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Topic: Hello |
Ken F. Hill
From:
Cambridge, U.K.
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 12:45 am |
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Hi,
I am now the proud owner of my first pedal steel. A Sho-Bud LDG and I love her. I am having a problem getting used to the finger picks. I can't seem to get them to stay on my fingers. No matter how tight I push them on they soon fall off. Sounds silly but it is stopping me playing. Without them I have started to find my way around the board.
Regards
Kenf |
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 7:38 am
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Welcome to the wonderful world of steel guitar, Ken. It usually takes some time to get used to your picks.
Brett
Last edited by Brett Day on 25 Sep 2008 7:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 7:38 am
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| Sounds like you're not wearing them far enough up on the end of your finger. Only 1/8" to 1/4" of the blade (or tongue, as some call it) should protrude past your fingertip. They must also be formed (bent) to fit your fingertips snugly. They're usually pretty useless as they come from the factory. |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 8:24 am
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Hang in there. It took me years to eventually get to where I usually can keep the finger picks on, strike the strings at a good angle, and have them be comfortable.
My advice is to have a bunch of them and keep them together in pairs. Then you can fuss with a pair, bending them until they seem right, and when, as is bound to happen, one day they don't seem right at all, don't change them, just set them aside and move to a new pair and work with those. That way you can compare, and somewhere down the road you probably won't like the second pair and you may like the first ones again, etc.
One factor is that your fingers change from day to day (and probably hour to hour). The picks that fit comfortably today may be too tight next time, because your fingers have swollen slightly.
Maybe others haven't gone through all that, but I sure have. Then just when you've been really happy with a pair for six months or two years you drop one, it skitters away and somebody steps on it, and you're back to square one. 
In my experience the best ones for staying on the fingers are the Kyser "Old Style", which have knurling on the inside surface, and the Jeff Newman picks, which wrap around the fingers with angles instead of a smooth curve. |
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Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 8:36 am Re: Hello
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| Ken F. Hill wrote: |
Hi,
I am now the proud owner of my first pedal steel. A Sho-Bud LDG and I love her. I am having a problem getting used to the finger picks. I can't seem to get them to stay on my fingers. No matter how tight I push them on they soon fall off. Sounds silly but it is stopping me playing. Without them I have started to find my way around the board.
Regards
Kenf |
I recommend these: Propik Fingertone
There are those who will disagree, but if fingerpicks are holding you back, ditch the picks till later.
_________________
Primitive Utility Steel |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 9:40 am
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| If you wet your finger before you slide the pick on it'll stay on lots better. |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 2:38 pm
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Ken,
Welcome to the Forum, there are players in your neck of the woods who will help, Dave Hartley is in Norfolk, you will find him here on the board.
James Kerr
Scotland. |
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Billy Murdoch
From:
Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 2:58 pm
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Hi Ken,
I takes time to get used to finger picks.
I changed to perfect fit picks a couple of years ago,
They are not cheap but well worth the money,very comfortable,absolutely no pain.
http://www.perfecttouchpicks.com/
The nearest steelplayer to You is John Davis who lives in St Neotts,a great player,I would think He gives lessons too.can't beat one to one lessons to get You off on the right foot/finger or whatever.
Good luck.
Ask questions on this forum,there is a wealth of info here.
Best regards
Billy |
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Karen Lee Steenwijk
From:
Pennsylvania
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 5:59 pm
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I had the same problem!They kept falling off....so I sprayed my fingers with a little "hairspray'.It worked!
Karen
_________________
Karen Kaylee <-- click
Kaylee Records
Nashville LTD SD-10 3x4,Fender Steelking,Sho-Bud pedal,Washburn 6-string,Morgan 6-string,Yamaha 6-string |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 6:45 pm
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Ken, welcome to the wonderful world of pedal steel!
About the picks, they seem to want to fall off and do feel rather uncomfortable in the beginning. One trick that the late great Jeff Newman showed us was to take a set of needle nose pliers and go at the ring that fits around your finger. Notice how your finger is narrower at the end? The pick has to be cone shaped a bit. It will then fit better and doesn't hurt as bad. Works for me anyway. |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 12:28 am
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Welcome to this Great Forum Ken 
you'll find all the help & advice on your journey from the folks here
don't be bashfull & ask away
getting used to picks takes some time,
just make sure you keep 'em on
i have mine on fairly tight without any products
if at times you want some relief on your fingers, you can take them off & keep the thumb pick & keep on pickin'
all in all for fast pickin', good attack & clarity, finger picks are where it's at
good luck to you Ken & stick w: it  |
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Ken F. Hill
From:
Cambridge, U.K.
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 1:27 am
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Wow, you guys are good!
Thanks for the welcome and advice. I have adjusted them with pliers and pushed them on as far as I can and they are staying put.
Thanks again....
Regards
Ken |
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John Roche
From:
England
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 1:35 am
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| Hi Ken, welcome. I live over in Wellingborough, ifyour ever my way your welcome to call in....john |
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Roual Ranes
From:
Atlanta, Texas, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 6:27 am
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| After you have your picks bent to suit you, try using SORTKWIK on them. You can get this stuff at most office supply stores. Banks use it a lot in counting money. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 6:32 am
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Welcome Ken, you are not alone.
Little things hanging off the ends of our fingers was not actually something that I think was planned as a life event !
tp |
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Jack Ritter
From:
Enid, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 1:01 pm
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Just get a little can of xtra hold hair spray and shoot the ends of your fingers and just before they get dry----put your picks on. works well for me.
_________________
Zum D10 8x5,rev pre-amp, TC M300, Split 12, n-112, IZZY, Hilton vp, Geo L, BJS Hughey, Live Steel |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Ronnie Boettcher
From:
Brunswick Ohio, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2008 6:34 am
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I cut pieces of the non-slip bathtub strips, and stick them around the inside of my picks. They stay on, even when I am picking fast bluegrass on my 5-string. After I stick them inside the picks, I trim the excess off with a razor knife. A roll of that strip costs about $5, and will last you for years and years.
_________________
Sho-Bud LDG, Martin D28, Ome trilogy 5 string banjo, Ibanez 4-string bass, dobro, fiddle, and a tubal cain. Life Member of AFM local 142 |
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Dennis Saydak
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 27 Sep 2008 7:57 am Re: Hello
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| Ken F. Hill wrote: |
Hi,
I am having a problem getting used to the finger picks. I can't seem to get them to stay on my fingers. No matter how tight I push them on they soon fall off.
Regards
Kenf |
Ken, I had the same problem at first. Picks that are too tight slip off and are horribly uncomfortable. I opened my picks up so that they were just snug around the sides and top of my fingers. I also wear mine fairly high up on the finger tips. That solved the problem for me. I have 3 sets of picks and I can interchange them with ease - NP1, Propik Vintage (brass) and Propik reso (split wraps). Hope this helps,
_________________
Dennis
Just when you think you're getting ahead in the rat race, the rats get faster. |
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David Hartley
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Posted 2 Oct 2008 3:28 pm Hi Ken
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I was wondering where you picked up your LDG? Was it from Cambridge by any chance? Alex M.? I hope he has not sold his steel. I am just guessing here but there's not that many LDG's here in the UK. Picks? I mould my dunlops round a finger shaped peice of wood to get them smoothly rounded and finger shaped. It may sound a bit odd but they go hexagonal because of the holes unless you bend them on a solid object! I am in Thetford if you need any help with anything. Welcome to the forum.
David Hartley |
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