Rudi

Picks / Plectrums Pete Walker, a guitar store owner and lifelong enthusiast said to me that ‘everybody can hold down a few chords & string a couple of phrases together, it’s the picking hand that makes a guitarist sound unique’. This is a big subject. Nothing varies so much between guitarists as the sort of pick they use and the way they use them. It’s the most neglected subject too. Players obsess about their main equipment more than anything else (and spend a lot of money doing it). Paying attention to picks and picking technique is the best and cheapest way to refine your sound and improve your versatility. This article deals with both rhythm and lead work, that being strumming and melodic lead guitar lines. It’s a big subject because there are so many variables. I will keep it as simple as I can, keeping to the bare essentials. Holding the pick: Usually held between thumb and index finger. There are variants. You may find you hold the pick differently when strumming than you do when melody playing. This view shows the pick held as if melody playing. http://forums.songstuff.com/gallery/image/1607-/ These are the main variables. Each of these main is covered in separate sections below 1/ Pick attitude. The picks angle to the strings. 2/ Pick thickness. Thin picks bend and thick picks are stable. 3/ Pick shape & size. Comfort and the best fit to your style. * 1/ PICK ATTITUDE I have drawn a ‘pick attitude diagram’. On it I have shown 2 axes. The ‘X’ axis is in RED and is mainly concerned rhythm playing (strumming). The ‘Y’ axis in BLUE This is mainly concerned with single string lead lines These 2 axis lines cross at the centre of the pick. The pick is shown in the horizontal position pointing directly at the fret-board. Imagine the red dotted circle as a wheel that you can turn to change the angle of the pick. If you rotate it in the + (plus) direction through 90 degrees, the pick will be pointing directly at the floor. If you then rotate it in the – (minus) direction by 180 degrees it would point at the ceiling. Most often, the advice is to leave the pick in the horizontal position (as shown). * Now look to the ‘Y’ blue axis. The pick is shown at 90 degrees to the frets. If you were to rotate the wheel in either the + (plus) or – (minus) direction by 90 degrees it would then be in line with the frets and useless for picking. Starting with the pick in the normal position as drawn, most advice is to tilt the pick about the blue axis in the – (minus) direction between 20 to 45 degrees for normal alternate (up & down) picking. At 20 degrees, picking will become easier, as will crossing over to adjacent strings. When you increase the angle to 45 degrees it becomes as easy as it can get because you now have minimal resistance when striking the string. 00 degrees (as attitude diagram) clearest sound Awkward to pick fluently 20 degrees minus clear sound Easier to pick fluently 45 degrees minus rougher sound Easiest for fluent picking http://forums.songstuff.com/gallery/image/1608-/ The next diagram is the ‘usual’ pick angle about the ‘Y’ axis. The angle shown is -30 degrees. http://forums.songstuff.com/gallery/image/1609-/ Of course you can angle the pick any way you choose, but this is generally more comfortable and natural. A quick note about technique: Alternate picking is literally continuous up & down strokes. If you are unused to this, it might seem awkward because your pick will sometimes end up in the ‘wrong’ position for crossing to another string. Don’t worry about it. With sufficient practice, it works out fine. Rhythm Playing Strumming / rhythm work. This is when you might wish to hold the pick nearer to the horizontal position in Y (zero degrees). As you are now sweeping the pick across several strings, this is where the X axial angle can come into play. When strumming there are two kinds of motion. 1/ the wrist moves up & down. It’s the forearm that actually does the work. 2/ The forearm pivots and rotates the wrist (as in the ‘X’ axis motion). X + on the up stroke (pick pointing down) and X- on the down stroke (pick pointing up). The picture below shows X – angle on a down stroke strum. Strumming is a combination of both motions. Experiment to see what sounds & feels best, but it should be a natural choice, never feeling uncomfortable or awkward. This photo shows the pick in a pronounced X- minus position; angle at about -45 degrees. http://forums.songstuff.com/gallery/image/1610-/ * 2/ PICK THICKNESS Thin picks: Thin picks will bend on contact with the strings. You cannot apply much force with a thin pick, so very thin picks will always give you a soft quieter sound. The reason is simple. You cannot strike the guitar hard enough using a thin pick for full string vibration. Thinner picks are generally more useful for strumming. For strumming use a pick that is thick enough to permit changes in volume according to how hard you strike the strings. This provides optimal control. It should bend easily in contact with the wound strings, but less so with the unwound strings. Picks less than .025” (.63mm) are generally considered to be thin. Heavy Picks: For soloing, a thicker (or firmer) pick is better. Many players will use heavy picks that will not bend at all on contact with the stings. Some of us like just a little give on the wound strings. For this reason I use a heavier pick on guitars with heavier gauge strings, and a lighter pick for lighter strings. The reason is that this gives me a little more control of the sound and its volume using just the pick alone. The disadvantage is that its usefulness diminishes when picking fast and hard together. The reason is the attack is a little slower and cant develop properly before the next note is struck (the pick has to flex back and recover its true shape & position). Remember we are speaking of one note per strike here (not hammer-ons & pull-offs). I call this ‘latency’. To avoid latency altogether, a firm inflexible pick is necessary. Some picks are massively thick. These obviously have no give at all. They also are more likely to impart extraneous noise into the notes produced. For example a pebble will scrape against the string and you will hear that scrape as ‘white noise’. The rougher the surface, the denser the noise is likely to be. Look at surface roughness on picks. They will sound ‘scratchier’. Everything I’m describing here can be experienced best used on an acoustic guitar. With an electric guitar, use clean EQ settings in order to hear the effect. * String Contact Position Middle Position. The string vibrates fullest at the middle of its length. This middle of the string is where its tautness appears to be least. Here, it is easiest to pluck. Try plucking some open strings at the 12th fret position. You will notice two things: 1/ There is more give in the string here. And it offers the least resistance to plucking. 2/ The resultant sound will be a deeper warmer tone. Bridge Position. The string vibrates least at the anchor points of nut and bridge. Now move your picking position further back towards the bridge and strike the same strings at about 40mm (1.5” inches) from the bridge. This time notice: 1/ There is more resistance in the string here. It is much firmer. 2/ The resultant sound will be a brighter treble tone. What this means for your picking is obvious. Depending on where you pick, you can alter the tonal colour of the sound. The ease of picking is also affected. There is no right or wrong choice here. Just be aware of the differences, how it affects your technique and vice versa. 3/ PICK SHAPE & SIZE This is a matter of personal preference. It’s not a bad idea to buy a few different picks for comparison. Even experienced players can benefit by trying an unfamiliar pick from time to time. But it’s no use trying out a new pick for just a few seconds. You will likely need to adapt your technique to it first and that could take time. It’s not unreasonable to use a different pick for the bulk of your practice over the course of a week. At the end of that time you should have learned to use it to good effect and it may help inform your picking technique. Even something that feels ‘wrong’ at first may surprise you after a couple of days use. You might find improvements in your tone, control or speed. You’re unlikely to find one that does everything perfectly. It’s more likely that you will just ‘like’ one better than others. Be aware of any changes you make to the ‘X’ & ‘Y’ attitudes, as you will likely make small unconscious adjustments with any new pick. I am being deliberately vague about shape & size, because the variables are too many and varied to encompass. Chances are though, the one you ‘like’ will simply be the best fit to your style. RZS 29-07-2015

Unusual to have an article as a forum post but I'm following advice. Picks / Plectrums Pete Walker, a guitar store owner and lifelong enthusiast said to me that ‘everybody can hold down a few chords & string a couple of phrases together, it’s the picking hand that makes a guitarist sound unique’. This is a big subject. Nothing varies so much between guitarists as the sort of pick they use and the way they use them. It’s the most neglected subject too. Players obsess about their main equipment more than anything else (and spend a lot of money doing it). Paying attention to picks and picking technique is the best and cheapest way to refine your sound and improve your versatility. This article deals with both rhythm and lead work, that being strumming and melodic lead guitar lines. It’s a big subject because there are so many variables. I will keep it as simple as I can, keeping to the bare essentials. Holding the pick: Usually held between thumb and index finger. There are variants. You may find you hold the pick differently when strumming than you do when melody playing. This view shows the pick held as if melody playing. These are the main variables. Each of these main is covered in separate sections below 1/ Pick attitude. The picks angle to the strings. 2/ Pick thickness. Thin picks bend and thick picks are stable. 3/ Pick shape & size. Comfort and the best fit to your style. * 1/ PICK ATTITUDE I have drawn a ‘pick attitude diagram’. On it I have shown 2 axes. The ‘X’ axis is in RED and is mainly concerned rhythm playing (strumming). The ‘Y’ axis in BLUE This is mainly concerned with single string lead lines These 2 axis lines cross at the centre of the pick. The pick is shown in the horizontal position pointing directly at the fret-board. Imagine the red dotted circle as a wheel that you can turn to change the angle of the pick. If you rotate it in the + (plus) direction through 90 degrees, the pick will be pointing directly at the floor. If you then rotate it in the – (minus) direction by 180 degrees it would point at the ceiling. Most often, the advice is to leave the pick in the horizontal position (as shown). * Now look to the ‘Y’ blue axis. The pick is shown at 90 degrees to the frets. If you were to rotate the wheel in either the + (plus) or – (minus) direction by 90 degrees it would then be in line with the frets and useless for picking. Starting with the pick in the normal position as drawn, most advice is to tilt the pick about the blue axis in the – (minus) direction between 20 to 45 degrees for normal alternate (up & down) picking. At 20 degrees, picking will become easier, as will crossing over to adjacent strings. When you increase the angle to 45 degrees it becomes as easy as it can get because you now have minimal resistance when striking the string. 00 degrees (as attitude diagram) clearest sound Awkward to pick fluently 20 degrees minus clear sound Easier to pick fluently 45 degrees minus rougher sound Easiest for fluent picking The next diagram is the ‘usual’ pick angle about the ‘Y’ axis. The angle shown is -30 degrees. Of course you can angle the pick any way you choose, but this is generally more comfortable and natural. A quick note about technique: Alternate picking is literally continuous up & down strokes. If you are unused to this, it might seem awkward because your pick will sometimes end up in the ‘wrong’ position for crossing to another string. Don’t worry about it. With sufficient practice, it works out fine. Rhythm Playing Strumming / rhythm work. This is when you might wish to hold the pick nearer to the horizontal position in Y (zero degrees). As you are now sweeping the pick across several strings, this is where the X axial angle can come into play. When strumming there are two kinds of motion. 1/ the wrist moves up & down. It’s the forearm that actually does the work. 2/ The forearm pivots and rotates the wrist (as in the ‘X’ axis motion). X + on the up stroke (pick pointing down) and X- on the down stroke (pick pointing up). The picture below shows X – angle on a down stroke strum. Strumming is a combination of both motions. Experiment to see what sounds & feels best, but it should be a natural choice, never feeling uncomfortable or awkward. This photo shows the pick in a pronounced X- minus position; angle at about -45 degrees. * 2/ PICK THICKNESS Thin picks: Thin picks will bend on contact with the strings. You cannot apply much force with a thin pick, so very thin picks will always give you a soft quieter sound. The reason is simple. You cannot strike the guitar hard enough using a thin pick for full string vibration. Thinner picks are generally more useful for strumming. For strumming use a pick that is thick enough to permit changes in volume according to how hard you strike the strings. This provides optimal control. It should bend easily in contact with the wound strings, but less so with the unwound strings. Picks less than .025” (.63mm) are generally considered to be thin. Heavy Picks: For soloing, a thicker (or firmer) pick is better. Many players will use heavy picks that will not bend at all on contact with the stings. Some of us like just a little give on the wound strings. For this reason I use a heavier pick on guitars with heavier gauge strings, and a lighter pick for lighter strings. The reason is that this gives me a little more control of the sound and its volume using just the pick alone. The disadvantage is that its usefulness diminishes when picking fast and hard together. The reason is the attack is a little slower and cant develop properly before the next note is struck (the pick has to flex back and recover its true shape & position). Remember we are speaking of one note per strike here (not hammer-ons & pull-offs). I call this ‘latency’. To avoid latency altogether, a firm inflexible pick is necessary. Some picks are massively thick. These obviously have no give at all. They also are more likely to impart extraneous noise into the notes produced. For example a pebble will scrape against the string and you will hear that scrape as ‘white noise’. The rougher the surface, the denser the noise is likely to be. Look at surface roughness on picks. They will sound ‘scratchier’. Everything I’m describing here can be experienced best used on an acoustic guitar. With an electric guitar, use clean EQ settings in order to hear the effect. * String Contact Position Middle Position. The string vibrates fullest at the middle of its length. This middle of the string is where its tautness appears to be least. Here, it is easiest to pluck. Try plucking some open strings at the 12th fret position. You will notice two things: 1/ There is more give in the string here. And it offers the least resistance to plucking. 2/ The resultant sound will be a deeper warmer tone. Bridge Position. The string vibrates least at the anchor points of nut and bridge. Now move your picking position further back towards the bridge and strike the same strings at about 40mm (1.5” inches) from the bridge. This time notice: 1/ There is more resistance in the string here. It is much firmer. 2/ The resultant sound will be a brighter treble tone. What this means for your picking is obvious. Depending on where you pick, you can alter the tonal colour of the sound. The ease of picking is also affected. There is no right or wrong choice here. Just be aware of the differences, how it affects your technique and vice versa. 3/ PICK SHAPE & SIZE This is a matter of personal preference. It’s not a bad idea to buy a few different picks for comparison. Even experienced players can benefit by trying an unfamiliar pick from time to time. But it’s no use trying out a new pick for just a few seconds. You will likely need to adapt your technique to it first and that could take time. It’s not unreasonable to use a different pick for the bulk of your practice over the course of a week. At the end of that time you should have learned to use it to good effect and it may help inform your picking technique. Even something that feels ‘wrong’ at first may surprise you after a couple of days use. You might find improvements in your tone, control or speed. You’re unlikely to find one that does everything perfectly. It’s more likely that you will just ‘like’ one better than others. Be aware of any changes you make to the ‘X’ & ‘Y’ attitudes, as you will likely make small unconscious adjustments with any new pick. I am being deliberately vague about shape & size, because the variables are too many and varied to encompass. Chances are though, the one you ‘like’ will simply be the best fit to your style. RZS 29-07-2015 11-12-2015 re-editted to try to get images to re- appear

I Need a Miracle - Grateful Dead "I need dynamite to get me up Too much of everything is just enough There's one thing that I gotta say I need a miracle every day"

Thats tough on everybody. I dont think we even have a jazz station where I am. I have a digital radio but it confuses the hell out of me. If I could figure out the presets, I would certainly set one to jazz if such a station was out there.

Yes, the incumbent guitarist is leaving for paid work on a cruise line. First gig is in September (despite having have been together for well over a year). I have undertaken only to work towards that 1st gig. After that we'll see how it goes and what I want. This is a major challenge for me. I am learning dense charts for some of these tunes. Not all the tunes are jazz standards but enough are to scare me a little. Of all musical styles, I've long regarded mainstream style jazz as something of a black art. I am not leaving the present band, and may even be forming up a blues band after Sept. Checking out some of the unfamiliar chords. It took a while to realise that a #11 was a flat 5th, and a triangle was a major 7th etc etc. I am damned busy!

I have had a similar experience. I dont think you are going tone deaf. There may be something in your recording that your ears are 'tuning' to. Something at odds with the vocal and possibly with other instruments in the mix? I assume there are other instruments in the mix. It should be easier to find if its just one guitar (or piano) on its own. Check the bass sounds. They tend to work subliminally. Dont discount any percussion sounds either. If you have several instruments, try switching them in or out. If you were going tone deaf. you probably wouldnt notice anything wrong. Good luck

Cities - Phish

Baby, Come Back - The Equals

Sorry!? I have pasted some pap up here but this takes the biscuit Tom. I think a forfeit is in order. Your penance is to sing this to your children in A# wearing your loudest tie. And may Elvin Jones forgive you! Hungry Man - Steve Winwood

All I Wanted To Do Was Dance - Los Lobos (great drums)

One pick I bought was clear plastic. I lost it during the first week & had to buy another. Never did find it again. Maybe it was vacuumed up? Or maybe I’m looking straight through it I’m waiting for a Tusq one next.

Long Time Gone - Crosby, Stills & Nash

Hard To Handle - Black Crows

I have since been using V-Picks, Chicken Picks, and Stagg, Tortex and Ultrex triangular. I have been using a Chicken Pick exclusively this week. I will shortly offer up an article on picks to SS. Meanwhile, I'll keep on trying out the various others. I'll get around to another review later probably.

I saw a youtube vid of a player who showed how he altered the headstock of his epi to look like a gibson and added decals to change the name. He didnt make a flawless job and it took him a long time. He didnt do this to sell on. I presume he wanted the Gibson cachet. I suppose its he may have felt that he might be taken more seriously with a guitar that looked expensive.

Nice of you to post this Peggy Hope the next year is productive (& fun) too.

The less time a lyric takes, the better it is usually. I prefer to write in 5 or 10 minutes, but it rarely happens. I have dozens of part-written lyrics that I cannot complete. Those that I do complete have taken a lot of time, perhaps a couple of hours. They are always inferior. Shorter write was exactly what I was going for when I joined the lyric writing challenge area of this forum. Unfortunatly, the tasks set were all about research and it had the opposite effect. I felt compelled to leave. I still try to go with 5-10 minutes.

The Thrill of it All – Roxy Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F4GkOEef2M