Moderators Jed Posted February 11, 2009 Moderators Posted February 11, 2009 I don't know if this happens to any of you guys but lately I've found myself dropping picks while playing. I've always kept a pretty loose grip on my picks anyway but this winter it feels like the fingers of my picking hand are dryer than usual. I often switch between picking, hybrid picking and finger picking so I'm constantly moving the pick around in my hand. Maybe it's my advancing years, senility or just my OCD but this had been really bothering me. I'm not sure why, but it seems that the low humidity during the winter leads to a "waxy" felling on the skin. We run humidifiers in the house but I work in a cold and dry environment so it doesn't seem to help very much. I've tried washing my hands and picks just before I play. This helps for a couple of minutes while the finger tips are moist, but once they dry, it only makes the problem even worse. I tried a couple of different ways of modifying my picks to get a better grip (sharpening the edges on the grip end, perforations through the grip, etc) all provided some improvement but it was too much work to modify the picks. I did consider changing brands of picks but I really like my current picks (Dunlop Ultex 0.73) After checking out various options I settled on contrabass bow rosin ($5 or so). I rub the pick gripping surfaces of my fingers on the rosin just a few times. Not enough to see any rosin powder but just enough to feel the finger start to "grip" the rosin. It's really weird how effective this stuff is. It's possible to use too much and get a weird super-tacky thing going where the pick is virtually glued to the fingers, but used in moderation it's an amazingly simple and effective solution. cheers,
Members Jeff1979 Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I get this too, what helps me is scratching my picks up were my thumb goes, i use a compass or a knife, or a drill a hole right through the middle of the pick, sticks like glue.
Members Virgman Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I use 3mm Big Stubbies which helps.
Members Virgman Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 The Big Stubbies take some adjustment as they are a very hard pick so I pick lighter when playing lower volume. They are rougher texture where you hold the pick. I tried the hole in pick thing but it didn't quite work for me.
Members gennation Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I used the Dunlop Derlins for decades, they are shiney and slick, and they would always spin and drop on me. But they were my go-to pick. The last 7 years or so they've been hard to find locally to the point where I decided to change picks. I tried about 7-10 different types, even different guages to see what I could find that was comfortable. I now use the same guage pick (1.14mm) but I used the Dunlop Gators. They have a certain powder on them the works as a grip but not as a snag. When the powder wears off they still stay put in you fingers, but they don't "bite back" or feel sticky at all...they are not sticky just for the record. I'd recommend trying them in your guage as well as others.
Members Jasco Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I dropped my pick.And I lost it.Now I don't use picks anymore.
Members Mr Songwriter Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I've had a lot less bother with dropping picks since I started using 'Plectro' picks - they've got dimples on them and a hole in the middle.
Moderators Jed Posted February 11, 2009 Author Moderators Posted February 11, 2009 I dropped my pick. And I lost it. Now I don't use picks anymore. I was wondering what you'd say given you general distain for picks.
Members Jasco Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I was wondering what you'd say given you general distain for picks. Ah, so you were baiting me on the subject. It's really just my own personal crusade to try to become as fluent without a pick as with one. Trying to get the right tones, groove, consistancy, volume, and speed with my fingers as compared to my pick skills has been a real challenge. More-so than I'd originally anticipated. But that's also what makes it fun.The problem is that I do a lot of gigging and recording work where I don't have the luxury of making mistakes while learning, so I get really tempted to go back to a pick just to get the job done.Therefore I try to combat my temptation by vocalizing my disdain for them at every opportunity."Picks suck.""Picks are for beginners." (-Charlie Hunter)"Picks are for girls.""Picks are the work of the devil." (-Segovia)"Think of all the environmental damage done by pick manufacture and disposal.""We don't need no stinkin' picks."ect.... :lol:
Members Jim85IROC Posted February 11, 2009 Members Posted February 11, 2009 I can't use Fender picks because they keep spinning or falling out of my hand, but I've never had a problem holding on to a Dunlop Tortex or Dunlop Ultex. Those Ultex pics feel like they're made from velcro.
Members 1001gear Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 Inthere a product called Gorilla Snot?
Members jonPhillips Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 I've noticed that as I've got older, the skin on my hands has started to dry out and become a lot rougher than it used to be (I'm 44 and have worked with computers for the last twenty years, so it's not manual labour that's to blame). Try using something like Neutrogena to soften up and moisturise
Members Manimal00007 Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 Come to think of it, I can't remember dropping a pick while I was playing in a very long time. I'm probably gripping it way too hard, haha.
Members jeremy_green Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 Rosin eh? Sounds like a good experiment. I had a similar problem, I used Dunlop Jazz III's for well over a decade. Then one day I bought a Jazz III - XL series (it is the same pick but supersized) I bought it for acoustic guitar work initially cause i kept smashing up my index finger after a few pops and some strumming. I used the XL and immediately fell in love with it! They are my mainstay now and generally dont drop em much anymore. The raised lettering and the texture is really nice.
Members ThudMuffin Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 I can't use Fender picks because they keep spinning or falling out of my hand, but I've never had a problem holding on to a Dunlop Tortex or Dunlop Ultex. Those Ultex pics feel like they're made from velcro. Are those the ones all in different shades of gray?I love's 'em, I always had this problem until I switched to these.Lots of nice little nubbies and textures FTW.
Members Jasco Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 Does anybody who uses rosin or some other substance to help them grip the pick every switch to fingerstyle in the middle of a song or set? And if so, how does the rosin affect your feel or performance while finger picking?
Moderators Jed Posted February 12, 2009 Author Moderators Posted February 12, 2009 Does anybody who uses rosin or some other substance to help them grip the pick every switch to fingerstyle in the middle of a song or set? And if so, how does the rosin affect your feel or performance while finger picking? That's exactly what I do. I only use enough so that the rosin only sticks to other rosin. So the little bit of rosin on my thumb and the guitar pick stick but when I touch something else there's no sensation of tack or stickiness. At first I used way too much and the pick would literally stick to my thumb (and had to be pulled off the thumb). But all I want it so stop the pick from slipping out or spinning around, so just a trace of rosin does it for me. This way I can use any pick or no pick with equal ease. cheers, PS It turns out that rosin is similar to pine tar (as in made from) but much less viscous. Rosin comes in a hard puck about the diameter of a dollar coin and an inch or so tall. As you rub the rosin, traces of power imbed into what ever is rubbing the rosin.
Members Jealousblues Posted February 12, 2009 Members Posted February 12, 2009 yeah, I drop them alot too. What ive done in the past is take a knife and make a checkerboard pattern on both sides of the pick to get a little more grip but I havent done that in a while. I have a planetwaves strap that has a little packet for picks on it so when I drop one i can get another one really quickly and not miss much of anything. I also always buy white picks (I did yellow for a while but didnt like the material they were made of) so when I drop them on a dark stage I can find them easy. I did the yellow because some stages have specks of white but almost never yellow
Members Jkater Posted February 15, 2009 Members Posted February 15, 2009 I now play with big stubbies and they are much more solid to hold due to the recess in the middle.
Members Li Shenron Posted February 16, 2009 Members Posted February 16, 2009 I have always been afraid of dropping picks in concert, but it actually never happened so far. There are some picks tho which I found to have a strong tendency to slip and rotate (but not fall) when playing furious funky-style rhythmic parts. I just need to make sure I use grooved (with a sort-of rough surface) picks rather than very flat ones.
Members wrathfuldeity Posted February 16, 2009 Members Posted February 16, 2009 I use a very small smear of "Aquaseal Neoprene Glue" on oneside and both sides of the pick, let it dry for a day.
Members Mr Songwriter Posted February 16, 2009 Members Posted February 16, 2009 I use a very small smear of "Aquaseal Neoprene Glue" on oneside and both sides of the pick, let it dry for a day. Interesting, I might have to give that a try.
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