The Steel Guitar Forum

This may or may not be an issue for a lot of you...but I play several instruments in my current band, and have to switch at a second's notice to/from pedal steel and 6-string, piano/organ (in other words, instruments where finger picks get in the way!)

Every time I go back to the pedal steel, I fumble around seeing which finger picks belong on which fingers. I had a brainstorm today and (duh) thought of colour coding the picks to identify the finger. I happened to try the electronics colour code for resistors, although because I was using my wife's collection of fingernail polish, I was a bit limited in the colour selections!

Anyway, here is a snapshot of the first attempt just to see if the finger polish would stick to the picks. I will probably add more just to make things a bit clearer.




Anybody have the same problem and have other ideas?

Cheers,
Mike

When i buy my Propik's i always buy one Brass and one silver...Brass goes on finger 2...I used to use nail varnish and paint one also. Looks good my brotherman.

I used to paint mine on the backside, so the paint would not show.

I use auto touch-up paint, I expect it'll outlast the picks.

The gap on my middle pick is a tad wider than the gap on my index pick, so there's no need to mark them in order to distinguish them from one another.

I carry a black and a red Sharpie pen in my pak-a-seat. I color the band for my index finger black and the one for my "birdie" finger red. Of course, someone asked me why I do both. Just one would tell me which fingers they go on.

Mark my picks with small notches on the edge of the band of the pick, closest to the knuckle. One notch for first finger, two notches for second finger. I make the notches with a nail file.

Painting them with nail polish is a good idea, too. Scuff up the area you are going to paint with a Scotchbrite pad, and the enamel will stick better.

I use electrical shrink tape.
Helps keep them on.
Can help help prevent hang nails/sore cuticles.

By suggestion of someone here I put a dab of nail polish inside the tip on one of them...I do the first finger

I do the same as Hans, heat-shrink tubing makes nice color coding, and is way more comfortable than bare picks.

Hans...That is a beautiful and brilliant idea. I'm currently putting some on mine, thanks for the tip.

Michael –

Like you – I switch between pedal steel, 6-string guitar & keyboards.
When I take off the picks I then try to leave the picks in the correct order so they’ll be easy to grab & put on – I believe that takes me about 1 or 2 additional seconds.
I now have my picks color coded, but when it’s dark or in certain light I find some shades very difficult to distinguish between anyway.

Through the years I’ve gotten much more adept at playing the psg without picks on, so there’s not the urgency to get the picks on as there used to be. And the band knows which songs I need additional time on to get ready. So if I’m coming off a song where I’m playing 6-string guitar and the next one I need to kick off the intro on the steel – they know to talk a little bit so I can get ready.
There are “some” songs I can play simple parts on the keyboards even with finger picks on, and on rare occasions I’ve approached it that way as well.
And the band I play in turns down a half-step, which I do the same on my 6-string & keyboards, but NOT my psg. For example - when we play Josh Turner’s Your Man in G, I play it in “G” for my few keyboard fills, but the bulk of the song I play in F# on the pedal steel. Fortunately, we play often enough where I’m getting used to it, and I have a pretty fair sized sign that only I can see reminding me to play the psg a half-step lower. I’m so used to thinking Neon Moon is in “A” I really have to keep alert to remember it’s now Ab for me…

-- Marc

www.PedalSteelGuitarMusic.com

Like Glen, I file notches but only one on each pick. The notches face each other when the picks are placed on my index and middle fingers. It's works well because you can feel the notches and know whether they're positioned properly without having to look at them. If I used a third I simply wouldn't notch it.

Richard and Hans has the ideas - red Sharpe Black Sharpe and not mark usually get it - but one side with the shrink works too.

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

I can put on my picks in the dark. They only feel good on their intended finger....joe