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Topic: Best thumb pick for pick blocking |
Jay Coover
From:
Nashville, TN, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 3:50 pm |
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Beginner here. I'm trying to learn both pick and palm blocking to see what my future holds. Making decent progress with palm blocking from the Right Hand Alpha course.
The problem I am facing is that any thumbpicks that I have get stuck in the strings when I let it fall down to pick block the lower strings as I see PF do.
Any suggestions?
So far, I've tried Golden Gate, Dunlop, and National medium thumb picks. They all seem to have the same problem (for me). |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 4:22 pm
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Trying different picks is a matter of how they fit and what kind of attack you prefer. If one type of pick works better for one type of blocking or the other, that would be news to me. Some players shave the blade shorter and shape it according to their preferences.
If your thumb pick is getting hung up between strings or the string is getting caught between the blade of the pick and the flesh of your thumb, that is a matter of practicing correctly. I will defer to the pros for an explanation on how to practice to correct your difficulty. |
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Jay Coover
From:
Nashville, TN, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 4:48 pm
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I think it may happen when my thumb goes flat against the string moreso than when I'm hitting it at an angle. Need to figure the right approach...maybe back to more Youtube for ideas.
BTW - the golden gate is the least troublesome, also my favorite
It's when the thumb pick band catches on the lower string behind it, then you're hosed. I believe Jeff Newman says not to use Dunlops. Those are the worst for me personally. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 6:59 pm
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| The band on some thumb picks are too long for me. Now I understand what you are saying. Again though, I don’t see that as a pick block vs. palm block issue, but an actual thumb-picking technique problem. You shouldn’t have to deliberately angle the thumbpick just to avoid catching the band on a string. |
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Barry Coker
From:
Bagley Alabama, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 7:27 pm Thumb Picks
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A friend of mine who plays great finger style got me using "Fred Kelley" thumb picks they have a very small blade that make string separation very easy (for me at least). I have used there Bumble Bee thumb when changing between steel and six string. There available on Flee Bay Thin, Med. and heavy and also come in assortment packs.
Barry |
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Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 7:39 pm
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| I believe the best thumbpick is the one that fits you right. Hands and fingers and thumbs vary so widely in size and shape that no one pick is best for everyone. I use the large size Dunlop calico thumbpick and I only use one as long as it is almost painfully tight. ( large thumbs ) After a couple of months the spring starts to go out of them and they get sloppy. That's when its time to use a new one. The large Dunlops have quite a long blade compared to a lot of thumpicks and I prefer that. I like the concept of the Dunlop Zookies but the blades are too short for my liking. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 7:56 pm Re: Thumb Picks
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| Barry Coker wrote: |
| A friend of mine who plays great finger style got me using "Fred Kelley" thumb picks they have a very small blade that make string separation very easy (for me at least). I have used there Bumble Bee thumb when changing between steel and six string. There available on Flee Bay Thin, Med. and heavy and also come in assortment packs. |
I have been using Fred Kelley Speed Pick, Slick Pick, and Regular thumb picks, all medium gauge delrin, for about 10 years. I like them all, for steel and guitar both. The band is short and firm. They don’t slip, and the different types of picks have different tonal strengths. I get them from Elderly Instruments https://www.elderly.com/accessories/picks/thumbpicks?manufacturer=67
I didn’t like the Bumble Bee pick. They seem like a great idea. For the cost, they wear down too quickly, and they don’t produce the right “zing†when strumming a guitar.
I agree with Bill Miller; a lot of this type of choice has to do with the size of your thumb. In this case, size matters. 😎 |
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Dave Magram
From:
San Jose, California, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 9:44 pm Re: Best thumb pick for pick blocking
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| Jay Coover wrote: |
Beginner here. I'm trying to learn both pick and palm blocking to see what my future holds. Making decent progress with palm blocking from the Right Hand Alpha course.
The problem I am facing is that any thumbpicks that I have get stuck in the strings when I let it fall down to pick block the lower strings as I see PF do.
Any suggestions?
So far, I've tried Golden Gate, Dunlop, and National medium thumb picks. They all seem to have the same problem (for me). |
Jay,
I palm-blocked for many years, and a large Dunlop or National thumbpick worked fine (I have big thumbs).
However, pick-blocking (or “fingertip blocking†as Paul Franklin prefers to call it) is very different from palm-blocking.
I learned to fingertip-block from Joe Wright’s videos. Joe explained that you need a thumbpick with a very short blade and a short band that didn’t protrude on the outside edge of your thumb—because it is your thumb-edge that blocks the notes played by your thumb as you move to a higher-pitched string.
A Herco blue thumbpick (made of Delrin) seemed perfect for the job, and all the videos I’ve seen of Paul Franklin show him using a Herco blue thumbpick. (See below.)
Dawn Sears - If you’re gonna do me wrong, do it right
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDMMcixiEyfeJSg¶ms=OALAAQE%253D&v=cixiEyfeJSg&app=desktop
The problem with the blue Herco thumbpicks is that the Delrin material they are made of would warm up as I played and loosen its grip on my thumb and rotate, so I had to switch to a spare thumbpick about midway through each 45-minute set--before it flew off my thumb.
Then a friend gave me a Fred Kelly speed-pick, which is the same size as the Hercos, but apparently made out of a slightly different formula of Delrin which seems unaffected by body heat.
Another advantage is that the little tang in the middle of the blade is able to flex when hitting the string while the two outside segments of the pick do not--which helps keep the pick on my thumb, a very clever design.
If you’d like to add thumb-edge blocking to either your palm-blocking or pick-blocking, the Fred Kelly speed-picks cost about $1 or less, so why not give them a try?
-Dave |
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John Spaulding
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2018 10:05 pm PF Pick Blocking
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Here's a blog post (with two videos) with some close-ups and tips on how Paul does it.
Tackling Blocking |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 27 Nov 2018 3:04 am
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Jay,
I don't know whether my own experience is useful or relevant, but here goes!
When I started I used a plastic thumb pick because everyone seemed to, but they were mostly too loose and slipped round on my thumb. The only one that didn't was the Dunlop tortoiseshell one which was uncomfortably tight, even the L size. And it wore down quickly on the rat-tailed file we call a wound string.
Then I questioned the use of a plastic pick - for reasons of tone, not comfort - because there seemed to be no scientific reason to have picks of different materials. I tried the Propik thumb pick (the all-metal one, not the one with the separate plastic blade) and I've stuck with it ever since. It stays put without being tight so you might consider trying one - you might like the sound too.
But as others have said - make sure your basic technique is sound before you experiment too much. In my other life I play trombone, and I see guys forever trying out new mouthpieces in search of the perfect one when they should be looking at how they're blowing 
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Jay Coover
From:
Nashville, TN, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2018 2:28 pm
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| Just ordered some of the Hercos. Having a look at my thumb picks again, it seems the National is the worst offender. The wraparound band juts out such that it wants to grab a steel string and hold my thumb down to it. |
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Charlie Hansen
From:
Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.
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Posted 27 Nov 2018 2:46 pm
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Fred Kelly slick picks.
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Bluegrass Island CFCY FM 95.1 Charlottetown, PE, Canada, on the web at cfcy.fm.
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on the web at cioe975.ca. |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2018 7:11 pm
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I like the Blue Herco too. I file a little material off the end of the band - helps with the string catch problem, and exposes a little more thumb skin for blocking.
_________________
http://pedalsteelpodcast.wordpress.com |
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Tom Gorr
From:
Three Hills, Alberta
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Posted 27 Nov 2018 11:00 pm
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I cannot say how happy I am with my pro pick long blade. Its a plastic blade attached to a metal thumb grip and the metal grip had shrink wrap attached to it for max grip by the seller ...
The longer blade rotated my hand into a better and more comfy position and I have far fewer mispicked strings.
With this experience I have to say find the pick right for you. Might take a half dozen buy and trys. Hercos are not even on my list anymore. |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 27 Nov 2018 11:30 pm
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2018 1:35 am
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| Have you tried the "small" Golden Gate? They have the best feel for my thumb. |
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Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 30 Nov 2018 4:56 pm
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| Try them all and see what fits most comfortable and sounds best. I settled on the Zookie 20 degree medium. |
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Jim Saunders
From:
Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
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Posted 9 Dec 2018 2:58 pm Picks
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| When you ask a "what is the best" question, you will get as many answers as there are products. Personally I like Fred Kelly Slick Picks. Comfortable and have a bit of flex. |
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Jim Saunders
From:
Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
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Posted 9 Dec 2018 2:58 pm Picks
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| When you ask a "what is the best" question, you will get as many answers as there are products. Personally I like Fred Kelly Slick Picks. Comfortable and have a bit of flex. |
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Jay Coover
From:
Nashville, TN, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2018 10:27 am
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| Yeah, I probably knew that ahead of time. Just looking for ideas. I tried one of the blue Hercos, and my first impression just holding it was that it was cheap and flimsy compared to the golden gates that I prefer, but when I used it I realized why people like them...perhaps because they feel light. They felt a little loose on my thumb so I went back to the golden gate for now. |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2018 1:10 pm
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Try Bryan Daste's advice about filing down the backside of the Herco thumbpick, that does help expose more flesh for ascending note blocking. Note Franklin also positions his pick further back on the thumb, the leading edge of the pick's rear is adjacent with the rear of his thumbnail. He states that most pro players position it the same way, which he say requires less motion for a strong-toned picking action.
I've always thought the reverse and positioned my thumbpick near the tip of my thumb, rationale being less energy yields more motion for the picking motion, the same way leverage points work on bell cranks, and changer fingers on a PSG. I'm willing to try Paul's way!
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 10 Dec 2018 4:58 pm
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John, with Paul's thumbpick placement I find that I also catch the string with the front part of my thumb as well as the fleshy bit directly under the band, so it gives me more blocking real estate :-} ... still a work in progress but I'm liking it 
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08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2018 10:53 pm Best thumb pick for pick blocking
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In certain conditions, Heat can cause your thumb to sweat and the pick warms up and keeping pick located goes sort of goes slip and flop.
Playing blue grass before getting a steel and moving over. Many of the banjo players took a knife a cut groves inside their picks on the tip side, That made them stick better.
One day I was working on a special project at work and got some 3M Step Safety Strip, Like Emery paper, With its own glue. In handling it a light came on.
RUB THE EMERY SIDE WITH A PIECE OF METAL Just to remove the real sharp stickers. Cut a piece to fit the flat area inside the pick, Clean pick with Alcohol, Let dry. Removed the protective paper from the glue and fit it on the flat area inside the pick. No more pick moving.
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 28 Dec 2018 9:08 pm
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Fred Kelly white pick, looks like a rat tail and feet, cleans up the lower stings like no other.
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Jay Dee Maness
From:
North Hills, CA
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Posted 28 Dec 2018 9:30 pm Thumb pick
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| I have just started using a pick called Pro Pick. It has a Delrin tip and metal rap-a-round. Looks really weird at first but I like it a lot. If you put shrink tubing over the rap-around, they are very comfy. They make the big strings really come alive. They are available at Steel Guitars of North County in Ocean Side Ca. (Jim Palenscar) |
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