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  #1  
Old 08-04-2014, 01:36 PM
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VJP5 VJP5 is offline
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Question Pick help - soft sound

Yes.....another pick thread.

As I progress down the road of getting different sounds/tone from my playing, here is another one that has me stumped. I mostly play with a pick when strumming (unless a song has both fingerpicking and strumming...then I use my fingers for both). For some quiet, soft, mellow songs (think "Killing Me Softly"), I want the sound to match the mood of the song. Therefore, I am looking for a pick that will have very little attack sound, and a more muted (like using the side of my thumb) one.

I've tried plastic, nylon, carbon, and wood from .40 to 1.15 (well over 30 and counting). None give me that soft tone I am looking for.

1) Am I crazy for trying to match the tone to the tone of a song?
2) If the answer to (1) is no, will I have to spend $50 for one?
3) If the answer to (2) is no, any suggestions?

Thanks
Vince

BTW - I prefer playing with a pick as I have less control with my bare fingers (at least for now)
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Old 08-04-2014, 02:27 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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You're gonna need to lighten up how you play too, man.

Try a D'Andrea pro plec. 1.5mm. That and a light touch will get you close. Choke up on that pick and let some skin brush too.

Or you could get some felt picks.
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Old 08-04-2014, 02:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
You're gonna need to lighten up how you play too, man.

Try a D'Andrea pro plec. 1.5mm. That and a light touch will get you close. Choke up on that pick and let some skin brush too.

Or you could get some felt picks.
2 things happen when I "lighten up" - I drop the pick, because I also (unintentionally) loosen my grip and I slow down. Obviously it's a talent thing because they should not correlate. But somehow, my mind interprets soft attack as light grip and slow.

Thanks for the recommendations. I will look them up.
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Old 08-04-2014, 03:04 PM
HHP HHP is offline
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Get the thickest pick you can find with a rounded edge. Try a 1.92 Clayton Acetal.

You do not want the $50 pick, as it is designed to do just the opposite of your goal.
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Old 08-04-2014, 03:31 PM
trion12 trion12 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
You're gonna need to lighten up how you play too, man.

Try a D'Andrea pro plec. 1.5mm. That and a light touch will get you close. Choke up on that pick and let some skin brush too.

Or you could get some felt picks.
How do you find the Proplec picks for pick noise Jeff?

I have recently tried V-Picks and Gravity pics and while i love the feel and tone of them both they both have a bit too much abrasion sound on the wound strings for me.

Thanks,

Aaron
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Old 08-04-2014, 05:33 PM
clintj clintj is offline
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Give the rounded corner a try instead of the point on a few of your picks. The corner of a heavy Tortex is pretty mellow to my ears.
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Old 08-04-2014, 05:34 PM
Cobby Cobby is offline
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It sounds like you're in the same boat as a buddy of mine. He likes to use Wedgie Rubber guitar picks to get that softer sound that you describe. He has the whole set of hardnesses and thicknesses and chooses the one the gets the right sound for each song. One down side is that they wear out very quickly and create shavings which fall below the strings. His guitar smells like a pencil eraser after awhile...

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_56zmzfh2bg_b
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Old 08-04-2014, 05:44 PM
Oldguy64 Oldguy64 is offline
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Have you tried a Dava pick yet?

I recently switched, because I have some gout and carpal tunnel.
If i don't have a "death grip" on the pick i'll drop it.
If it do have a "death grip" my right hand tends to go numb, and I tend to use too much pressure with my left hand when I'm chording notes.

The Dava pick I'm using has a delrin point, and is ensconced in rubber.
Also, because of the design of the pick if you hold it nearer the point it is stiffer. If you hold it further from the point it becomes "floppier" for strumming.
And the rubber coating makes it easy to keep hold of.

Compared to some others, they are pretty cheap. a pack of six retails for $7.50.
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Old 08-04-2014, 07:06 PM
Davis Webb Davis Webb is offline
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I was just teaching this tonight, its called P-F drilling.

I start a background vamp in 3 chords for a progression. The student has to play softer, using less notes, when I say P!~ (piannisimo- soft) and has to play louder, using more notes, when I say F! (forte', - loud). Then they return to normal regular volume.

Practicing solos over a track using this P-F drill will get you coming around in no time. Its NOT the pick at all. Its just technique.

In general 1.0 mm or thicker give you more volume and harder attack. Medium picks are 0.6 mm and give you a softer strumming attack. Light gauge picks, now favored by many metal guitarists, are even lighter and brush the string, which is what metal lead players want to do those drum roll lines.

But at the end of the day, its technique. Try my drill.
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Old 08-04-2014, 07:40 PM
quiltingshirley quiltingshirley is offline
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I use my fingers for a pick since they're already attached and don't fall off but I saw a fat leather pick at a vendor last month and don't recall who it was. I'm thinking I should just try one. It reminded me of a fat felt pick and I imagine it will fatten up at the edge. Any ideas? Sometimes my nail starts to get a bit short on my index finger and being able to use something else will help. (several hours of ukulele and guitar on multiple days will do that, not make a callous but shorten my strumming nail) Ouch.
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Old 08-04-2014, 08:34 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trion12 View Post
How do you find the Proplec picks for pick noise Jeff?

I have recently tried V-Picks and Gravity pics and while i love the feel and tone of them both they both have a bit too much abrasion sound on the wound strings for me.

Thanks,

Aaron
Quietest picks I've ever used.

V picks and gravity are loud, but really clicky. Unusable as far as im concerned.

Dunlop jazztones are quiet too.

Oh, and the snake oil picks....im sorry, "blue chip" are pretty quiet too.
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Old 08-05-2014, 01:50 AM
trion12 trion12 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
Quietest picks I've ever used.

V picks and gravity are loud, but really clicky. Unusable as far as im concerned.

Dunlop jazztones are quiet too.

Oh, and the snake oil picks....im sorry, "blue chip" are pretty quiet too.
Thanks for that.
I will have to try the Proplecs and Jazztones.

For years I have been using tortex jazz 3 and filing them with bevels myself and they have a great tone and no noise, but i am finding that tortex slips around too much in my hand even with me scuffing the pick up a lot.

Aaron
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Old 08-05-2014, 03:47 AM
Davis Webb Davis Webb is offline
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I really do not see why such an elaborate discussion of buying new picks abounds in this thread. No pick will give you control of your dynamics. That is in your fingers.
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Old 08-05-2014, 06:12 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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True, as I mentioned in my first reply.

But pick material has a tone too. A fender thin will never sound remotely like a thumb, no matter how you play. But a pick around 1-2mm, right material, good technique...just might get you a lot closer.
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  #15  
Old 08-05-2014, 06:26 AM
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Try a Wedgie Rubber pick:

http://www.amazon.com/Wedgie-WRPP31M.../dp/B0002Z2CZY
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