Pick types and technique

[adaw2821]

$75 for a pick is gonna be tough for me to swallow. So many other things... lol

[Wade Hampton]

Adaw, from what I'e seen, heard and experienced, at least half of the tone you get from a guitar is from the player, not the material or thickness of the pick. So much of it comes down to right hand technique.

So if thin picks work for you, keep doing what works.

As for those who believe heavier picks always produce "better" tone, my guess is that that's what happened to them, therefore they think it's universal.

But it isn't. A huge part of it is the player his- or herself.

I like medium-heavy celluloid picks with just a slight amount of flex to them, because they allow me to play both lead and rhythm parts with equal facility. I also like the Blue Chip TD-35, because it gives me that same degree of flex. Since I'm a multi-instrumentalist who's always switching from guitar to mandolin to mountain dulcimer to baritone guitar and back, having a versatile pick is very helpful.

For a while we had someone posting on here that custom guitar builders should refuse to sell custom guitars to anyone who used picks any thinner than 2 mm. thick. At the time I found that deeply insulting, and still do. Unlike the person who posted that, I'm a former Winfield champion, and I've made money playing music for more than 40 years now. Nobody in any audience has ever marched up after a show and demanded that I show them the thickness of my picks.

So use whatever works for you. By all means experiment with a wide variety of pick thicknesses and materials. But don't feel as though you have to follow "groupthink" just because it appears that everybody else is.

I don't, and - amazingly enough - the guitar police haven't shown up to arrest me and confiscate my instruments so far.

If it works for you, use what works.


Wade Hampton Miller

[lildog]

I think most probably prefer the $35 blue chips. I have some of those and like them. Dunlop makes a primetone pic at about 1.3mm that's only a few bucks and sounds nice. John Pearse has some decent thick pics, I think they call them "Fast Turtles" which run about $10. I've not tried the charmed life pics yet but will once they get a website to purchase them.

[pjroberts]

I would try some different pick materials, in particular some of the stiffer ones that also flex a lot, almost a hybrid. I like the Dava picks for this reason (and the grip), though I also use .6-7 thinner picks and thick picks depending on the song and sound. A lot of it as you know is technique .... for me this has evolved with experience.

Here's my favorite Dava made from delrin, but there are a bunch of models, materials and grips: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...#productDetail

[frankhond]

You certainly don't need bluechip to get a good tone, nor to experiment. Find a good tone with a classic beveled pick like all the masters (Tony Rice, Norman Blake etc). Then it makes sense to try expensive stuff.

I suggest you get some dunlop primetone picks in different sizes and shapes. They come bevelled from the factory and it's virtually impossible to get a bad tone from them.

Thin picks take away the feel of the string from you, and also tend to make you hold it flat againat the string so they can flex across it. With a thicker pick, you need to angle it some, so it "slices" across.

[shekie]

I've only been playing for about 18 months after a 38 year hiatus, but have had a similar experience regarding picks and thickness. Initially, I could only handle that same Dunlop .46mm pick as I began to relearn my strumming technique. I found the volume lacking and didn't care for the "clicky" sound of the pick on the strings.

After 3-4 months, I tried a .60mm pick, the same Dunlop, I think that yellow Ultex stuff, and I found with some practice I could manage the slightly thicker pick without it rotating too much on me. Then I discovered the Dunlop Primetone in .73mm. Again, it took some practice, but I was able to manage that thickness and slightly less flex as my technique improved. I now alternate between that .73mm Primetone and a Dunlop Big Stubby in 1.0mm for strumming.

The two things I would highly recommend is one, choke up on the pick as you try thicker and less flexible ones, in other words, don't have as much pick showing below your thumb and index finger as you go thicker and less flexible. Secondly, accept that there will be a learning curve and you won't necessarily move up to a thicker pick and experience instant success. As I'm sure you already know, when it comes to learning acoustic guitar, patience and practice.

[HHP]

You won't be hearing much difference in strumming so use whatever is comfortable.

The advantage of the thicker booteek picks is generally in the clarity and control afforded to single note play.

You will need to have an appropriate technique to take advantage of the thicker picks. Angle of attack is critical, should be in the 45 degree range. Less than that will increase pick click and dull the tone significantly. It is also vital that the pick have a proper bevel, probably the best is a deep speed bevel.

The Blue Chips remain about the best in these regards but a properly beveled, thick celluloid pick used with good technique can get you maybe 90% of the Blue Chip.

[harmonics101]

Originally Posted by lildog

I used to feel the same way before I went on a pic buying spree of about $700. Now, I primarily like 2.5-3mm pics but vary my use of 1-6mm pics everyday because I like the sound I can achieve with them flatpicking that I can't get with thinner pics.

Yep, I find those 6 mm (1/4") pics can get expensive

H

[Bikewer]

Although I'm currently concentrating on fingerstyle jazz playing, for many years I was primarily a flatpicker.
Bluegrass-country-folks style stuff.

I've gone through lots and lots of picks over 40-ish years of playing, including a brief stint with a supply of real tortoiseshell picks. (nice, but fragile... And I felt guilty.)

Anyway, for this type of playing, I long ago decided on the .88 mm Dunlop nylon picks. They are cheap, readily available, wear like iron, and provide both clear single-note playing while at the same time allowing for efficient "boom-chicka-boom rhythm playing.

For my occasional lapses into trying single-note jazz playing, I found the Dunlop "Jazz 1" picks in 1mm size to be ideal... Providing a smooth, controlled tone.

A few observations... Pointier picks provide a sharper tone. Rounded picks (like the Jazz I) smooth things out a bit. Depends what you're looking for.
For Bluegrass, I like the sharp, clear tone of the pointier standard (teardrop) pick.

There is a certain amount of technique one can work on. Both Al DiMeola and Robert Fripp, technicians to the nines, talked a great deal about "articulating" the pick for certain effects.

DiMeola has his "Mutola" effect where he "chokes up" on the pick to allow a degree of fingertip muting. Makes notes "pop" a bit.

Fripp also spoke of articulating the pick, exposing more or less of the tip, changing the angle, that sort of thing.

Lots to experiment with.

[mymartind35]

Go to http://gravitypicks.com/. You should to be able to find something there. I use Strikers and Axis picks. 2.00 and 3.00 gauge. I can play rhythm with both. I will never use a thin pick again. BUT, they do sell thin picks. I'll also tell you the one's with the master finish don't "click" when you play them. I also use the big minis and minis. I no longer need a classic style pick.

You don't need an expensive pick to learn to use a heavy pick. My favorite picks are TS, Blue Chip, and Dunlop 207. If I suddenly couldn't afford the more expensive ones, I'd be perfectly happy with the $0.50 207. Just pick up some 1.25+ mm picks at your local guitar store.

To control a heavier pick you'll need to adjust so that very little of the pick extends past your thumb, about 1/8" or a little more. Using a thin pick, you probably have a lot more pick showing. That won't work with heavier picks.

For an example of what thick pick users dislike, check this thread about a particular J-45. The pick slap at around 0:50 makes me want to cut the wires to computer's speakers.

It may turn out that a heavy pick doesn't produce the sound you want, but I really believe most players would be happier with heavier picks if they learned to use them.

[mymartind35]

Five to seven dollars for a pick doesn't seem too excessive to me. Not when it improved my picking speed and articulation better than thirty five years of playing had done before.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[Digits_Only]

Originally Posted by adaw2821

And man I didn't even know 3mm picks existed.

V Picks Insanity. A mere 11.85mm.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by shekie

I've only been playing for about 18 months after a 38 year hiatus, but have had a similar experience regarding picks and thickness. Initially, I could only handle that same Dunlop .46mm pick as I began to relearn my strumming technique. I found the volume lacking and didn't care for the "clicky" sound of the pick on the strings.

After 3-4 months, I tried a .60mm pick, the same Dunlop, I think that yellow Ultex stuff, and I found with some practice I could manage the slightly thicker pick without it rotating too much on me. Then I discovered the Dunlop Primetone in .73mm. Again, it took some practice, but I was able to manage that thickness and slightly less flex as my technique improved. I now alternate between that .73mm Primetone and a Dunlop Big Stubby in 1.0mm for strumming.

The two things I would highly recommend is one, choke up on the pick as you try thicker and less flexible ones, in other words, don't have as much pick showing below your thumb and index finger as you go thicker and less flexible. Secondly, accept that there will be a learning curve and you won't necessarily move up to a thicker pick and experience instant success. As I'm sure you already know, when it comes to learning acoustic guitar, patience and practice.

Wow...these are exactly the same two picks I have gravitated towards!
I've tried a lot and I find that it sometmes comes down to my mood on that particular occasion. I still use a .60 mm occasionally in different materials, but picks in the .71 -.73 and that Big Stubby at 1.0 are where I usually reside.

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Adaw, from what I'e seen, heard and experienced, at least half of the tone you get from a guitar is from the player, not the material or thickness of the pick. So much of it comes down to right hand technique.

So if thin picks work for you, keep doing what works.

As for those who believe heavier picks always produce "better" tone, my guess is that that's what happened to them, therefore they think it's universal.

But it isn't. A huge part of it is the player his- or herself.

I like medium-heavy celluloid picks with just a slight amount of flex to them, because they allow me to play both lead and rhythm parts with equal facility. I also like the Blue Chip TD-35, because it gives me that same degree of flex. Since I'm a multi-instrumentalist who's always switching from guitar to mandolin to mountain dulcimer to baritone guitar and back, having a versatile pick is very helpful.

For a while we had someone posting on here that custom guitar builders should refuse to sell custom guitars to anyone who used picks any thinner than 2 mm. thick. At the time I found that deeply insulting, and still do. Unlike the person who posted that, I'm a former Winfield champion, and I've made money playing music for more than 40 years now. Nobody in any audience has ever marched up after a show and demanded that I show them the thickness of my picks.

So use whatever works for you. By all means experiment with a wide variety of pick thicknesses and materials. But don't feel as though you have to follow "groupthink" just because it appears that everybody else is.

I don't, and - amazingly enough - the guitar police haven't shown up to arrest me and confiscate my instruments so far.

If it works for you, use what works.


Wade Hampton Miller

I find the bolded above to be absolutely true.

My main guitar is a mahogany Bourgeois dread and I use a heavy Blue Chip pick because in my hand it feels comfortable and stable and produces the sound I like best when I flat pick or strum. A friend of mine who is a well-known Nashville pro uses thin inexpensive picks (I've even heard him use a plastic bread wrapper clip and sound great!) and produces beautiful tone from his Bourgeois dread. We actually switched picks once just as a kind of test and the results were a musical train wreck for me and decidedly poorer tone for my much more talented friend.

So much of what type of pick works for a player has to do with the individual's technique and level of comfort.