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Old 06-05-2009, 07:39 AM
Lou777 Lou777 is offline
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Default Need help with my thumb FP

Hi

I just started working harder on fingerpicking. I can't get any volume with my thumb. I notice it most with low E in the G cord. I am using Mark Hansons Contemporary Travis Picking. Any tips?
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Old 06-05-2009, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Lou777 View Post
.I just started working harder on fingerpicking. I can't get any volume with my thumb. I notice it most with low E in the G cord. I am using Mark Hansons Contemporary Travis Picking. Any tips?
Hi Lou...
If you are using your Mahogany backed Taylor - they are not bass-canons to begin with, but you can increase volume a bit by paring down the tip of a heavier thumb pick so the rounded end is more in contact with the strings than a thin pointy one would be.

If you are not using a thumb pick, then using one would help increase volume. Here's a pic of what I do to mine to fatten the sound a touch...



It is my attempt to get away from a thin tip that sticks down too far, so I can keep my normal thumb stroke without altering it when I use the thumb picks. I grind them down on a bench grinder and then smooth them with sand paper and emery boards.

Also, when you are Travis picking, make sure you are not muting the 6th string too much - you can move your mute point to right on top of the bridge to give the note a bit more accent...it's pretty easy to overdo the mutes...

Hope this helps...



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Old 06-05-2009, 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Hi Lou...
If you are using your Mahogany backed Taylor - they are not bass-canons to begin with, but you can increase volume a bit by paring down the tip of a heavier thumb pick so the rounded end is more in contact with the strings than a thin pointy one would be.

If you are not using a thumb pick, then using one would help increase volume. Here's a pic of what I do to mine to fatten the sound a touch...



It is my attempt to get away from a thin tip that sticks down too far, so I can keep my normal thumb stroke without altering it when I use the thumb picks. I grind them down on a bench grinder and then smooth them with sand paper and emery boards.

Also, when you are Travis picking, make sure you are not muting the 6th string too much - you can move your mute point to right on top of the bridge to give the note a bit more accent...it's pretty easy to overdo the mutes...

Hope this helps...




Hi Larry

I was hoping you were around. I am just using my thumb. I like your pick grinding idea. I thought the GS was suposed to have big bass, I guess the mahogany does reduce that somewhat.

Thanks
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Old 06-05-2009, 08:23 AM
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...I was hoping you were around. I am just using my thumb. I like your pick grinding idea. I thought the GS was suposed to have big bass, I guess the mahogany does reduce that somewhat.
Hi Lou...
Mahogany tends to be better balanced across the strings, whereas Rosewood tends to 'inject' more bass. This is somewhat of a generalization, but 'generally' holds true...you still can develop very adequate bass volume from Mahogany backed guitars.

Still you can improve both the amount of force with which you play the bass by digging a touch deeper with the thumb, and/or by using a sturdy thumbpick.
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Old 06-05-2009, 08:33 AM
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Still you can improve both the amount of force with which you play the bass by digging a touch deeper with the thumb, and/or by using a sturdy thumbpick.
Ok Larry

I will keep at it.

Thanks
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Old 06-05-2009, 08:58 AM
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Yep, definitely try a thumbpick, or grow your nail out. Experiment with different thumbpicks too, if available. Shape, material and thickness are all variables which will affect overall sound.
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Old 06-05-2009, 09:32 AM
Bryan T Bryan T is offline
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Buy a bunch of different thumbpicks and try them out. They'll help you get more volume and clarity out of your thumb. I used National thumbpicks for years and liked them a lot.
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Old 06-05-2009, 11:42 AM
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Hi,
Personally, I think the importance of thumb picks and finger picks used to increase volume on acoustic guitars is overrated. If you want to mute, play loud... get an electric, a good amp and use yer picks.
Want that fat bass sound? Don't use a thumb pick... e.g. many bass players don't use a pick.
Want to learn to fingerpick? Use your thumb and fingers (BARE). With practise you can get plenty loud and don't worry, that mahogany is probably better suited for bass note runs than the overtones you get from some bass heavy rosewood gits.
Remember, diggin in, is easier than playing with a light touch.
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Old 06-05-2009, 12:10 PM
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Yep, definitely try a thumbpick, or grow your nail out. Experiment with different thumbpicks too, if available. Shape, material and thickness are all variables which will affect overall sound.
Hi kjskipper...
First things first - hello and welcome to the forum! Glad you joined in a discussion right off the bat.
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Old 06-05-2009, 01:49 PM
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That's odd Lou. Maybe the angle of your thumb to the strings is off, but that's pretty hard to do. When I first started fp my thumb was too loud compared to the other fingers. (Probably still is, I just got used to it, LOL). Anyway let us know how the thumbpick works out. If they are too tight you can soften them with a hairdryer and bend them out a bit.
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Old 06-05-2009, 02:35 PM
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That's odd Lou. Maybe the angle of your thumb to the strings is off, but that's pretty hard to do. When I first started fp my thumb was too loud compared to the other fingers. (Probably still is, I just got used to it, LOL). Anyway let us know how the thumbpick works out. If they are too tight you can soften them with a hairdryer and bend them out a bit.

Hi Barry

That's me, wherever I go they say that's Odd Lou

There is a photo of the recommended hand position in the Travis Picking book. The closer I get to the photo the better it sounds. Just need to practice.
I just picked up a heavy thumb pick to try. Maybe it's the polywebs softening the sound.


Thanks to everyone for your help. Welcome kj.
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Old 06-05-2009, 04:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TBman View Post
That's odd Lou. Maybe the angle of your thumb to the strings is off, but that's pretty hard to do. When I first started fp my thumb was too loud compared to the other fingers. (Probably still is, I just got used to it, LOL). Anyway let us know how the thumbpick works out. If they are too tight you can soften them with a hairdryer and bend them out a bit.
Yes, that's my experience, too. I find that there's greater strength, power and volume in my thumb than for my fingers. The thumbpick sounds a good idea to me. When I use one, I find that I hit the string even harder, with increased chances of fret buzz, than if I just use my thumb plus nail. If your "thumb attack" is relatively light, it might do the trick.
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Old 06-05-2009, 07:22 PM
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The Fred Kelly thumbpicks seems to come stock at a short enough length to not impede my playing, but I prefer the tone of the Dunlap ones (which are MUCH longer). I simply take a piece of sand paper and grind them down to a slight taper (similar to Larry) and grow out the rest of my nails to keep my sound balanced.
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Old 06-05-2009, 11:04 PM
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Yes, that's my experience, too. I find that there's greater strength, power and volume in my thumb than for my fingers. The thumbpick sounds a good idea to me. When I use one, I find that I hit the string even harder, with increased chances of fret buzz, than if I just use my thumb plus nail. If your "thumb attack" is relatively light, it might do the trick.
I'm afraid to use a thumbpick as I know I will start to rely on it for fast runs instead of using my other fingers which would slow their development. I use to be a flatpicker and the temptation would be too great to resist.
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Old 06-05-2009, 11:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lou777 View Post
Hi Barry

That's me, wherever I go they say that's Odd Lou

There is a photo of the recommended hand position in the Travis Picking book. The closer I get to the photo the better it sounds. Just need to practice.
I just picked up a heavy thumb pick to try. Maybe it's the polywebs softening the sound.


Thanks to everyone for your help. Welcome kj.
I've found that the best way for me to play is to have my fingers strike the strings at the perpendicular and kinda just "make do" with the thumb. I generally only use the thumb on the 5th and 6th strings. As you get more used to playing fp, things kinda even out on their own (talking about volume). When I tried a thumbpick, I noticed I tended to move my hand into more of a flatpicking position which softened the volume of my other fingers as they were hitting the strings at a funny angle. I guess if you kept your thumb flexed out a bit you could still keep your other fingers in a better position for volume, but that doesn't sound comfortable and I didn't think of that at the time. I'll give it a try tomorrow if I can find my thumbpicks and see how it feels.
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