Sideways

Bones

Definitely Jazza. It really used to be an issue and then one day I realized it was just gone. Weird. I used to try to grip the pick really tightly to prevent it but now I really don't have to squeeze it tightly at all. Strange phenomenon and I was surprised to hear you and Bob say the same thing. All I can say is try to watch the best players and make your right hand look/feel like theirs and stay relaxed (not tight muscles) as possible.

bopster

I think you all are onto the greatest factor in "practicing out" the tension in fingers/hands: rhythm work. Going between waltz, gypsy bossa, bolero and rhumba waltz, if you want them to swing, you've got to be relaxed.

BTW - still working on getting into a relaxed state of mind/body, but by the end of the first set on a gig, I'm good to go.

MattHenry

I started this thread back in November and made a promise to myself to stick with the sideways Dunlop exclusively at least until the new year.

I wanted to check back in to let folks know that the transition was successful. I use the purple 2mm Dunlop Delrin exclusively for my GJ guitar now and I can attest that sideways is rightways.

Here's a clip from a trio gig last week (my solo starts at 2:07 if you want to skip ahead):


It definitely takes some getting used to and the side of your thumb gets dinged up from the more um.. intimate relationship with the strings. But the clean, quiet attack and the precision on lead playing make it worthwhile. The tone for rhythm is also really good. And of course you can get a dozen picks for $4 on Amazon and that ain't nothin'.

I'd encourage everyone to try it out. It'll feel weird but you should stick with it. The other guitarist in my combo uses the lighter purple 1.5mm Dunlop Delrin to great effect as well, so that's an option if 2mm is fat for your taste.

FYI, I'm also using the sideways Dunlop for archtop playing now but I go with the 2mm Gatorgrip. For me it's a better world using the same kind of pick for both kinds of guitars.

Charles Meadows

Nice sound. I used these picks for years with the mandolin - because that's what Adam Steffey used to use!

They wear far better than the Dunlop Tortex - but they still wear a good bit with hard play.

wim

Thanks for updating us Matt, nice technique and your band sounds good

MattHenry

Thanks @wimglenn ! My solo is way too samey but I guess another a ha moment for me is the importance of recording yourself. I got a GoPro over the holidays and I vowed to shoot all my gigs from that point forward.

Matteo

Yes it works! Switching to Dunlops must be the best thing I have done in a long time. I get better control, precision and – after a couple of months – better sound too (I think). I like both 2 mm varieties. At first, I preferred the purple turtle pick, since it stayed as if glued to my fingers. But the black croco has some nice overtones that I don't get from the turtle pick. At least it sounds better with my Maccaferri style guitar (which can be a bit mellow and dark sounding if I'm not careful). The croco pick did feel a bit more slippery in the beginning, but I think my fingers have gotten used to it by now and seem to be able to hold on to it pretty well (without me noticing how that happened, as others have pointed out). This thread was a great inspiration (particularly Wim Glenn's post with the photos), as well as the interview with Sebastien Giniaux and seeing Robin Nolan in October last year (although I'm not sure how he holds the pick). Thanks!

pdg

Maybe there's a newer thread to post this comment on, but but I'm continuing on Buco's preference for the Blue Chip SR-60. He uses the rounder tip mainly.

I had Matthew Goins make a couple of SR-60s with a "Chris Thile bevel" on the two (relatively) pointier tips. Basically, the bevel is a bit wider and shallower. This works out well -- no hangup on the upstrokes, crisp tone, but still a "rounded" tip. It matches my Primetone Semi Round 1.5 mm picks after I break them in a bit.

It's for players whose picks don't hit the string perfectly flat, maybe because their elbow is higher up the lower bout of the guitar, or maybe because their wrist is higher than their hand. For perfectly flat pickers, maybe the more rounded tip of the SR-60, or Dunlop gators (rounded side), may work best.

Buco

Doesn't matter much but this is where the SR60 has been talked about to death:

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/13913/bluechip-sr60-speed-bevel-or-round-tip/

I still use it. Actually after using it for 5-6 years almost exclusively the bevel finally started showing some wear. Had all the same qualities but something was missing from the sound I remembered. So I called them and they agreed to rebevel it. Lately I've been using KS60 a lot as well. And I have TPR60 on order. A friend got that one and I liked it too.