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I have some of those Dunlops. (Are they called "Jazztone" or "Primetone?") Used to use the smaller ones but I've gone away from smaller picks. For the larger ones, I don't care for the sharp point. But there is a lot to like about those picks and they don't cost much. Always a plus. (I really don't want a pick I have to worry about. Same thing with a watch, but that's another subject.)
Originally Posted by Alter
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04-26-2017 09:53 AM
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Birelli and Sebastian Giniaux used 1.5mm picks IIRC
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In addition to my new guitar I ordered some different and larger triangle picks just to try how they feel, normal sized picks seem to dissappear into my grip when I play with the rest stroke. What I decided to try were 0.88, 1.14 and 1.5.
I'll report how they feel when I get through them.
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I am not a Gypsy Picker- but an advanced - hate this term - Cross Picker-lol. Originally Posted by Lobomov
That is the one pick that I always return to for all kinds of playing. I like that it is stiff and I've always liked that it weights a bit, which makes picking easier (something that helped a lot when I was a noob 30 years ago)
The only "downside" is that it has a very big sound and sometimes you don't want that, but in the context of playing reststrokes that is never a problem.
Highly recommended!
You might like the Dunlop Gator Grip - 1.5mm and 2.0 mm - once they break in a few hours.
They also have quick release and big sound but can feather pick almost like legato and they don't have a scratchy sound -very little noise .
The above of course depending on Hands and Pick Angles etc.
One weird but cool thing about the Gator Grip is instead of wearing 'round' losing the point ( like this Post haha ) and ending up like a nickel or quarter coin shape-they break in to your Technique.
The Gator Grips for me get* sharper at tip with wear ( !) and bevel according to your technique. So they sound better as they wear to a finer point and bevel.
*- no other Pick I've tried does this.
They feel kind of waxy - like they could never work or be articulate- but you might want to try them they are nice sounding for me and articulate for hard or soft picking.
Also Planet Waves' Duragrip 'are Delrin and have a really heavy Grip Pattern but only go to 1.5mm- it's a hair harder than Dunlop for even quicker release.
On the Gator Grip - I usually score them
hold them down with a fork NOT your fingers when /if you do.
And you Gypsy Players who are trying to break the Guitar in half with Rest Strokes will want to score them...
I wonder why most picks are so small- still the same size as Fender picks from the 1700's ..or maybe 1950's- when Guitarists were not expected to do so much Gymnastics- like they had them perfected then(NOT ) I do like the new Materials for picks though but think Picks should be larger at thumb end and slightly longer for aggressive Pickers...Last edited by Robertkoa; 05-02-2017 at 10:02 AM.
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Update. Got the Dunlop 2.0 purple Delrin (hard plastic) picks and I like them a lot. Quick release, nice feel, good sound. And cheap. "Who could ask for anything more?" (A guitarist of course. Like Muddy Waters, we wain't never satisfied. At least, not for long.)
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Just take care that the Purple Color does not cause you to Play like Hendrix or Prince at the wrong Time or Tune..... Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
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"Purple Haze" was one of the first riffs I learned as a kid. ;o) Originally Posted by Robertkoa
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Somewhat related - I just checked out some live videos from Joscho Stephan and was surprised that most of his playing (even some of the really fast stuff) is pretty traditional GJ rest strokes, so mainly downstrokes and passing upstrokes. Only the really ridiculously fast sweeps he does the non traditional way - so upward sweeps as well. I kinda expected some kind of hybrid technique etc. Because of the speed.
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Yes, he has the cleanest and most dynamic right hand technique I have ever seen. He can do alternate picking of course but the gypsy picking just works perfectly for him and what he gets out of it is just unsurpassed (IMHO). I have done several long workshops with him and haven't heard him play a bad note ever. These videos are authentic. It is the same in a pub setting or the practice room ... just simply jaw droppingly amazing technique, timing and musicality. And he is a really nice guy and a patient teacher too.
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Coming back down from those dizzying heights, I put my new purple pick b/w thumb and middle finger and am giving that a go lately. It feels like it will never be fast but what I noticed right away is that it made rest strokes easier and overall, my playing was more accurate.
I think this has less to do with that grip in and of itself than with the grip in conjunction with the size of my hand, the guitar I play, and the way my hand "naturally" moves. (By "naturally" here I mean the way it moves when I'm not thinking about how I want it to move, which is most of the time.)
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..and I'm trying to get the d/u/d picking excercise that Christian mentioned in his video fluid going up and down the strings. Half-watched a couple of movies last night and went at it. Up and down the fretboard (from the 1st to the 14th fret, all strings), chromatically and 3 notes per string on the E minor scale in all positions. Slowly and doing the elbow/wrist movements wider so that I can get a feel what is correct. You can notice it for sure, if you hit the sweet spot there is no fatigue in the right hand and it's relaxed all the time.
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Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
Mark, you're in good company -- Robin Nolan uses a 2mm Dunlop, and holds it with three fingers (thumb, index, and middle). Seems to be working fine for him!
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I'm experimenting with picks and pick positions - the triangle picks I bought were too large and felt weird, regardless of the thickness so I went back to the normal .88 (green) dunlop picks. Then I watched this video:
...where they talk about picks and the pick position (sideways). Now that I read this topic again Jehu has mentioned this also that he uses the side, and not the tip. Tried this on the .88 and a 1.5 Gator grip pick, and both work pretty nicely. I can pick a bit faster - only thing is that my other fingers are now occationally dragging on the strings because turning the pick brought the right hand fist closer to the strings. I'm still on the fence whether I like the thinner or the thicker pick better.
One question out of curiosity to those who have a selmer/maccaferri style guitar (grand or petit bouche) - is the string spacing at the bridge closer to a modern archtop or a classical (nylon) guitar? Or somewhere in between? I'm liking the space on a classical for this picking style, the tighter spacing on my new Harley Benton Ovation copy is giving me a hard time while picking..
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I would say the spacing is somewhere between - the fretboard feels wider than a flat top, but closer than a nylon. But this may vary a bit from guitar to guitar.
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Ok, thanks for the info. Originally Posted by christianm77
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Originally Posted by TKO
Somewhere in between, but closer to an archtop. According to Collins' book, the traditional oval hole has a spacing (string centre to centre) of 50.04mm at the bridge, and the D hole has a spacing of 52.98mm. My cheap D hole is a bit wider at ~55mm.
A Benedetto-style archtop is closer to the 50mm range, and I have a vintage Hofner that is about 54.5mm. A classical is usually in the vicinity of 58-60mm.
Another factor is that a traditionally build Selmac will usually have a very flat fingerboard radius (20"), making it feel closer to a classical.
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And speaking of the rest stroke...
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Thanks for the info. I think I'll manage just fine if I end up getting a GJ guitar at some point, I have gotten more used to the tighter spacing already after sitting a couple of evenings with the steel string. Originally Posted by Jehu
Too bad really cheap GJ guitars, such as the (Saga) Ciganos are hard to come by in Finland. After looking at ebay, Amazon and my first choice of webshops (ie. Thomann) the cheapest option that I could find is from Djangobooks.com. And that's after adding shipping, VAT and taxes which is kind of Ridiculous.
If anyone knows a European shop that distributes Ciganos or other similar priced budget friendly GJ guitars, and ships EU wide, let me know.
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"Keep practicing something and get better"
I'm finding my groove on the rest stroke - it started clicking when I decided to worry less about the miniscule technical details and just play. Can't really burn like the pro's, but every once and a while I can hit some pretty smooth string to string transitions. Going with three note per string scales helps, it keeps the d/u/d motion pretty consistent.
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