After 800 years, I'm changing pick styles.

brianlux

When I first started playing guitar in 1967 or '68, a friend of mine convinced me the best kind of pick to use was a teardrop pick like the one on the left below.  Despite getting harder to find, I've stubbornly used teardrops for something like 54 years.  The other day, I grabbed a pick out of the jar and it was a standard pick- the one below on the right- and I went ahead and used it.  And again.  And again.  And today, day 4, again. 

So who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

dankind

I’ve actually just started using picks over the past two or three years—I’d always played acoustic and never really had much use for one with my playing style—and I’m still finding my way. 

brianlux

dankind said:

I’ve actually just started using picks over the past two or three years—I’d always played acoustic and never really had much use for one with my playing style—and I’m still finding my way. 

I wish I were adept at all forms of picking.  I learned with a pick but never moved beyond that.  I've tried just using finger but never learned other styles. It's interesting to see how other guitarists use different styles like fingers only, thumb picks, or someone like Nils Lofgren or Leo Kottke who use varying styles of picking.

So good for you for trying something different! Very cool.

dankind

I've always had a few Fender thins around, but I never really used them. So when my son started playing electric guitar, I just gave him those to play it with. His teacher set us both straight.

Now I use those Fender very same thins, as well as Fender nylons and red Dunlops (Tortex .50 and Delrin .46) for playing acoustic. And I use Dunlop .88s (green Tortex and Prime Tone) and a red Dunlop Big Stubby 1.0, which is my favorite so far, for playing electric.

brianlux

dankind said:

I've always had a few Fender thins around, but I never really used them. So when my son started playing electric guitar, I just gave him those to play it with. His teacher set us both straight.

Now I use those Fender very same thins, as well as Fender nylons and red Dunlops (Tortex .50 and Delrin .46) for playing acoustic. And I use Dunlop .88s (green Tortex and Prime Tone) and a red Dunlop Big Stubby 1.0, which is my favorite so far, for playing electric.

I started with mediums, then went the thins for several years, then back to medium.  Never did real well with thick picks.  I tried using a coin as a pick like what's his name from Meat Puppets.  That lasted about 2 minutes.