Nylon string pick users

[bfloyd6969]

I play my nylon string guitar with a pick and thought I would share this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmmcNC3f5sE

[mtown]

Thanks, I enjoyed that. I have a blast using a pick on my nylon string. I use a pick when playing over jazz tunes I have in Band in a Box. For me it makes it a lot easier to play single note lines with speed and precision.

[Pedro Navaja]

Nice video. You could do that with a nice picado technique alternating the i and m fingers and get the sharpness of the pick by using your nails. Here's another guy who uses a pick on a nylon string. Check out how the chick beats on the guitar

http://youtu.be/L0CsLefLisE

[Garthman]

John McLaughlin is the ultimate nylon string pick user:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om6HDUKBbzE

[ferg]

Very interesting and nice. I actually wasn't aware that their were many nylon pickers that played stuff that you'd more typically seen played with fingers/nails. I, not so long ago, acquired a nylon crossover. Most of my acoustic playing to this point is strumming, etc, on a steel string, so, I kind of expected it to be more crossover.

I've actually started playing my nylon more and more and without a pick. I'm still doing more rock/pop/folk type stuff, but I've just found that I prefer the sound of my nylon with fingers. It's an interesting transition after doing, more or less, the same thing for the last dozen or so years.

[bfloyd6969]

Originally Posted by Garthman

John McLaughlin is the ultimate nylon string pick user:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om6HDUKBbzE

Great find! I also found this from the above linked - very cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl4yq...eature=related

Do you know what kind of pick John McLaughlin uses?

[bobdcat]

I've always used a pick, but I'm no classical player. I also do fingerpicking, but when I want to strum, I use a classic Fender B-style medium thickness pick. I normally use heavies on a steel string, but medium sounds better to my ear on nylon.

[Garthman]

Originally Posted by bfloyd6969

Great find! I also found this from the above linked - very cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl4yq...eature=related

Do you know what kind of pick John McLaughlin uses?

Cheers, Bryan I love John McLaughlin's music.

I think he makes his own picks - at least he used to - he uses pretty thick ones anyway.

Although I'm primarily a fingerpicker when I do use a plectrum on nylon strings I use either a 3mm Nylon Big Stubby (with the pointy end filed and chamfered to a more rounded shape) or, for softer work, a 3mm Hard Wedgie Rubber.

[bfloyd6969]

Originally Posted by Garthman

Cheers, Bryan I love John McLaughlin's music.

I think he makes his own picks - at least he used to - he uses pretty thick ones anyway.

Although I'm primarily a fingerpicker when I do use a plectrum on nylon strings I use either a 3mm Nylon Big Stubby (with the pointy end filed and chamfered to a more rounded shape) or, for softer work, a 3mm Hard Wedgie Rubber.

Thanks Garthman. I find I like the Dunlop Jazz III's quite a bit for everything - from steel string to nylon string. I've never tried the Big Stubby Nylon verison, just the polycarb version. I'll have to give one a go...

[DJ in FL]

What do you think of FELT PICKS...found them on bottom of rack at Sam Ash...not sure about it yet?

[hoggy]

i use medium to gypsy jazz.

[RWG]

For fast single note music (Irish, jazz, fiddle tunes, bluegrass) I always use a pick. I only play nylon strings. I played bluegrass mandolin for 12 years, 6 in a band, and have a very good alternating pick technique so I adapted it to nylon. I use a Dunlop 500 1.14 mm. It works well but I may try some of the others mentioned. I don't attack the strings square but let one edge of the pick hit first. The edge acts like a ramp and gets the string vibrating into the top some, like using a rest stroke with the fingers. I get better tone and less string noise. For medium tempo I usually don't use a pick, I use free strokes and rest strokes. For slower tempo I use mostly rest strokes. When playing softly I find fingers are better. More control of volume and better tone. Picking I attack rather fast to avoid buzzing when hitting a vibrating string. The angle I use also helps with that. I noticed in the first youtube the fellow wrote that he tunes down have a step. I do that also. I usually capo up one to stay in key. When I first started playing this guitar about 12 years ago I tried to do everything with just fingers but kept going back to the pick for some things. Finally I decided to just make music and not try to impress the classical purists. Had I not already had the picking technique I would have probably learned to do everything with fingers. I have David Russell's Celtic album, Message of the Sea, and of course he does a fine job playing fast without a pick.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Garthman

John McLaughlin is the ultimate nylon string pick user:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om6HDUKBbzE

That doesn't work for me at all. For what he's doing, I'd say he'd be better off with a steel-string guitar. That nylon string, played with a pick in that style, sounds 'plunky' and ineffectual to me. If picks can be successfully used with nylon stringed instruments, I don't think this clip showcases its potential too well.

P.S. And I do like a lot of J.M's stuff.

[JannieA]

That was simply wonderful, I'm linking it to all of my friends, thank you.

[oarfish]

Originally Posted by ewalling

That doesn't work for me at all. For what he's doing, I'd say he'd be better off with a steel-string guitar. That nylon string, played with a pick in that style, sounds 'plunky' and ineffectual to me. If picks can be successfully used with nylon stringed instruments, I don't think this clip showcases its potential too well.

P.S. And I do like a lot of J.M's stuff.

I had the same feeling about it.