Members DarkHorseJ27 Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 Some time ago the fingernail on my index finger was cracked all the way through when the cat bit down on it. The other night at work the nail got caught on something and half the nail got tore off. I'd rather not use fingerpicks, but I don't want to wait several weeks for the nail to grow back to fingerpick and get the tone I'm used to. So what are some good fingerpicks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RogueGnome Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mike_E_McGee Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I use cheap-o plastic finger picks. I prefer the tone to metal picks and they don't kill the strings so quickly. It has taken me 3 years of using them to feel comfortable thuogh. There is a pretty fierce learning curve associated with picks. YMMV of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RogueGnome Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 It has taken me 3 years of using them to feel comfortable thuogh. There is a pretty fierce learning curve associated with picks. YMMV of course! That is what I have always found. So I have never really been able to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Florida_Gator Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I never use fingerpicks, but would like a thumbpick. I have one, but it's clumsy. The "pick" part sticks out too far. Anyone know of any thumbpicks that only stick out (past the side of my thumb) a tiny bit, like 1/8th or less, preferably a 16th, and not too stiff? That would be ideal... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opa John Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I've been trying, off and on (mostly off) for 40 years to get comfortable with thumb and finger picks and, so far, it ain't happenin'!! Saturday, at my weekly bluegrass jam, there was an old guy there who was doing bluegrass on an old dread with just thumb and two finger picks. He was makin' that old dread talk. I kinda wish I'd stuck with it way back when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opa John Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I never use fingerpicks, but would like a thumbpick. I have one, but it's clumsy. The "pick" part sticks out too far.Anyone know of any thumbpicks that only stick out (past the side of my thumb) a tiny bit, like 1/8th or less, preferably a 16th, and not too stiff? That would be ideal...Thanks! I know exactly what you mean when you say "sticks out too far". I feel the same way about them. I've heard a lotta guys say they just cut them down and file them to shape to get it where they want it to be. Give it a shot. BTW- Have you tried any of the Dunlop "Herco" picks? I've got a couple of those in meduim and heavy that seem to work OK for me.They're like a buck-fifty each at GC. They sell them in a 3-pak, but you can buy just one or two at M&P shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mike_C Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I've used plain old National Steel fingerpicks on i-m-a and a medium Dunlop thumbpick forever. They're not so hard, not by a long shot. Get a copy of Giuliani's Opus 1, and start at the beginning, don't worry AT ALL about tempo or making mistakes, do it super slow and out of time at first. Remain always conscious of the elevation of your right hand and wrist position. Don't fall into your normal routine - you're learning a new technique now, which requires a change in posture. For about two weeks, spend ten to fifteen minutes daily just getting your right hand set. DO NOT worry about playing any songs, and DO NOT worry about any changes with your left hand. You could even do this with open strings, so maybe an open tuning would work better as it will minimize the amount of left hand energy required to maintain your sanity. You might want to start with just i-m (index and middle fingers) before inviting your ring finger in. It might take a little while, but your right hand will make the adjustment, and before you know it, you can start flying all around that Opus 1 (in case you don't know, Giuliani's Opus 1 part 1 is just a series of right hand patterns. It's classical in name only, but is a great way to work on your right hand no matter what style you play). Just make sure that when you have your footing you practice with a drum machine or metronome, and keep notes on where you left off, what tempos you hit, and what patterns you're working on. Steel fingerpicks can do almost anything except for some Rasguado patters, but tremolo, artificial harmonics, and blazingly fast single string and cross string runs are very possible. You can also get some super groovy strum patters between your thumb and fingers, and play percussion on your upstrokes as the fingers brush the end of the fretboard or the body of the guitar itself (just get ready to play a road-worn guitar!). So I don't think, respectfully, that fingerpicks are difficult with a more rigid approach - you can easily spare the fifteen minutes a day, but whether or not you can spare the feeling of starting with something that feels impossibly awkward at first is another thing altogether. Work through it. It doesn't last long. And when you come out, the projection and strength you can get really makes it worthwhile, particularly on steel string guitars. Finally, it's worth noting that if you get facile with fingerpicks you can easily handle bigger guitars, dreadnaughts and jumbos, you can drive the tops while fingerpicking - also, your old 000's will shine. You can play as soft or loud as you want with them, but loud is gonna be really loud, which is a nice benefit IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seagullplayer77 Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 Some time ago the fingernail on my index finger was cracked all the way through when the cat bit down on it.First things first, get rid of the cat :poke:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I never use fingerpicks, but would like a thumbpick. I have one, but it's clumsy. The "pick" part sticks out too far. Anyone know of any thumbpicks that only stick out (past the side of my thumb) a tiny bit, like 1/8th or less, preferably a 16th, and not too stiff? That would be ideal... Thanks! Might try one of these...Fred Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Florida_Gator Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 Thanks TAH -- where would I find those Slick Pick thumb picks? I can hunt around, but thought you might have a link... thanks again -- this will really help with my (smaller) LS6 (a guitar that I absolutely LOVE for its feel and overall sound, but wish it had a tad more bass, like my dreds). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave W. Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 Until I got used to a thumbpick I spent hours trimming and sanding them down because they were "too" long. After finially getting the hang of it I find that the length or the material or the brand does not really matter very much to my ability to be able to play with them. I do have my preferences, in particular the Fred Kelly Delrin thumbpicks which are/were available via mailorder from Fred or Manny's in PA. I have yet to try his fingerpicks that Terry posted about. I use the all metal picks from PROPIK (sp) the actual surface area of the fingertip is open so that you get a flesh-like touch on the srtings. Wish I had good nails but I just got tired of dealing with them. I do not have a problem with the sound of the Propiks I can get a tone very close to good hard fingernails. My 2 cents, YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members totamus Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 I've read about the slick picks, but not used them. I prefer Nationals or Fenders for the thumb and National .020 or .025 for Fingers. The finger pick needs to be fitted, the metal should bend back along the finger tip, not protrude outward like a thumbpick does. Difficult to get used to at first. Well worth the effort. I like to "Backsweep" and you cannot do that with finger picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted August 25, 2009 Members Share Posted August 25, 2009 Thanks TAH -- where would I find those Slick Pick thumb picks? I can hunt around, but thought you might have a link... thanks again -- this will really help with my (smaller) LS6 (a guitar that I absolutely LOVE for its feel and overall sound, but wish it had a tad more bass, like my dreds). Some music stores carry 'em, but I ordered a a 1/2-dozen from Elderly Instruments. One nice thing about them is that the Delrin ones never seem to break (no idea about the other ones)...I'm still using the first one I bought, almost 3 years old, and I've got 5 more in my pick box, and if I don't misplace 'em, they might last the rest of my days! The Freedom fingerpicks I also had to order, again from Elderly, because I've never found any music store that carry those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members emergere Posted October 13, 2009 Members Share Posted October 13, 2009 Not that it will help you with your index finger but I like these:http://www.strum-n-comfort.com/ Another style I've been thinking of using is Johny Hilland Regular pick and glued on nails for m-r-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AgingPicker Posted October 13, 2009 Members Share Posted October 13, 2009 I've heard a lotta guys say they just cut them down and file them to shape to get it where they want it to be. Give it a shot. Exactly what I've been doing for a long time. Because to me, they're not even usable until you do that. Maybe to a banjo picker. Go to your local drug store and see if you can find one of those emory boards the ladies use on their nails. The kind that have kind of rough grit on one side and then a much finer/smoother grit on the other side. I start out using toenail clippers to get the rough length/shape that I'm after. Then I go around the edges with the rough side of the emory board to smooth them out. Then, I switch to the smooth side of the board to finish it up. The smooth side gets it to where it's no longer scratchy sounding. At the risk of rambling, here's kind of a funny story related to this. When I was first try to perfect my thumb-pick re-shaping techniques, I was experimenting with different ways of producing a perfectly smooth factory finish where I'd re-shaped plastic thumb-pick. I thought that perhaps if I melted the plastic just slightly with a lighter, then when the plastic cooled down it would look perfectly smooth. But as soon as the flame of my lighter touched the plastic, it burst into flames! Apparently, the kind of plastic that's used to make thumb-picks is highly flammable! But don't worry, the smooth side of an emory board will make the plastic very smooth and slick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordchunker Posted October 13, 2009 Members Share Posted October 13, 2009 I use the pads on my fingers, but I kind of like the Alaska fingerpicks. It took me two solid years of practice to be able to use a thumbpick...that was years and years ago. I like the Slick picks though they feel just a bit flimsy to me. I`m wanting to buy a blue chip but they are $40.00.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sibylernie Posted November 11, 2009 Members Share Posted November 11, 2009 I've been trying, off and on (mostly off) for 40 years to get comfortable with thumb and finger picks and, so far, it ain't happenin'!!Saturday, at my weekly bluegrass jam, there was an old guy there who was doing bluegrass on an old dread with just thumb and two finger picks. He was makin' that old dread talk. I kinda wish I'd stuck with it way back when. Wayne Henderson from Rugby Virginia (a guitar maker) also using a thumb pick and fingers to pick bluegrass licks. He has played with all the old greats (Doc Watson, etc.) Wayne says flat picks kept slipping from his fingers. You can sometimes hear him play at the Ferum College festival in Ferum VA. (October) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bernie P. Posted November 11, 2009 Members Share Posted November 11, 2009 Most are pretty cheap so try several as they will all sound different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ccasey Posted November 11, 2009 Members Share Posted November 11, 2009 I'm primarily a strummer/flatpicker, but really love fingerstyle guitar and have started trying to do more, starting from scratch with the basics. I also have trouble with my nails, although I'm trying to grow them right now, and have been looking at trying fingerpicks. I've just ordered some of the Alaska pics after seeing Eric Skye use them in a video, and am waiting on them to arrive. Will post back with initial impressions after I get them, but they might be worth a look. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twanguero Posted November 14, 2009 Members Share Posted November 14, 2009 I get acrylic nails put on at the salon (yeah, I know...). Been doing it for 10 years and they are the only solution I've found to playing classical, steel string acoustic, and electric. I also use thumbpicks for some styles and I like the Herco heavies filed down so they barely stick out from my thumb. The bumblebee thumbpicks are really cool, too. They are adjustable and resemble regular jazz picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder77 Posted November 14, 2009 Members Share Posted November 14, 2009 I never use fingerpicks, but would like a thumbpick. I have one, but it's clumsy. The "pick" part sticks out too far.Anyone know of any thumbpicks that only stick out (past the side of my thumb) a tiny bit, like 1/8th or less, preferably a 16th, and not too stiff? That would be ideal...Thanks! why not just cut and sand it down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twanguero Posted November 14, 2009 Members Share Posted November 14, 2009 That's what's cool about the bumblebee pick. You can adjust the heighth (amount that sticks out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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