Considering switch to thumbpick - looking for advice

[tj_mangum]

Only you will know what works best for your style and approach. Here's an interesting interview with Kottke who stopped using picks many years ago. http://www.guitarmusic.org/kottke/ggpn87.html

[fatt-dad]

I like the Fred Kelly, Slick Pick in white.

f-d

[mattwood]

The shorter the blade of the thumbpick, the closer your hand position will be to when you don't use one. Thumbpicks are pretty cheap to try to find which one gives you the tone and feel that you are looking for. I've now settled on using a National tortoise shell thumbpick in a medium which seems to give a little fatter tone.

[JGinNJ]

When I use a thumbpick I use the Herco heavy as in Vindibona's photo. The medium is good as a flatpick, but doesn't fit my thumb snugly enough. I've tried the Dunlop & generic ones, sometimes filing them or heating it up to mold around my thumb- you may have to experiment to get one to fit comfortably.

I'll fingerpick without one, I just use the side of my thumb instead. But for real Travis picking you need a thumbpick for the bass to cut through (along with the muted palm for that "thump").

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by JGinNJ

When I use a thumbpick I use the Herco heavy as in Vindibona's photo. The medium is good as a flatpick, but doesn't fit my thumb snugly enough. I've tried the Dunlop & generic ones, sometimes filing them or heating it up to mold around my thumb- you may have to experiment to get one to fit comfortably.

I've recently started putting a "speed bevel" on some of my Herco Heavy picks. It really helps in a lot of areas. The articulations are crisper and I like the sound better for everything and makes flat picking easier too. You might try it and see if you like it. I've started doing the speed bevel on a lot of picks and for the most part this really improves standard pick performance and sound.

Interesting to me in terms of Herco picks... Call me crazy, but the tort ones feel so much different(and sound a bit different) than the plain colored ones. So now I only buy tort Hercos. I'm thinking there must be something different in the plastic forumulation. I dunno. JME.

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by tj_mangum

Only you will know what works best for your style and approach. Here's an interesting interview with Kottke who stopped using picks many years ago. http://www.guitarmusic.org/kottke/ggpn87.html

Thanks for sharing this.

As someone who has not been able to get comfortable with thumb or finger picks, I find it encouraging.

Never had a problem with the bass, but I could barely hear my trebles when I started out. It gets a lot stronger over time. I have developed a good callus on the side of my right thumb and the fingertips on the right hand definitely get harder over time.

Also encouraged by videos of Stefan Grossman, Woody Mann, Laurence Juber and others who play "bare flesh" some if not all of the time.

[nedray]

I use Kelly Slick in orange or the Herco heavy because they stick out the least far. I prefer no pick, but for muted, clicky bass, you really need one.

[51 Relic]

Originally Posted by mercy

Usually Travis picking mutes the bass with the palm of the hand. If that is what you are doing you need a pick. Different people like different picks but I use a Fred Kelly Speed Pick. White for Travis picking and orange for fingerstyle (no muting). I have long nails and find the orange balances the tone and volume of my nails. If youre Travis picking then I dont think it much matters what pick you use as its all thud thud thud. Still I find the larger, traditional picks are more clumsy and in that way are a bit harder to use.

I also use the Orange speed pick ( Fred Kelly ) my playing buddy went to the States and brought me back a bag of 30 so that will last a lifetime . I find as above that the pick and fingernails work just fine . Took about a month to get used to the change . Good luck and don't forget to soften the pick in hot water to mould to your thumb shape

[Everton FC]

Originally Posted by tj_mangum

Only you will know what works best for your style and approach. Here's an interesting interview with Kottke who stopped using picks many years ago. http://www.guitarmusic.org/kottke/ggpn87.html

Very interesting. Especially since I'm tinkering w/the idea of fingerpicks myself. I like the Herco's because they can be used to strum pretty easily. A little big for my small fingers - even the small feels loose. Not much I can do to retrofit them. Tried and Ernie Ball thumbpick I got for free. Seemed awkward to me... I've had horrible luck breaking my thunmb nail, and I find when it's a tad longer, and I'm playing w/just the side of my thumb, the tip of my thumbnail on the side seems to catch and that bothers me.

I suspect I'll stay w/flesh... But will give the Herco's another run.

[CycleBob]

I tried a great many and actually ended up using a blue chip. Really firm fit for me and good sound, but 10x the price of course

[JohnW63]

Everton,

I like the Herco's because they can be used to strum pretty easily. A little big for my small fingers - even the small feels loose. Not much I can do to retrofit them.

Try the Bumblebee thumb pick. It is the smallest I've tried.



The ProPiks have a metal strap, rather than plastic, so you can bend them into lots of shapes to conform to your thumb shape.

[Stevied63]

Just to update:

First, thanks to all here for the suggestions. I received my Kelly Speed picks the other day - bought the mediums. At first it was very awkward - but after trimming it down, I'm starting to like it. I have it trimmed to a level that just barely sticks out from my thumb - this still gives me the enhanced bass I want, but since its so close to my thumb, I was able to accomodate my picking style using a thumbpick very quickly. I think I will be able to switch on and off using this, depending on what song I'm playing. It still feels a little weird, but not as hard to adjust to as I would have thought.

Now - I tried playing several songs with and without the thumbpick - from my perspective, it made a huge difference in sound. But I asked my wife to listen to the difference - and while she heard some difference, it was clear she didn't perceive the difference as much as I did. This got me thinking about how we (as players) probably focus on things that an average listener doesn't hear - or doesn't care about. It made me laugh a little. We went to see Eric Clapton this week with some friends - and they all laughed when I mentioned something about Clapton's choice of voicing (he slightly changed up his typical voicing on one of the songs)....I was focusing more on his playing than just enjoying the show!

[KennyEC]

I'm a little late in responding, but here is my 2 cents worth. I've played fingerstyle with a thumbpick for going on 45 years. Through the years I've probably used about every thumbpick on the market. For myself, about five years ago I tried a Golden Gate GP-12. That is the only thumbpick I've used since. But, as others have stated it is an individual preference and you have to find what works best for you.

[mercy]

Yes I agree with, " we (as players) probably focus on things that an average listener doesn't hear - or doesn't care about. " But most of us play for ourselves first so we need to pay attention to what matters to us. If others can enjoy it, ok, but non players just dont care about the things we care about.
I started my experience with traditional thumbers and found them too loud and clumsy, I dont mute. A person can get used tothe clumsy but loud is loud. A friend recomended the speed pick but I found the pick a little long so I trimmed it. After a couple I got tired of trimming and just got used to the full length so now I cant use a trimmed one. So, feeling you can get used to but sound is sound. If you mute ala Travis any pick will do but if you fingerstyle then you have to be more selective. In my opinion minimal is best.

[Glennwillow]

I use a Fred Kelly Slick Pick these days. I have never tried one of Mick's picks, but would like to.

This thread from the Show & Tell section has some camera shots showing close-ups of how I use my thumb pick. For example, time 0:12-0:25 shows the picking hand quite well. This might be helpful in at least understanding hand position needed for use of a thumb pick.

When I first started playing (53 years ago?) I started out with bare fingers but saw someone really good playing with a thumb pick and finger picks. So I asked him what he used, then went to the music store and bought some, and learned to use them. I just made up my mind that was the sound I wanted and worked around that. Later because of arthritis I had to stop using finger picks, but I still use the thumb pick.

As Mycroft mentioned, grinding down the picking blade length on a thumb pick can be helpful, though I haven't had to do this with the Fred Kelly Slick Picks.

- Glenn