Using the side of the pick

MikeK

What's the latest thinking on using the side of the pick (the round part) as opposed to the pointed part? I've heard Bireli played like that, but I dont know for sure. I've been experimenting with it and I like it. It's a bit quieter, with a slightly warmer tone. And I seem to have a little more control, or at least it feels that way to me. Maybe because my fingers on my right hand are more involved?
It leaves a black mark on the nail of my right index finger, which doesnt bother me. I'm using Dunlop Gator Grips, 1.5mm.

PapsPier

That is the modern way of using the pick: everybody uses it for different reasons but it seems to be the way people likes it (some does it bc Bireli, Giniaux often says that he switched to the side because it offers more freedom to control the note, the side is like the bow of a cello vs the point is more the pizzicato).

vanmalmsteen

The tip definitely digs in way harder. I love the 2.0mm gator grip because it’s extremely rigid but has a mellow tone

wim

It's the One True Way, and anybody that plays otherwise is doomed to a lifetime of mediocrity.

Just kidding. If you like it, do it. We are in agreement that there's more control over the notes and a rounder tone.

The note is quieter, but that's a good thing - you're placed more in the middle of your guitar's dynamic range, with the ability to increase/decrease volume (by picking with more/less force) and not sacrifice a good tone. For some reason I could not achieve the same control using the tip, the note would become too harsh when trying to increase volume.

pdg

Tone can be controlled by hitting the string flat on, or at an angle (like the "speed bevels"), or in between. But if you're totally used to a pick angle corresponding to speed bevels, you might get too dull of a tone.

Jazzaferri

It isn't so much about how, everyone has their own physical differences and limitation. If its the sound you want that is what it is. If it communicates and causes emotion in others so much the better.

Scoredog

In agreement with above statements, you can buy a pick which if it has a nice bevel you can and sometimes must use the point though on rhythm I still find myself tilting away from it. On a 1.5 gator i always use the rounded part, beyond being smoother on faster tempos the pick does not get caught in the strings. Your nail should have a permanent black mark on it...:)

Jazzaferri

Nail?????what nail??

alton

After all of the talk about black fingers and nails, I figured that I would snap a quick pic of my fingers after a two hour gig:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SULwkYMUeV5OzVxbsGivUAHZEGkUKz52/view?usp=drivesdk

Scoredog

I don't have a nail fetish but is there a way to post them w/o going through google mail?

alton

Wonderful question @Scoredog! I tried simply attaching the picture but I couldn't get it to work. It tells me that the file failed to upload. Perhaps some of the more tech savvy people here could help? It's my understanding that there are a few folks on this forum that really know their way around these things