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Thread: Pick Depth

  1. #26
    Orso grasso FatBear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    From FatBear - "(not a blunt Bluegrass style)". While understanding your comment,i think that most folks use a pick that produces a 'tone' that they like,whether they play Bluegrass or not. I don't consider 'blunt' picks to be ''Bluegrass picks'' any more than pointed ones. For me,rounded (blunt ?) picks don't produce enough volume or clarity. Picks like the Golden Gate or Dawg styles rob my mandolin of any semblance of tone or volume.They simply don't work 'for me',but other folks love 'em,
    Ivan
    Sorry, I was just referring to how I've seen them marketed.

  2. #27
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    Quote Originally Posted by KarlinJackson View Post
    What's the generally accepted pick depth practice? Are we truly "plucking" the strings with the pick tip sticking past them or are we just kind of "exciting" them by brushing as close to the outside surface as possible? Or maybe this changes depending on the type of playing you're doing?
    Yes this does change depending on style and the desired sound.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan Kelsall View Post
    I don't consider 'blunt' picks to be ''Bluegrass picks'' any more than pointed ones.
    Well, I have not seen any Italians playing mazurkas or tarantellas with those "blunt" picks!

    Plucking or brushing the strings?

    I use a pointed pick because I want that "pluck", and a small area to control it, the tip of the pick.

    Others want another tone color and use round picks.

    As you can see from this and similar threads, this is something with multiple viewpoints!

  3. #28
    Dave Berry
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    Quote Originally Posted by KarlinJackson View Post
    Talk to me about pick depth. After a year of playing, I've pretty much settled on the pick sticking just a bit past the strings, maybe a couple of millimeters. But, I just watched a Sharon Gilchrist video in which she discussed an exercise where you practice brushing the tops or outside surface of the strings. What's the generally accepted pick depth practice? Are we truly "plucking" the strings with the pick tip sticking past them or are we just kind of "exciting" them by brushing as close to the outside surface as possible? Or maybe this changes depending on the type of playing you're doing? Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I've been focusing on my technique lately and really want to make sure basic stroke is solid. Thanks!
    I've logged many hours with this "Tremolo Technique and Exercises" and as Sharon says, it originally came from Caterina Lichtenberg and is designed as a right hand exercise to minimize pick stroke to train one to be small and efficient for cleaner tone. IE, less sloppy playing. She acknowledges there will will be lower volume while practicing it so it is definitely not intended to be a "performance" practice as is somewhat implied in the OPs question. Btw, I love how the Cafe archives are an ongoing source of information and wonderful research tool when we finally get around to studying these various issues/topics.
    Dave
    Gilchrist A3 #03539, Kimble A5 #122, Gibson A4 #65987
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  5. #29
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    Good point about exercise vs. performance, and about the purpose of that exercise, thanks
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  6. #30
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    Pick depth can also be a variable to manipulate in playing expressively.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

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  8. #31
    Registered User John Bertotti's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    It’s all licking dynamics, how deep you dig in how tight you grasp the luck how much you let the pick float in your grip, every which angle has its uses. Play around get a feel for the tone and hold and use what’s appropriate for the song time location situation etc.

    I don’t get to play with many people and not even yearly will I get to play along with others, nature of my work and travels, but I can say the absolute worse person I ever had the misfortune of playing with did nothing but dig in and try to be as loud as possible all the time. Don’t be that person, be aware of the people around you. Oh, wait, maybe that was me in front of th le mirror? No no I’m sure it was someone else. but seriously don’t be that person, no one enjoyed playing with them, always out front overly loud when they didn’t need to be or shouldn’t have been.
    My avatar is of my OldWave Oval A

    Creativity is just doing something wierd and finding out others like it.

  9. #32
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    Default Re: Pick Depth

    Quote Originally Posted by bradlaird View Post
    It is very instructive to use the YouTube settings and knock it down to 1/2 or 1/4 speed on those right hand closeups.
    One instructive feature is hearing speedy tunes slowed to the degree where you hear how far off tempo/time they can be yet still sound good at normal tempo. It’s not a perfect world, even at the top.
    A couple years in, now, and still learning!
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