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Flatpicking


Sweb

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Posted

Sucks.

 

But, I'm learning. I bought a bunch of picks, different brands and gauges and have decided upon, for now, a Dunlop 1MM. That seems to stay put and I have found more control over it than any other. Let me qualify that a bit, I have never had to gauge where a string is with flatpick before. It was always the finger memory. With flatpick I have to go to each string and "finding" it on-the-fly is coming easier. I am simply not used to moving my whole hand to find a string. It's like the mountain going to Mohammed for me.

 

I'm getting it slowly.

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Posted

They're just wonderful! :)

 

They give you such command and authority.

 

Play for twenty minute. Go get a drink or whatever. Come back and you'll see how much fun they really are.

 

With a flatpick, essentially, you can recreate all of the incredible guitar solos of classic rock on an acoustic guitar.

 

With fingerpicking, you pretty much sound like...yourself.

 

Nothing wrong with that, but I like heads to turn.

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Posted

 

Originally posted by guit30

Always have used a Fender medium

Same here, been using them forever, can't even think of trying a new pick.

 

What happened to that babe in your avatar?

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Posted

When I was first learning, I though flatpicking was a dumb idea. But I've since learned that flatpicking really opens up a lot of doors. So good luck to you, Sweb, and have fun!

 

On the pick size discussion: I used Fender Mediums for a long time and then someone turned me on to the green Dunlop Tortex ones and I love them. They're great for loud but still precise strumming, and they're between regular mediums and heavies. However, I almost exclusively use light picks for recording (mandolin stuff uses heavy mando picks, bass stuff use no picks, drums use... drum sticks...). It just sounds so much better with a light pick, I love all the pick sounds you get from the strings.

 

Ellen

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Posted

Yeah, I have a wide variety of picks. Mostly I find myself grabbing .73mm or .83mm.

 

My main concern has been developing fingerpicking style, so avoid using picks as much as possible with acoustic, unless the song really calls for strumming.

 

I am not that much of a flat picker either. Maybe that will be my next venture.

 

RT:)

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Posted

Same here, been using them forever, can't even think of trying a new pick.

 

What happened to that babe in your avatar?

 

 

 

 

 

JT,

 

She's on vacation, I'll bring back a new pic of her next

Jim

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Posted

Originally posted by alwaysharp

can one of you explain to me exactly what flatpicking is?

 

A picking style which utilizes mostly an alternating up and down motion with a "flat pick," rather than using hammer-ons, pull-offs, and tapping (something that most flat-pickers call "cheating"). I like it too, but it wears my freakin' wrist out fast anymore. I'm gettin' kind of old. :(

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Posted

yes to the above. the chords are mainly open and the pick dives in between the strings. the chord forming fingers are flying around the chord and scale.

check out Albert Lee. man is he fast.

up and down the neck o0n electric, acoustic and mandolin.

 

question: would flatpicking be 'strictly' associated with bluegrass?

or, as I believe, branched out a bit.

 

I use the yellow picks; four for a dollar in the jar on the payout counter. I think they are mediums.

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Posted

Originally posted by slider

question: would flatpicking be 'strictly' associated with bluegrass?

 

Hmmm.... Don't think so. I remember a dude way back in the 70's named Al Demeola (sorry, not sure last-name spelling is correct) that flat-picked. He may even still be around, I wouldn't know. Anyway, his music, I believe, was sort of a jazz fusion thing back then. I still have one of his old vinyl LPs, but don't have a turntable any more. :(

 

Kick-ass flat-picker, I recall.

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