Dorado's 'tiny' pick?

beavertoof

really been into watching youtube's of Dorado lately... love his playing so much... was looking at various things on the web regarding him and came across this:

http://www.robertaonthearts.com/JazzAnd ... azz28.html

from the second paragraph:
...The first two pieces were Reinhardt’s “Minor Swing” and “Troublant Bolero”. Dorado took a solo in the second, using tiny picks, with Samson in tight rhythmic accompaniment

The 'tiny picks' thing caught my eye, just curious if anyone knows what he uses?

Jack

I can't be sure, but judging from the rest of the article I suspect it's a way of describing his picking, not his actual picks.

frater

I second that... well I really can't see anything tiny in Dorado's picking... nor in Dorado himself!

tikidaddy

I know for sure what Dorado was using a few years ago - ordinary Dunlops... 1.5mm, the smooth light purple ones. Both he and Samson had pockets full of them... they would file the edges smooth and use the back rounded edges, NOT the tip. That is the secret to the Dorado "ping". This was their pick du jour, but probably now that they get paid to play product, they use what ever is free! Oh, I know what Stochelo was using too but that will have to wait for another thread!

Jack

A lot of these guys can use anything that's available, and it seems like there's a few updates per year about who's using what pick, but for the purposes of this thread, just bear in mind that the woman who wrote the referenced article, while undoubtedly enthusiastic about Gypsy Jazz, might not care about the nuances of plectrum terminology...

That said, I've heard a LOT about those Dunlops over the last few years...

best,
Jack.

beavertoof

tikidaddy wrote:

I know for sure what Dorado was using a few years ago - ordinary Dunlops... 1.5mm, the smooth light purple ones.

Interesting... thanks for the info... he uses (or at least once did) that same pick Bireli uses.

I have some of those Dunlop 500's, but strangely when i use them i do not sound like Bireli nor Dorado!?!

tikidaddy wrote:

they would file the edges smooth and use the back rounded edges, NOT the tip....

Do you mean he would turn it totally 180 degrees from the pointy end, using the 'whole' backend, or just a quarter around and use one of the rounded corners?

lemanouchecbien

beavertoof wrote:

I have some of those Dunlop 500's, but strangely when i use them i do not sound like Bireli nor Dorado!?!

tikidaddy

They use the back corners... I don't know if you noticed but both Dorado and Samson hold their right hand in a kind of tight fist, like they are ready to punch! And they are built like weight lifters to begin with. So they don't really need a chunky pick. Dorado was really into his electric guitar back then, so that may have driven his choice at the time. One last thing, they both have perfect glissando technique.... I think that's key to Dorado's picking approach.