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pick on this

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 1:51 pm
by Norm
I've noticed some people wear their thumbpicks farther up their thumb than what I always took as "traditional"

Is there a reason for this or is it just a fad?

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 6:05 pm
by GaryL
Hi Norm, I haven't noticed, but when I wear my pick up too high, I can't play and my knuckle hurts. Do you have any pick-tures?
GaryL

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:01 pm
by David Elliott
Norm wrote:I've noticed some people wear their thumbpicks farther up their thumb than what I always took as "traditional" Is there a reason for this or is it just a fad?


That's getting kind of personal, isn't it? :lol:

David

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:37 pm
by Norm
Actually one of the better examples is John's pick position in this thread. He runs that pick Way up there.
_______________

During CAAS John was kind enough to make this video and express his opinion of his new guitar, The Super Steel.

https://www.facebook.com/McGillGuitars

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 12:37 pm
by Richard Hudson
Thumbs are all shaped differently. Just guessing, but it may be for those that wear the pick up higher, just an attempt to stabilize the pick so that it will stay on and not slip around. That's just a guess.

I was playing a duet with Doyle Dykes one time and my pick came off right in the middle of my solo. Without missing a beat, Doyle handed me his pick, reached down and picked up mine and put it on. We finished the tune wearing each others' thumb pick. The audience got a charge out of it.

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 4:29 pm
by Norm
That may be just what it is.

I asked the same question over at the Jerry Douglas forum and a couple of guys said that was why they did it. One guy said he did it for more power and accuracy but I question that since the thumb is the strongest digit musically and if anything, one has to lighten up on the thumb to balance the attack volume between thumb and fingers.

..and I don't see "more accurate" pivoting on pick placement

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 9:06 pm
by DagerRande
I don't like my thumb pick to be too far up my thumb or it gets in the way of my other picking fingers when they pick inwards. I want horizontal distance (along the neck) between them.

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:56 am
by Larry Marchino
I've noted this difference too and wondered. I always assumed it has more to do with the shape and size of the thumb than anything--what you get used to and what feels right to you, different (thumb) strokes for different folks. I pick with a guy who has big heavily built short fingers and his thumb is so stubby and thick that he can only get his thumb pick onto the tip of his thumb. I have actually seen him superglue his thumb pick to his thumb nail. Now I think he is using tape to keep it on. He could heat and shape it differently so it would go on farther, but he is used to having it way out on the end of his thumb. That is the way he has always done it. He is 85 years old and looks 65-70 and he's a good picker too!

Re: pick on this

PostPosted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:11 pm
by Skip
Make's no difference how You hold Your pick if it works, My thumb is tapered from the knuckle to the tip so My thumb pick slips off if I don't slide it back up more. How about the guy's that play left handed and upside down, on there laps. Totaly blow's My mind. Because they play better than most people that play normaly or mabye everyone else is playing it wrong LOL. So it's not how You play it's how it sounds in the end. All this can be seen at CAAS. If I used My thumb pick the same way Doyle uses His, I'll still never play like Him, He's crazy good. Can I get an Amen.