-
My hands tend to be dry and with the relentless washing of them nowadays (covid-19), I find myself having trouble gripping picks. (Jazz III is my go to.) I'm not dropping them but they do tend to move around more than I'd like and my grip just doesn't feel as secure. It's bugging me.
I'm 61, so age is a factor.
Suggestions?
-
05-26-2020 12:48 PM
-
There are both the black and red Jazz III picks with added grips on them. They do as advertised. You will have a hard time dropping the pick with the added grips. They sound exactly the same as their "regular" counterparts.
Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
MAX-GRIP(R) JAZZ III STIFFO PICK - Dunlop
MAX-GRIP(R) JAZZ III NYLON PICK - Dunlop
-
I found small pieces of masking tape help for a while, but now use self adhesive 'Monster Grips' which help do the job.
-
These get grippy as your fingers warm them up. Something that happens pretty quick. I think the material blend is designed for that purpose. In my experience it works quite well even with dry hands.
Dunlop Jazztone
VPick (acrylic)
Gravity (acrylic)
Blue Chip
-
After my neck surgery 18 months ago I ended up with right grip problems. The shark tooth pick has been a great tool for me as I gradually get some thumb and forefinger gripping back after a series of placental extract (stem cell) injections. Google sharktooth guitar pick. You can even put your Fender medium in one if you like.
Last edited by Easy2grasp; 05-26-2020 at 06:01 PM.
-
I use Wegens for my Gypsy playing, and the thumb grip indentation is great. The pick really stays in place. I also really like my Red Bears with the drilled out grip holes. The material of the pick itself is quite grippy, and the holes help a lot.
The Wegen might be a bit too thick for most players on Archtop guitars, but it's obviously pretty standard for Gypsy guitar playing. For everything else, I use Red Bears (Style "BIG JAZZER" - Red Bear Trading Co., Ltd. - Online Store) in extra heavy with the speed bevels and the grip holes.
-
Given a couple of minutes, or less, my Blue Chip picks stick to my finger (or thumb) rather tightly. I can remove one finger, and the pick will remain stuck to the other, even when the pick is underneath it.
-
I have some of those! I think Ron Eschete is the first player I saw using them. Originally Posted by Easy2grasp
After my neck surgery 18 months ago I ended up with right grip problems. The shark tooth pick has been a great tool for me as I gradually get some thumb and forefinger gripping back. Google sharktooth guitar pick.
They are good. I like them. But sometimes I can't get the angle I want with them. So I use them for a while and then stop. They are versatile and, as the saying goes, I would recommend them to a friend. ;o)
I'll take one out later today and see how things go.
-
I've never tried one of those. Much as I go through picks, I hesitate to pay so much for something I might not use for long. Originally Posted by sgosnell
(I realize this thinking may be shortsighted.)
-
I too have noticed an increasing dryness of the skin on my hands as I have become older (I'm 68). As a positive effect it has made my strings last much longer than when I was younger.
I have chosen to go up in pick size, though primarily for a different reason. In the latest years I have developed osteoarthrosis in my hands, especially in the right thumbs base joint, making the use of small picks crampy and painful. I now use "standard" size picks (Dunlop Ultex 1.14) where I used to play with smaller picks (Dunlop Jazztone 205). The Dunlop Ultex is not very slippery, especially not when worn in and the pick stays between my fingers even with a relaxed grip.
Due to the osteoarthrosis I also can't use more awkward chords with wide finger spread anymore and I now rely more on shell chords. I have never used 6-string barré much but it will likely be a thing of the past for me in a not too far future. Something is lost by that, but something is also gained as it's easier to get a smooth voice leading with smaller two and three note chords than with big and complex chords and I try to take advantage of that. I don't - at least not yet - have problems with medium to heavy strings and a not super low action (relative to the string gauge) as long as the strings can be fretted from the fingers resting position without wide horizontal stretches bringing the finger joints to their outermost positions.
-
I've never lost one. I have several, because I put them on my xmas and bday wish lists. By far the best picks I've ever used, in every aspect.
-
It's funny how much more careful you are with picks you spend a bit of money on, at least in my experience. And I have found that many of these boutique offerings are completely worth the price paid. I'm certainly glad to have found something that works so well for me.
-
I get that. If I only have one of something, I keep track of it. Originally Posted by sgosnell
Maybe it's time I looked into this further.
-
Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
You could drill several small holes 1/8" or less in the pick. Your skin will tend to squeeze in and grip the holes.
-
We've discussed these before:
Buy Now! Monster Grips - The Ultimate Grip for Guitar Picks and More!
I find they work really well, in fact too well for the picks that don't ever give me grip issues, but on more slippery picks they are great. I'd rather improve the gripability of picks I like than try to find new picks that are easier to hold.
I've never found any of the home remedies useful--looseleaf reinforcements, masking tape, drilling holes in the pick.
I'm older than you and have the same issues. During this enforced break I've been going over some of the chord books I learned from back in the '50's and find that I can't play most of the forms anymore. Originally Posted by oldane
Danny W.
-
Super Glue it in place. Works for me in everything else when I want to get my hands stuck.
-
I tried Monster Grips once (as Danny W. mentions above.) They were fine. I might get a few more.
One thing I have tried is thicker picks (I have a 5 mm Dunlop, which is fine at times but it makes me realize what I really want is a pick that has SOME give and that I can FEEL it.
When I was doing Benson picking (or trying to) I used Fender Mediums and they warped after awhile but I liked the warp. (Warpage?) But I don't do Benson picking anymore and prefer and Jazz III size pick (or something close to that.)
Was looking at V-Picks (which were mentioned above.) I've never tried them. One of their selling points is "grippage" and that'sa big deal for me. I've always struggled with picks "turning around" in my hand. Monster Grips stopped that on regular size, medium thickness picks. I never tried them on a Jazz III, though. Has anyone??? Hmmm.
Anyway, here a demo by Vinni Smith (designer of the V-Pick) using a Jazz III and two of his picks.
I may try one of these. They're only $4 or $5 each, so it's not a big risk.
-
For me,
gravity and V-picks are excellent. They really stick well to you hand especially if you wet them up a little.
-
I just ordered a couple. Originally Posted by jazzimprov
And some Monster Grips too. (30% off for the rest of the day. See link in Danny W's post above.)
-
I am awaiting delivery on some of these Black Mountain picks.
-
I have never used this particular item but have used others for acoustic guitar stumming.
Betacarb Jazz – Cool Music INC
-
I have some picks with a tiny square of adhesive backed sandpaper glued in the center of the pick. Sometimes, though, I touch the string with the sandpaper, which is surprising. I didn't think I was striking the string that far up the pick.
Better, I think, is that little adhesive circle thing that I called a "looseleaf paper reinforcement" when I was a schoolboy. Now they're called reinforcement labels or similar.
They last a long time and are dirt cheap. They don't grip your thumb like an angry crab, but they give just enough purchase that it solves the problem without calling attention to itself.
-
There’s a Les Paul pick with a sandpaper grip in another thread.
-
Last night before falling asleep I picked up a pick from the nightstand. (Of course I have picks on my nightstand.) It occured to me to hold it in a way I never had before and I thought, wow, that is one secure grip. Couldn't wait to try it out on a guitar. But I fell asleep. But couldn't sleep past 4:30. Got up and tried out the novel grip. Useless, wrong, hopeless, o well.. But it was a 351 shaped pick and I thought I might as well put some reinforcements on it and see how that works. Wound up using several because I didn't know initially where I would want it. (You can get 500 of these things for under $4: talk about a cheap experiment!) Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
You're right, they aren't sticky at all but they do provide a nice gripping surface. They're easy to pull off too, though they don't slide around when used. Nifty idea! Thank you.
-
+1 for Blue Chip, Gravity, and V-Picks improving grip security. I always played Fender 351s and used too firm a grip until switching to mando. That instrument led me toward a much looser pick grip for better tone, which led to constant pick dropping, which led to experimenting with cork and other grip improvers, which led to boutique picks, which led to Blue Chips. My current faves are D’Andrea Radex, which are also very secure in my fingers. They are a fraction of the price of most boutique picks, and I like the dark, mellow tone of them.
Reply With Quote
Transcriber wanted
Today, 04:35 PM in Improvisation