Pick Loser

[mandowilli]

I have been very lucky in many ways through the years but I have not been at all lucky when it comes to hanging on to mandolin picks for very long. I lose them. Lots of them.

The only reason that I will not buy a $30 pick is because it will only be a part of my life for a very short while.

Am I the only loser on this list?

[jim_n_virginia]

Am I the only loser on this list?

Yep there is one on every list and your it!






ok just kidding ... I used to lose picks left and right until I bought a $38.00 pick! And also there is someone with the handle Pickloser so I am guessing you are not alone!

[terzinator]

Jim's right. You lose them because they're cheap and disposable and who cares. Kinda like golf tees.

But get a Blue Chip ($35) and you won't ever lose it. (Seriously.)

[hank]

There are some good threads going around on pick pouches/holders etc. to help us keep up with them better. I misplaced mine once but after an hour search I found it in my wallet where it had slid into it while both were in a front pocket together. After that I ordered two more to put in my case(kind of like the extra stowed car key) and now use a pick pouch that gets the same respect and put through the same regiment my keys do.

[Tim2723]

I go through a lot of picks. I use one of those pick holder widgets that fits on your mic stand. When I start to lose my grip, I just fling the pick away and grab another one. By the end of the show there are picks everywhere, and many of them never find their way home. Nope, no $30 picks for Tim.

[mandroid]

my small [co-operative, btw, open to any skill level] jam circle takes place, in fair weather,
outside on a deck-like atrium structure, on pilings, over the river, lapping beneath us.
dropped picks can fall in the gap between the 2x4s, and then ,
scuba gear is required to find it, again.

So far so good, trapping the pick typically between the fingerboard and strings, pick parking,
has me still with, 20 year old Dawg picks ..

then again, your fiery solos , standing, traveling, choreography,
and working hundreds $$ gigs a year, YMMV..

[AlanN]

If a pick goes missing, I check:

Under couch cushions
Case nooks and crannies
Clothes drier

I've used the same pick for 10 years.

[pickloser]

Am I the only loser on this list?

Uh. . .no.

BUT, I bought two expensive picks at Kaufman mando camp. (Gutbucket's fault.) My picklosing gene has apparently been trumped by my skinflint gene--at least so far. You'd be surprised at how careful one can be with a small object, if it costs a lot. We'll see if I can hold on to those picks (one for each mando) for another month.

Good luck. I definitely understand the problem.

[JeffD]

When I start to lose my grip, I just fling the pick away .

Why?

[Ignatius]

Why?

Based on a previous thread, it's likely because he is fighting a drunk patron whirling a mic stand at his mandolin.

Ignatius

[John Flynn]

I've lost a lot of them over the years. I've also accumulated a lot of them. Like many players, I have a whole box of picks that I tried at one point, but no longer use. We should start a "pick exchange!"

Here are the best two things that have worked for me in keeping picks. These things are not perfect and may not work for everyone, but I'm doing pretty well with them over several years. Also, I'm sure they are not unique. I've seen lots of other players do them: First, I match a specific pick for each of my instruments. So each instrument has its own pick that I only use on that instrument. Then the ONLY place I put a given instrument's pick when I'm not playing it is between the first fret and the strings, far enough in that it won't come loose, but far enough out that I can grab it easily. So if the pick is either in my hand or under the strings, how can I lose it?

Second, I almost never drop picks and I don't use any grip aids, although rarely I will take steel wool to ones that are really slick. I think the secret to holding on to picks is developing a sense of "dynamic balance" in holding the pick loosely between the thumb and forefinger. It probably helps with tone production also. So if I never drop a pick, how can I lose it?

I do get lazy sometimes and violate these rules. And sometimes I lose picks as a result. But I don't recall losing a pick if I've followed these two simple rules. I still won't spend $35 for a pick! That's just my choice. I do have a great, "priceless" tortoise shell pick that Bill Bussman gave me that he made from an 1800's hair comb that he found at an antique sale. I have used it exclusively with my Old Wave oval A for about 3 years now and I have not lost it, despite plenty of playing out.

[Doug Edwards]

You just have to have the right accessory....

[D C Blood]

Hey Doug...How's it sound with that key ring and pullback cable attached?

[Doug Edwards]

It sounds fine, the cable is just long enough too. I get a lot of odd ideas, some actually work.

I've said before, you'd be surprised at how well you can keep up with a $35 pick.

[Tim2723]

Based on a previous thread, it's likely because he is fighting a drunk patron whirling a mic stand at his mandolin.

Well, it's not always like that. I just fling the pick at me feet (or sometimes into the audience as a souvenir) on the downstroke, grab a pick on the upstroke, and keep blasting.

[Jim MacDaniel]

If you are always loosing picks, then don't buy a V-pick, since they'll be even harder to find than the others.

[Doug Edwards]

We have stained concrete floors, a Blue Chip blends right in TS too.