The Steel Guitar Forum

My thumb pick broke just before we were about to start the 1st set of our two set gig tonight. I looked for about a minute but couldn't find my spare. I found everything else, finger picks, strings, cords, rags, misc. items, etc. I can't complain, as I gig and practice quite often, and I'm pretty sure the pick is about 6 years old. It seemed weird to play with only the finger picks on and not the thumb pick, so I opted for playing fingers only. The noticeable differences were the attack, not as much control of volume, couldn't play the faster stuff as well, but overall I thought I did pretty well. When I got home I again looked inside my pack-a-seat and guess what. Within 30 seconds I found my spare thumb pick. I'm too tired to figure out the moral of the story, so I'm open to ideas. -- Marc

I think the moral is "always break your thumbpick at the end of the show, not at the beginning..."
Nick

Thats too bad Marc,they just don't make um like they used to. Ray

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Steeling is still legal in Arizona

Happened to me a couple months ago. Just so happened that Rabbit Easter was on the same show. His steel was set up on the other side of the stage. I slipped over and got his off his guitar, without asking. Well, he was busy with his fans! I put it back!

I've found some of the same, Marc, although I haven't had a 'dilemma' force me to do so on stage.

I think I could play best with a thumbpick and no finger picks, especially if I could grow any nails -- which is difficult for me to maintain the few times I've tried. If fingernails are short, but long enough to just contact the string without getting in the way, it can work ok. My problem is that as soon as one breaks you're in trouble. I think Buddy mentioned the same problem earlier on a thread or two addressing this topic. You might want to do a search.

I can remember a cadre of 'Chet-clones', back when I hung out in Nashville music stores every spare minute, as a kid. They would walk in, pick that orange Gretsch off the wall (or Country Gentleman if there was one), and proceed to manicure their nails for damn near five minutes -- filing and shaping. WAY MORE TIME THAN I EVER SPENT BENDING FINGER PICKS. My conclusion was it's more trouble cultivating and maintaining nails than it's worth, although Chet and others have done it throughout their career.

On the plus side, once you get used to it, there is a connection with the instrument that picks don't provide, but that's kind of qualitative. PLUS, it's hard to switch between picks and no picks without getting used to the different picking attack and other differences.

Oh, yeah, sorry about the demise of your 'old friend'. Hope you gave it a proper burial.

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<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 24 July 2002 at 07:28 AM.]</p></FONT>

I have a box of Thumb Picks and old National Fingerpicks that I have had since the 50's when I owned my music store.

Never broke one. I have one that is wore right down to nothing.

So I finally had to change. They don't make them like they used to....al

I've played classical guitar for a long while and when I started playing steel a few years ago, learning to use fingerpicks felt nearly impossible. I was so used to feeling the strings with my fingers that the metal finger picks just completely threw me. I didn't know what my hands were doing. I switched to playing with just a thumb pick and the tips of my fingers and I was suddenly able to play. Then I realized from hearing another steel player that my sound was a bit muddy on the e9 neck without the snap and crackle you get from metal fingerpicks. The c6 tone didn't suffer as badly I think because the lower register doesn't really seem to need the brighter sound as much. After much deliberation I'm now finally able to play steel using the metal fingerpicks and the thumb pick. There is however a definite difference in the way I play when I don't have the picks on. When I can feel those strings with my fingers I am more in control of rhythmic phrasing and my blocking technique is more confident because I'm not worried about the metal picks chiming against the strings. If I could get the nice e9 tone without finger picks I'd go back to just fingers in a minute. Anybody know how to do this?

My grandson broke my thumb pick fooling around. I got one from Frenchy that is white with some tortoise shell stuck on the picking part. I like it. The tortoise shell stiffens it up.
Erv

Never got left without a thumbpick,but one nite in the middle of a hot rif I did a backstrum and hung a fingerpick,the string sent it to the middle of the dancefloor!!!
pickwise there is nothing worse than having to break in a fingerpick(s), a patron walked up and asked.(holding out my pick)did you throw this at me?
I thanked him profusely and bought him and his date a beer.
It was a .025 Dunlap that I still have and use,that was 1975.

Bill Ford

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<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bill Ford on 25 July 2002 at 04:51 PM.]</p></FONT>

I vote with Larry (even if he does play a S12) I've fooled around mostly at home with only a thumb pick, but I don't use my nails....(funny fingers??) I keep them real short and play with the tips of my fingers, I guess? I have played a couple of gigs that way and lived to tell about it??!! I used to play with a metal thumb pick with a real short shank.....never broke it but polished it off (never to pick again!) when I backed
over it in a driveway! (it was in a cloth bag) I was pleased to read in Joe Wright's book about his choice of thumbpick & shortening it! Follows what I thought years ago. Helps block notes you pick w/your thumb!

I always keep half a dozen or so extra sets of picks in my pack-a seat just in case.

Spare picks in the pak-a-seat is a definate must.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

I can't beleave some of you guys pay big bucks for a Steel Guitar and other equipment and you don't buy a dozen thumb picks. Shame on you for not being prepared for anything. I don't play out but when I go to a steel meeting and work shop I have a dozen thumb picks a extra volume pedal two sets of strings and a dozen .011.I carry extra 9 volt batteries small screw driver set needle nose plyers,cutting plyers.small flash light,and extra cords of all diffrent lenghts,even a 25 foot extention cord and a power surge protector.This stuff is all in the pack seat and weighs as much as my Pro Fex II
Sam White

Sam, that makes two of us (that come prepared for almost anything).

<font size=1>(By the way, you forgot spare fuses.)</font>

Hi, I just started playing pedal steel again, after playing just guitar for the last 35 years, and I find it SO much easier to play with just my fingers, no nails, no picks. I am having trouble blocking with the edge of my right palm, and also with my right hand ring and pinky fingers, but .... without any picks I get no Clicks and my blocking feels and sounds right. I do not care if my sound is a little Soft, as that is the sound I like anyway.
I am already a bit Left of Center as it is. I am setup DAY, I have dropped the chromatic strings and start with a g# on top,Mooney sytle, and my one knee lever does a solo E to F# pull. This just feels right to me.
I am going to keep trying to learn how to block useing the picks,but at the end of a practice time when I want to feel like I am gaining some progress relearning to play, off come the picks.

I thought it would be you Fred, when I saw one of my posts from so long ago resurface.
I'm sure you'll get real pretty sounds out of your guitar whether you use picks or not.
As you know, similar to you, I've had many more years on 6-string guitar than steel, but now with about a dozen years or so on pedal steel, I'm more comfortable with the picks on. Funny, when recently playing some 6-string again, I now tend to play about 80% with fingers only and no pick!
Marc