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  #16  
Old 05-18-2020, 05:56 PM
Steel and wood Steel and wood is offline
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My suggestion is to try holding the pick more towards the tip on a slight angle or try using a jazz pick which forces you to do this because of its size. (Fingers are closer to the strings when strumming/picking giving you greater control and less room for the pick to move around). I still to this day can't work out how players manage to hold their picks more towards the top than the tip and get the control they need.

I also choose to use the round corner of my pick (and not the tip) for strumming/picking (but not lead playing) because it feels like I'm gliding through the strings with less resistance. (Granted I don't get the same sort of volume but that's okay). I still prefer thin picks but can play with a thicker pick using this method and it might be something you could try also.

Good luck!

Last edited by Steel and wood; 05-18-2020 at 06:39 PM.
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  #17  
Old 05-18-2020, 06:17 PM
Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silly Moustache View Post
5. This is my best suggestion, but it sounds counter-intuitive : Don't hold your picks too tight !!! - Learn to hold it "just" tight enough. It works.
I completely agree with this. As a younger guitarist, once I dispensed with the Vulcan Death Grip I stopped dropping picks. Hasn't happened again in over 40 years.

The upside of having a looser grip for me is that I can rotate and angle the pick while playing so that I get the effect of continuous variation between thinner and thicker. A .75 mm pick used at a 90 degree angle ends up sounding and feeling like a 1.4 mm pick. Nice to have that literally at your fingertips!
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  #18  
Old 05-18-2020, 06:47 PM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leinad View Post
i do the exact same thing ,that is play on the side of the pick. when i use gravity brand pick this rarely happens (4mm elec. guit.) when playing acoustic with much thinner pick a smidge of gorilla snot helps.
Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Snot-.../dp/B0002GL5S8

That would be a great ice-breaker at a gig. Somebody asks how you keep your pick under such great control and you say "gorilla snot". What? Yeah, I go to the zoo on occasion and they let me near the cage.

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  #19  
Old 05-18-2020, 07:10 PM
vintage40s vintage40s is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwasifar View Post
Are you trolling us, dude?
No, he is making a very perceptive observation.
The pick is shifted in the fingers by a vector of the force applied to the strings. The pick is applied at an angle to the strings, the angle being caused by both the stroke being not perpendicular to the string, as well as the taper of the pick. The little force vector is what makes the pick shift or rotate a tiny bit with each string contact, until the grip must be readjusted.
Patterns on the pick, and/or sticky products applied to the pick, will slow the shifting of the pick.
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  #20  
Old 05-18-2020, 07:16 PM
The Watchman The Watchman is offline
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I think there are some picks with a textured grip surface. Maybe Dunlop? Its been a while since I bought picks but seemed pretty common at the time.
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  #21  
Old 05-18-2020, 07:20 PM
vintage40s vintage40s is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silly Moustache View Post
...This is my best suggestion, but it sounds counter-intuitive : Don't hold your picks too tight !!! - Learn to hold it "just" tight enough. It works...
I works for me because I do not succeed in holding the pick tight. It is going to shift/ rotate, and I will make constant changes in grip on the fly at opportune times, including flicking the pick with the little finger to straighten it. It becomes almost natural and unconscious.
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  #22  
Old 05-18-2020, 07:30 PM
DukeX DukeX is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vintage40s View Post
I works for me because I do not succeed in holding the pick tight. It is going to shift/ rotate, and I will make constant changes in grip on the fly at opportune times, including flicking the pick with the little finger to straighten it. It becomes almost natural and unconscious.

Same here. I change my wrist angle, strumming angle, and attack angle a lot when I play, coaxing different tones out of the guitar. Might even change my grip mid-song depending on the piece I'm playing. My pick (.68) shifts a little sometimes. Doesn't bother me. Feels natural. I barely notice and make small adjustments unconsciously.
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  #23  
Old 05-18-2020, 08:52 PM
Russell G Russell G is offline
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Well, I use a dab of super glue! Works perfectly till I stop playing, then it's a bear to pry it loose. Of course I'm just trying to be funny!

But seriously, I've been using Guitar Moose picks for their added grip from a foam type material on the top of the pick. It changes the feel but it really gives you the grip.
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  #24  
Old 05-19-2020, 01:23 AM
Robin, Wales Robin, Wales is offline
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As a few have already said: Gorilla Snot or Pick Honey from the same company can enable a light grip while stopping any pick rotation. Just a little rubbed between thumb and forefinger works well for many players with slippery fingers.
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  #25  
Old 05-19-2020, 07:51 AM
Dloz Dloz is offline
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I had the same problem for years. I prefer a Fender medium pick which is .8ish I believe. Eventually the problem just went away, not sure how else to describe it. I tried thicker picks, which for me, made it worse. Not to mention I don't like the intonation I get from thicker picks. I primarily strum and like the 'click' of mediums. I also tried the rough surfaced picks, drilling holes etc. For me I just learned, somehow, how to hold it tighter and no longer have the issue.
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  #26  
Old 05-23-2020, 08:04 AM
JBCROTTY JBCROTTY is offline
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If you are using standard teardrop shaped picks, try changing to the larger triangle shape.

Clayton Acetyls or Dunlop Ultex are the ones I use - my hands are very large so they are a better fit for me and if they rotate, they have 3 identical striking points. Also they have more surface area so I found they move around less for me. Give them a try. Now I cannot go back to the standard pick shape - too small and not as versatile.
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  #27  
Old 05-23-2020, 11:27 AM
tonyo tonyo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Watchman View Post
I think there are some picks with a textured grip surface. Maybe Dunlop? Its been a while since I bought picks but seemed pretty common at the time.
Dunlop maxgrips. They still slide around on me but much less.

About a year ago I found bogstreet ergonomic picks.

https://bogstreet.com/products/lead-...gonomic-pick-1

They are all I use now and I don't have any problems with my plectrum moving about.
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