What'cha pickin' with?????

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:52 am

Thought of this one the other day looking at the Strat/Marshall vs. lazy LP thread.....

What size/type picks are you guys using???

I play onstage with around a 1mm (regular heavy)

But I like to do picking drills woodshedding with a big old 2.0mm.....

The reason the thread made me think of it is I pick the holy shit out of my LP........

Everybody tells me I sound great on, and therefore need a good Strat, but I just can't force myself to sell my LP (which I would have to do to get one right now)......

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 8:42 am

I usually settle on a pick that's around 1mm as well -- I had been as high as 1.3mm but the thinner pick actually helped cut down on ghosting with its slightly thinner sound!!
I prefer the acetal polymer picks, because they last forever, are stiff as hell and stay put in my fingers even if a little sweat gets there. I really do like the standard celluloid plastic but if a touch of sweat gets on them they slip right out of my hand. But sometimes you need their extra little "give" as they bend when you hit a string. Like the Hendrix intro to "Killing Floor" from Live At Monterey -- can't do it with the polymer, but celluloid gives enough to pull it off (the real problem is my hands aren't big enough to slap that thumb over the top for muting, so I have to be careful not to fan the strings as hard as you really need to......)

Good topic -- I had this very topic on the brain the other day but never got a round to posting it!

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:01 pm

I find that I break way too many strings with a 1mm pick. I've always just used .73mm Dunlop Tortex's and just played really hard. No wonder why my right forearm hurts after practice so much! I'm also finding now that i'm getting into a little shred that keeping my right wrist loose and smoothly picking, instead of killing the strings) really helps make things flow together.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:42 pm

Country Boy Shane wrote:I find that I break way too many strings with a 1mm pick. I've always just used .73mm Dunlop Tortex's and just played really hard. No wonder why my right forearm hurts after practice so much! I'm also finding now that i'm getting into a little shred that keeping my right wrist loose and smoothly picking, instead of killing the strings) really helps make things flow together.

It is amazing how fluidly you can play on those rare occasions when you can really let that hand and wrist relax!!!
I'm not much of a right hand technique shred guy -- but I do remember one time when for whatever reason everything in my hand and wrist relaxed just right, and suddenly I could freakin' pick fast as hell-- what a fun gig.......it wasn't even booze-induced!!!

Now if I could just tap into that on demand.

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:31 am

1.0mm Dunlop Ultex All the way.
Attack and feel of a cellulose but longetivity and ruggedness of a nylon.

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:54 am

Man if you're breaking strings with a 1.0 mm pick regularly (and they're relatively fresh strings),

you're either picking waaayyy too hard or need to grind down a burr off of a bridge saddle!!!!!

Anybody else practice diatonic & blues scales using 16th notes with the metronome on 110-130????? (110 = slow shred)

I really don't see how you could keep a very stiff RH/wrist at that velocity.......

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:04 am

tonejones wrote:Man if you're breaking strings with a 1.0 mm pick regularly (and they're relatively fresh strings),

you're either picking waaayyy too hard or need to grind down a burr off of a bridge saddle!!!!!

Anybody else practice diatonic & blues scales using 16th notes with the metronome on 110-130????? (110 = slow shred)

I really don't see how you could keep a very stiff RH/wrist at that velocity.......

Actually when I start to pick fast for leads or quick arpeggiated riffs, I start doing this circular thing using only my thumb and index finger joints, the wrist becoming more of a stabilizing point, though that can be going as well doubling the speed of the pick against the strings.

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:17 am

Actually when I start to pick fast for leads or quick arpeggiated riffs, I start doing this circular thing using only my thumb and index finger joints

I do that too.....never actually even knew I did it until somebody pointed it out one day......

Once this was pointed out to me, I started experimenting between the circular and just using the wrist w/very small movements back and forth...

I'm still kinda out to lunch on which I like the best....it seems to be situational......

Seems like the circular has more feel for slower stuff most of the time, but the wrist allows me to shred alot quicker and also has the added benefit of making me keep my hand from planting on the bridge (one of my longest recurring bad habits) and just use my arm from the elbow to move the pick/RH from one string to another........

.....but then I'm right back to planting/circular as soon as I start palm muting again............

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:36 am

tonejones wrote:
Actually when I start to pick fast for leads or quick arpeggiated riffs, I start doing this circular thing using only my thumb and index finger joints
I do that too.....never actually even knew I did it until somebody pointed it out one day......

Once this was pointed out to me, I started experimenting between the circular and just using the wrist w/very small movements back and forth...

I'm still kinda out to lunch on which I like the best....it seems to be situational......

Seems like the circular has more feel for slower stuff most of the time, but the wrist allows me to shred alot quicker and also has the added benefit of making me keep my hand from planting on the bridge (one of my longest recurring bad habits) and just use my arm from the elbow to move the pick/RH from one string to another........

.....but then I'm right back to planting/circular as soon as I start palm muting again............

Yeah that dual technique helps when I do a lot of string skipping. I do the palm on the bridge anchor thing as well. Another good technique is to use your pinky finger on the picking hand as the anchor. Place it comfortably on the far side of the strings from the low strings where you can access all the strings and flick your hand (rotating) back and forth for some real speed(the Michael Angelo Batio technique), just keep in mind that you want to not move the pick further than one pick width on either side of the string.

dosmun · Post by **dosmun** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:47 am

1mm Pickboy smooth picks. I hate any pick with a texture on it.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:09 pm

tonejones wrote:Man if you're breaking strings with a 1.0 mm pick regularly (and they're relatively fresh strings),

you're either picking waaayyy too hard or need to grind down a burr off of a bridge saddle!!!!!

Anybody else practice diatonic & blues scales using 16th notes with the metronome on 110-130????? (110 = slow shred)

I really don't see how you could keep a very stiff RH/wrist at that velocity.......

I do that a little, just faster because i'm studying Wylde right now. I'm at 152 bpm right now.

Country Boy Shane · Post by **Country Boy Shane** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:12 pm

tonejones wrote:Man if you're breaking strings with a 1.0 mm pick regularly (and they're relatively fresh strings),

you're either picking waaayyy too hard or need to grind down a burr off of a bridge saddle!!!!!

Anybody else practice diatonic & blues scales using 16th notes with the metronome on 110-130????? (110 = slow shred)

I really don't see how you could keep a very stiff RH/wrist at that velocity.......

I do that a little, just faster because i'm studying Wylde right now. I'm at 152 bpm right now.

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:28 pm

Another good technique is to use your pinky finger on the picking hand as the anchor. Place it comfortably on the far side of the strings from the low strings where you can access all the strings and flick your hand (rotating) back and forth for some real speed(the Michael Angelo Batio technique)

Seems like every time I see anything by Steve Morse he's always using that technique!!!!

I do that a little, just faster because i'm studying Wylde right now. I'm at 152 bpm right now.

16ths at 152bpm is definitely movin'!!!!!!