Rotating Picks

[bmac]

I think everyone encounters rotating picks when they begin playing mandolin. In my case the pick stopped rotating naturally after a couple months of dedicated playing. Here's a solution if it bothers you.

In the printing trade some very small shops may still hand feed paper into small presses. Fingers are often not sticky enough to gently grasp one sheet of paper off a stack of paper and feed it into and out of the press.They learned that a little sand paper glued (or taped) to the index finger (or middle finger) will grasp any paper securely with a minimum of effort.

In our case a small piece of sand paper glued to the pick with rubber cement will prevent the pick from rotating between your fingers. And the pick will not slide out of your grip.

[MikeEdgerton]

Good catch, that's been the solution for many for years. I also recommend Gorilla snot. Eventually you figure out how to do without it.

[jc2]

I went to using the three cornered pick...by the time it rotates enough to be a bother, there's another one coming along.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Mike, how do you restrain the Gorilla?

[Rob Gerety]

I finally figured out that I need to change my pick holding technique to the classic technique that is most often taught and it made all the difference.

[8ch(pl)]

I use a 1/2 inch punch (like you use to cut grommet holes in canvas) to make a sandpaper disk. I apply double sided tape to the back of a piece of sandpaper (220 or 280 grit) and punch about 300 from a sheet. Peel off the backing and stick it to the pick. Works great.

[Bertram Henze]

I am using Kasho Pick Powder on my fingers, which seem to be a mixture of talcum and resin (I can tell from the smell). When that is used up, I plan to try one of those resin blocks that fiddlers use for their bows.

[zoukboy]

Picks rotate because something about your technique makes that happen. I think if you adequately relax the hand then the pick is stable.

[Jock]

Picks rotate because something about your technique makes that happen. I think if you adequately relax the hand then the pick is stable.

That something is, IMO, not maintaining/proportioning the right amount of focus to what the pick is doing, allowing a disproportionate amount of attention to some aspects of technique to the detriment others. To bake a good cake all the ingredients need to be just right. I think this comes with time.

Relaxation is the key but I think relaxation comes with familiarity. The further one strays from ones comfort zone the harder it is to relax and keep all the balls in the air.

When I started playing tenor banjo I had big problems holding the pick, which I found strange as I thought I was good with a plectrum, turns out I wasn't paying due regard to that particular aspect of business. Even though I was able to stay relaxed, I'd be so focused on other aspects of my playing I'd loose contact with the tip and the pick would turn.

[Rob Gerety]

I think using all the various ways we have of making the pick sticky etc. could well cause you to avoid dealing with the technique issue that is the underlying cause of the problem.

[JeffD]

I am using Kasho Pick Powder on my fingers, which seem to be a mixture of talcum and resin (I can tell from the smell).

I saw that online. How do you like it?

[Bertram Henze]

I saw that online. How do you like it?

Very good.
One can of it keeps long (I put just a tiny heaplet - is that a word? - on my thumb, then rub thumb against index finger until it gets sticky from the warmth); it stays sticky and forms some residue on the pick where it is needed; if some of the powder falls on the instrument, you can just blow it away (and you should, as just like colophone on a fiddle it can eat into the finish on a longterm basis); lasts for approx. 2 hours of playing; smells like a sawmill in the mountains on a sunny afternoon.

[Rob Gerety]

I started licking my fingers a little before I start a tune. Works better than you might think.