Hi Wade,
Happy Palm Sunday! (If Palm Sunday can be happy, considering the fickle crowd in the readings.) Only one more week to go! And one full of church responsibilities, too, I know...
Last weekend I learned a Darrell Scott song, "Long Wide Open Road," and he is a big flat picker. I have been away from the flat pick for some time, but I wanted to learn this song, so what the hey...
I used my relatively inexpensive Voyage-Air OM-06 to learn the song off the computer (in case I banged it on the desk), and I thought, good, this sounds good. Then I pulled out my Martin D-35, thinking, this song needs a dreadnought. Suddenly, it didn't sound quite right... Just as you said, Wade, I had to adjust my approach on the flat pick, softening it up quite a bit from my approach on the OM. Then I thought, I wonder what this would sound like on the Gibson AJ? Well, dang, I needed to adjust my approach again to further soften up the attack even more or the song sounded too harsh with that Adi top.
Yesterday I just picked up my repaired and refreted Guild F212 12-string and this morning I played Darrell Scott's song on the 12-string, and sure enough, I needed to change my flat pick approach again until I had it sounding way better. At first, my wife said she didn't like it on the 12-string, but after I got the pick attack adjusted she said it sounded like a different song.
So yep, I know just what you mean! And these comments are coming from a relatively lousy flat picker.... Nice post, Wade!
- Glenn