedicate the time to use a pick. Quick notes:

Always gave up before because it was awkward.
Tried many picks and found Fred Kelly Slick Pick to be the most "user friendly"
After three months it is getting better but still miss strings or hit the wrong ones.
The tone is worth the battle!

_____
gh1

[Fngrstyl]

What about, "sometime I use a Thumbpick, sometimes I don't"

90% of the time I don't, but If I want to play some Pete Huttlinger, it just doesn't sound right to me without one.

[1990cashew]

I have found Fred Kelly Slick Picks to fit me the best, but having said that, I am not currently using a thumb pick.

I love what the pick does for certain songs, but only for about 10% of the songs I play. To invest the time to get comfortable with a thumb pick to only use it 10% of the time is something I just haven't invested time in...I would love to be proficient at it, but can't justify it for the type of music I am playing at this point.

[Marge]

I have used a thumb pick for years. I have come to like the Fred Kelly Slick thumbpick the best. I recommend going to the guitar store or ordering on line a selection of different thumb picks to try . They come in a variety of different shapes, materials, and weight (heavy, medium, light). Give it time and you will find what you like. Have fun exploring.

MAKE it a GREAT day!!!
Marge

[6stringpickin]

It took me about a week of daily use to get used to it and now it feels awkward with out it.

My pick of choice is a dunlop medium, this is afte trying many others including filing and shaping my own.

[jmiked]

Put me in the "use a thumbpick 95% of the time" crowd. I've been using a thumbpick since about 1962, and am not really comfortable with anything else. When I'm not using a thumbpick, I use my thumbnail, usually for fingerstyle jazz pieces.

I'm a Fred Kelly guy.

Mike

[shawlie]

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, frybaby. Years ago (when as a young fella things seemed to come much quicker) I used to use one often enough and could play with or without one.

Now I practice with one on and off, and it's difficult. It's not so much hitting the wrong strings or feeling akward, I just find the volume to be so overpowering. I've been messing around with Dunlop mediums and some metal thumb pick I used to use to play banjo with (banjo seems lots easier with picks than guitar, but then I used one or more fingerpicks, too).

Seems like it'll take lots of work to get the balance right, and a complete re-think about how I pick (so I keep trying, but spend much more time practicing without one). Must say, the clarity and crispness they give sounds very nice.

[Coke_zero]

I generally use my thumb nail but when it gets to a certain length I have to cut it due to the fact i can't stand the look of it lol.

I use a Fred Kelly speed pick mostly.

[Brackett Instruments]

I used National Thumbpicks for years, but I filed them down some. For the last couple years I've used Fred Kelly Slick picks with no mods. My Wife recentely bought me a Blue Chip Thumbpick. I really like it, but they're expen$ive.

I also use Dunlop Ultex flat picks, but I use thumbpicks ~90% of the time.

[Sugarlander]

Fred Kelly thumbpicks, medium (Orange color typically. I say typically, because sometimes they make special runs and change the colors) is favorite.

I find that I can play very softly or loud with a thumb pick. So when I hear people say they play too loud with a thumbpick I know that they have not given it enough time to get the fell (This "playing to loudly" is a dead give away to the fact that may natural pickers have to play very hard (much more force and tension) to get enough volume from their natural thumb than with a thumbpick. I find that I can play much more relaxed since it takes so little effort (work) to play at different volumes from soft to very loud. There no way that I can do this with my natural thumb. This extra measure of reduced tension is VERY valuable to me. This one fact alone makes using a thumbpick a "no brainer" to me. I am not saying that this would be true for everyone. But is you find you play much louder with a thumbpick than with your natural thumb, then my guess is that you have too much tension in your playing - which a thumbpick would help eliminate. Less tension = better playing. Period - for everyone.)

I can strum down with my fingers (no picks) and up very lightly with the thumbpick and it sounds very much like a flatpick on the upstroke. So going from picking to strumming is seamless and sounds very good.

It also makes it easier to mute strings when I want to. With the thumbpick since my hand position is naturally down low to make this easy.

I also miss far few note compared to getting my bigger thumb in to the string compared to the thin thumbpick.

Lots of advantages for me. But the biggest advantage is a more relaxed right hand.

Ed

[catdaddy]

I use a thumb pick when I play banjo, but not when I play guitar. The Fred Kelly slick picks sound the best to my ear but the white Dunlop mediums fit my thumb the best (and don't go flying across the room when I'm playing bluegrass rolls) so that is what I use.

[vac4873]

+ on banjo but not guitar. Hybrid pick on guitar. Thumb pick w/brass fingerpicks for banjo

[mmmaak]

Couldn't play most of what I do without one.

This is what you need. Really

http://207.179.93.144/accessories/it...6-H-DELRIN.htm

I'd recommend the delrin X-Heavies, but they've been discontinued for some reason

[Me&MyGuitar]

i tried sooo many thumbpicks and finally stopped at Fred Kelly's heavy slickpick (after a long time using a heavy GoldenGate).