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Topic: Fingerpicks How they are curved |
Ed Boyd
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 2 May 2016 7:16 am |
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I have question. I was watching my DVD on How to play E9 pedal steel and the picks the teacher is wearing appear to extend fairly straight. I play banjo and I use National NP2s. I use needlenose pliers to curve them towards the fingernails. That is what I'm used to. Do some steelers do this also?
Thanks |
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Philip Mitrakos
From:
The Beach South East Florida
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Posted 2 May 2016 7:28 am
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http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=245699&sid=00e85237315f4f1a55fc9e332f7b3425
I was also a banjo picker and a travis style guitar player and its not the same moving over to pedal steel
And tried bending picks all the way around the tip of finger and just cant as of yet get the hang of it...I do well playing the old way...but probably should have learned the right hand alpha from jeff newman years ago
This type of pick curve intails striking the string with the side edge of the pick instead of the tip of the pick
Last edited by Philip Mitrakos on 2 May 2016 7:50 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Ed Boyd
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 2 May 2016 7:37 am
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| Thanks! I'll buy some new picks. |
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 2 May 2016 8:02 am
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see below..
_________________
--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown
Last edited by Carl Mesrobian on 2 May 2016 10:43 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 2 May 2016 8:07 am
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| Philip Mitrakos wrote: |
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=245699&sid=00e85237315f4f1a55fc9e332f7b3425
I was also a banjo picker and a travis style guitar player and its not the same moving over to pedal steel
And tried bending picks all the way around the tip of finger and just cant as of yet get the hang of it...I do well playing the old way...but probably should have learned the right hand alpha from jeff newman years ago
This type of pick curve intails striking the string with the side edge of the pick instead of the tip of the pick |
Phil, with all respect, if it sounds good , why do it any other way?? If you are at a venue or a session no one cares what part of the pick you use - or do they?? Did Buddy use his picks like Jeff? 
Ed..You might want to look at this post
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=298186&highlight=
_________________
--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown |
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Josh Braun
From:
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 3 May 2016 7:05 am
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I saw a friend play, and his picks were bent back so far it seemed the metal was kinda covering the pad of the fingertip.
I'm not sure why he did that, but I've noticed other players doing that.
I played banjo a bit before lap steel and dobro (and now pedal steel). I've never felt the need to curve my picks, and I get harmonics just fine without doing so (which is my guess as to why they do that).
Probably just a "whatever works for you" thing. |
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Ed Boyd
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 3 May 2016 10:44 am
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For me on banjo it is more of a speed and fluidity thing. It is easy for me to pick through and I don't get hung up on the strings.
But I'm not a steel player. STill waiting on my guitar to get finished. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 3 May 2016 8:23 pm
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I like my picks to barely stick out beyond my fingertips. I don't bend them over hardly at all. I use a very short blade on my thumbpick. I like to feel that I'm almost picking with my bare fingers. For me, It's very fast and accurate. I also kinda tilt them on my fingers so that the blades strike the strings flat, according to my hand position. I pick quite hard. I also use a double-bladed pick on my index finger. But that's more to aid me in switching back and forth from steel to 6-string. I can put my thumb against the index fingerpick, and it's just like I'm playing with a flatpick. Switching back and forth was a pita.
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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dlayne
From:
OH
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Posted 3 May 2016 10:29 pm picks
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I've used the JF=Jeff Newman picks for years & other than tighting them a little on my fingers thats all I'll do,,I can pull out a brand new set & don't have trouble.......
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Dan Layne |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 May 2016 12:39 am
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Are those the picks that look like the old Oahu picks?
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 4 May 2016 6:03 pm
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Do you have a picture?
_________________
--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown |
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John Brock
From:
Xenia, Ohio
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Posted 8 May 2016 10:14 am Picks
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Whatever is comfortable works best...but if you want the best feel..my opinion is to use NP2 ..old style national. You can always bend those bac into the original shape easily.....Hope that helps
_________________
GFI S10 Nashville 400 Epiphone J200 Kentucky BM650 Mandolin Fender 112 Alvarez 5018 12
Rus-Ler Deluxe |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 May 2016 11:21 am
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"Do you have a picture?"
No, but the hole in the blade is diamond-shaped, and each finger "strap" has a diamond-shaped hole and a longer slotted shaped hole.
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 8 May 2016 12:45 pm
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My picks don't have any curve. There's a bend where the blade comes off the strap, but the blade is straight. Guess it takes all kinds! 
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 12 May 2016 5:45 pm
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| those are weird. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 May 2016 6:04 pm
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Donny! I just might like those! I've been using the same set of picks since 1984, and the index is pretty worn out. Problem is, I use a double-sided index fingerpick, so I'd have to figure out a way to make one from the Pearse picks. Hmmmmmm!
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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Stuart Legg
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Posted 13 May 2016 1:57 pm
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Old nationals medium stiffness.
Bend picks in a way that it's almost like playing with your fingers and fingernail.
Bend flat up against the end of the finger extended just barely above the finger nail with a little bend at the tip to emulate picking with a finger nail.
This allows you to play almost like you don't have pics on fingers.
This also allows you to block an adjacent string just like you can only when you play without picks.
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 13 May 2016 2:13 pm
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Stuart!
I could never play with my picks bent way over like that! I tried it, and it feels completely unnatural!
JB
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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