#1
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Thumb and fingerpicks, 4 months in
I'm using a Blue Chip JDL thumb pick and 2 ProPik Fingertone finger picks (index and middle) to play this classical tune. The fingerpicks click an awful lot. I used the De-Click tool in Rx 7 several times to get rid of some of the clicking. I don't think the metal picks are going to cut it for classical, but they are comfortable and now I think I can adapt to any finger pick after a short time. Maybe I'll try some of the plastic picks that I have again. I wish ProPik made the Fingertones with the delrin plastic that Fred Kelly uses.
I started using thumb and fingerpicks on 7/21/22, so we're 4 months into this mess. Fernando Sor's OP35 No. 22 rough draft, with about 4-5 weeks of practice:
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#2
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I hear a pick scrape on every note. I suggest chucking the picks, especially on a classical guitar.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#3
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I'm going to try plastic finger picks first, but yes, these metal picks aren't working out.
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#4
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Quote:
Still, finger picks do offer some advantages in allowing certain kinds of playing techniques that cannot be achieved with bare fingers or fingers with nails. And this is why I wore finger picks into my 40s until arthritis started making my index finger so crooked that I could no longer wear finger picks without significant discomfort. So in my early 40s I took the finger picks off out of necessity. I still use a thumb pick. Best of luck to you Barry! - Glenn
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#5
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I’ll say this Barry. You don’t like to make things easy for yourself.
Sor’s goal with this one was to flush out a soulful melody from an arpeggiated structure. So, picking the pearls out of mostly lesser grains of sand. A lot of touch involved, with the premium placed on RH articulation, not just tone, which is hard enough to do with just fingers, never mind picks (metal ones a that) on just two of the three fingers you need to best play the piece. So, I guess it all depends on what your personal goals and expectations are. If you’re happy playing these pieces like this, then that’s all that really matters. OTOH, if you want to make it sound as good as you can, and I really believe you have what it takes to do so, you’ll need to ditch the picks as Rick suggests, and focus instead on learning the proper technique that will get you there. I think that’s what a classical guitar teacher would tell you right away sitting across from you. The truth is, you don’t need nails to make this piece sound good. Sor didn’t play with any nails. You have it within you to do it; you just have to make the commitment. You obviously like this music. Why not give it your best shot?
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Best regards, Andre Golf is pretty simple. It's just not that easy. - Paul Azinger "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so." – Mark Twain http://www.youtube.com/user/Gitfiddlemann |
#6
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Hi Barry,
Happy thanksgiving to you and yours! Regarding your Pro-Piks: I don't know how much time you've spent fussing with them, but I spent at least an hour with mine, and it paid big dividends! I still use my natural nail on the index finger. From long term use of plastic tips, the nail bed actually got formed into a curve which made the nail much stronger. My normal nail beds are quite flat, which makes them weak. The middle and ring finger have splits, so the curve didn't really help them. I have the same splits on my fretting hand nails, too, so it had nothing to do with acrylic & tips. In any case I wish that my index finger had the tone of my Pro-Piks, which make NO scraping noise at all. The trick is to bend/twist the loop slightly so that it strikes the strings flat-on, instead of askew. I also spent a lot of time filing the leading edge of the loop so that it was not as wide as when new. I also used a needle nose pliers to bend the loop to follow the fingertip roundness, as if my fingertip could 'nest' inside the back of the loop. The last thing was cutting a small semi-circle from the finger-loop where the two picks pass by each other. They were always clicking against one another, and simple observation exposed the solution. Here are some pictures of them. 1st shot shows the slight twist of the loop. I've found that it's better for them to go straight on my finger with the loop twisted than rotate the whole pick to the desired contact angle: Here's the ring finger showing the small semi-circle I cut out of the finger loop: Here's the middle finger showing the opposing removed semi-circle: This shot shows how thin the loop has been made next to an unaltered specimen: Huge difference, but well worth the time invested! I get a far fatter tone & no scratchiness with my Pro-Piks than I can with my 1 natural nail. The plastic tips, on the other hand, were absolutely sublime when it came to fat tone, no scratch, pluck or frail, but they just don't hold up for someone who does so much wood working, gardening, etc. I'd make one for my index finger if it weren't for the fact that you can NOT frail, or down-brush with an up-loop fingerpick! I've spent a lot of time filing the edge to cut down on the scratchiness but my ergonomics just won't allow the geometry/trajectory to change enough. It's a work in progress, this playing guitar. Best, Howard Emerson
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#7
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I agree that the metal picks are not the right tool for the job in this case.
However, metal finger picks are the right tool for many jobs. For inspiration, listen to Toby Walker, Jorma Kaukonen, Chris Smither. So don't give up your ProPiks yet. It's good to have the skills to use different tools and the judgment to know which tool is best for the job. Some other things for you to explore:
Last edited by jwing; 11-24-2022 at 09:05 AM. |
#8
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Thanks guys and Howard thank you for going to the trouble to provide the detailed photos!
That clicking noise is a killer on nylon. I haven't played my steel strings in a while, I'll check them out tomorrow. I'm going to stick with the thumb pick, maybe use a Zookie that is angled, I'll experiment. I have some plastic finger picks that may not click as much. I'll see if I can grow just a touch of nail and use finger picks on steel, then maybe natural finger nails on nylon could be possible. Thanks again and enjoy the holiday everyone!
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#9
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Howard,
Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try a couple of them:
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#10
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It's not just the clicking sound. There are common techniques you won't be able to do with picks on and the variation in tone you can
achieve will be compromised. I did use metal picks when playing bluegrass banjo but never for guitar (especially a classical guitar).
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#11
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Quote:
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |
#12
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and a big one add to list down strokes (typically a bit of a down strum)
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#13
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Quote:
Back to the woodshed.......
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: |