The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been playing C6 lapsteel for a few weeks now, and always used a guitar pick.

I've picked up some new National thumbpicks, but I find that I'm picking too close to the strings, and in some cases I'm lowering the pick too far and the string is getting caught in the gap in the pick.

Is this one of those things that goes away with time?
Should I practice watching my thumb and keeping a correct distance from the strings?

Thanks!

Hand placement and pick/s position/shape is critical. Little things like curving your fingerpicks or not can make a big diff in hand position minutiae. You'll have to experiment until you settle on what suits you best, within the somewhat narrow spectrum of 'correctness'. Some just want to do it their own way and that's fine, but to get the most out of your guitar and your abilities there are certain ways to doing it 'right'. Getting all that down and then experimenting with other ways is best overall.

Don Becker wrote: Is this one of those things that goes away with time?

That's how it worked for me, and also when I've been away from the lap steel for a while I need some time to adjust my thumb again.

There are also picks with a very short blade available, like the John Pearse thumbpick:

I also found that cutting a V shaped notch in the flap end, just enuf to eliminate the occassional snag while still allowing a snug fit cured my similar problem.

I cut the flap as much as necessary, and file the edges smooth.

The technique of digging under when moving one string higher (muting the lower string while attacking the higher string) is foundational to pick blocking, I have found.

I'm a flat picker who new to lap steel and have experienced similar frustrations with the thumb pick. I'm using a National thumb pick and found that I needed to round the pick end a bit with some sand paper. It is starting to feel more natural for me, but there are still some tunes on which I still use a flat pick.

Don Becker wrote:but I find that I'm picking too close to the strings, and in some cases I'm lowering the pick too far and the string is getting caught in the gap in the pick.

I've been using a thumbpick for several years now and I still get the pick caught in the gap!

You probably didn't become proficient with a flat pick in a few weeks. I've been using a thumb pick for over 60 years and don't have a problem. Go to a music store and get a selection of different picks and then practice and experiment until something clicks. Practice is the key.

I could never use a thumbpick till I tried the John Pearse. They are not available in stores, to my knowledge--only online/mail order. I would definitely try one while you're in your "experimental" stage.

As far as pros go, I know Cindy Cashdollar uses the JP pick, not sure if there are others.