It’s been a good run
I‘ve come to that stage in my picking where I had to make a tough decision. I’ve been picking for 27+ years, and it’s been a ton of fun. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But…the time comes when you have to evaluate and decide on a future direction. To quote Jim Croce: “I’ve come to my decision, and it’s one of the painful kind…”
I’ve worn my picks through good times and bad, thick and thin
I love picking banjo. I love the people that I’ve been allowed to meet and become friends with because of it. I love the many hours I’ve spent in jam sessions and stage shows. I love being able to experience the ancient tones of the music. I love teaching and passing on this art form. I love entertaining an audience. I love that I get to make some money from my hobby. Pretty good money.
Having said all of that, I’ve been very introspective of late; I’ve forced myself to evaluate just what’s going on with this banjo and my picking. The older I get, the more wistful and reflective I become. I can see deeper into the gravity of situations, experience more emotions, and grasp the ramifications that come along with making a change…or not making a change. Like I said above, I forced a decision finally.
I’m hanging up my picks
Left pick: old. Right pick: new
That’s right! What you just read is correct. I’m hanging up my picks. Out with the old, in with the new.
It’s tough to get a pair of metal finger picks dialed in and fit just right. It takes some tweaking, adjusting, and fiddling. Once you have a pair fit just right, it’s a pain in the butt to lose them or to have to try someone else’s picks…or to have to buy new ones.
I’ve been picking with my current pair of Dunlop .025 guage picks for over 10 years. I somehow managed not to lose them or leave them behind at any place I’ve played. I did sit on them once and cause them to go mis-shapen, and you better believe the I got out my pliers and went to work doing surgery on them. I brought them back to life and was able to continue using them.
Check out this picture of my two fingers, each with a finger pick on. It’s a bit blurry, but you can still see the picks enough to get the point. See the pick on the left? That’s my old pick that I’ve been using for the last decade. If I had taken a picture of just that pick, you might not have appreciated the condition it’s in. Now, see the right pick? That’s a brand new pick that I just bought yesterday during my trip to Elderly Instruments. It’s a little bit surprising to me to see the pick in this condition; these are fairly stiff picks. When you hold the pick in your hand and look close, you can see the the edge of the pick is actually rolled over to form a lip, caused by all the friction and heat of blazing along on Foggy Mt. Breakdown and Train 45 over the years.
As you can see by the side-to-side comparison, the pick on the left shows much wear and use. In thinking things over, I realized that my technique is suffering because of this. Both of my old metal picks are worn down this way, and so are my whole bag of thumb picks. I feel that my technique isn’t as crisp and precise as I’d like; I’ve not been able to roll off certain things quite to the level of satisfaction I’d like. Don’t get me wrong, I pick at a fairly high proficiency level, but it’s my experience and awareness as an experienced picker that tells me it’s time to make a change and that not everything is being executed just exactly as I’m attempting to.
My banjo picking already sounds a little different
Left pick: new. Right pick: old.
I‘ve been practicing just a little bit since buying the new picks yesterday, trying to get them dialed in, and holy mackerel does my playing sound different! The difference is greatly magnified by my trained ear that’s intimately familiar with “how I sound”. It might not be detectable by most people who jam or perform with me, but the difference is nonetheless there.
One key thing I’m noticing is that with the new picks, my banjo playing sounds brighter and more “banjo-ey” than with the old picks. I haven’t necessarily focused on whether I can or can’t roll off any particular technique better yet, but what a difference the new picks make in the tone and timbre of the sound that’s coming out of my banjo. How exciting!
Tweak and adjust your own “setup”
This whole conversation about the difference that my new picks is making is one that you can take some lessons from. Are there any tweaks or adjustments that you can make to your overall sound to make it better? A banjo setup item perhaps, or new picks, or different guages of picks, or a different hand position, or even holding your tongue in the right position? It’s a scientific fact that when I’ve been making more than the usual amount of mistakes, I just wasn’t holding my mouth right. It’s important for banjo players to let the drool run out of both sides of their mouths to prove we’re level headed.
What?! You thought I was quitting the banjo?!
Oh, silly reader. Come now. Surely you jest. Banish the thought. Come on! I’m Banjo Paul! Banjo Paul without his banjo is like a fish out of water. But I have to admit that I did enjoy leading you on…
Banjo Paul
“Wunse, I coodn’t even spel bango pikker…now I are one!”
www.banjosrule.com (main site)
www.mybanjolife.com (blog)
Click here: Ultimate Metronome
[...] a new set recently, which you can read all about in another blog post I wrote by clicking here: changing picks blog post. I’d love for you to click over and read that [...]
I agree with Robes. There’s nothing better than trying out new pick styles and materials. Has anyone tried a thumbpick made from “horn”? A pal of mine used to make guitar picks out of cattle horns, but I never could get him to build and bend me a thumb pick. They claimed the guitar picks were the “ultimate”, as flat picks go.
Of course, I’ve heard the “old timers” talk about how good those tortise shell picks used to be. Maybe it’s true, but real tortise shell is illegal, now. I recall an old pal who had bought an old tortise shell hand-mirror, without the mirror, at an estate auction and cut it up to make flat picks. He got up to $40 each for those things. When the material began running low he started bonding the tortise shell to some thumbpicks. He gave me one, but I couldn’t tell any real difference between that and a plastic Dunlop or National heavy. Eventually, I passed it along to someone else. They raved about it.
I recall someone offering Cobalt plated finger picks, too. They claimed they were the slickest things around and would eliminate any “string kiss” you may be getting from regular metal picks. I would love to try a set, but never got around to ordering any.
A pal from Michigan was working on the use of metal wire to make thumb picks and finger picks, as well. I don’t know what sort of success he had, but I tried a pair and they were very, very comfortable. Sounded fine, too.
Indulge yourself. Picks are the jewelry of the music world. More than providing a little something extra for your audience to look at, they can go a long way towards building your confidence. If you think a new set of picks will help your performance, you may be right. The only way to know is to try. What have you lost? They’re not really that expensive, compared to other things.
Plus, if you’re at a loss for what to get your picking partner for Christmas, you may find a set of picks makes the perfect gift. There are even folks who will personalize them for you.
In fact, a new set of picks ranks right up there with a new set of strings as being the perfect gift for any occasion. Don’t hesitate to get a set for your girlfriend. I got my wife a set of both for our honeymoon. You may laugh, but there’s nothing like the excitement of seeing your new bride modeling a shiny new set of strings and picks…and nothing else. Now, that’s real fashion! Light Guage, of course. Delicate without being too revealing. Nothing else needed. Talk about love at first sight, but then it may be that I’m just too easy to please. No doubt about it…I’m a dedicated follower of fashion!
-Jesse
He WAS warped by the Metallica concert!
Oh, that’s right…. scare the bee-jeezes out of me. I finally find someone good to teach the banjo …. I JUMPED out of my chair when I read the first paragraph. Had to take a deeeepp breath and sit down to read the rest. I always look at picks when at ANY music store… and I usually buy a few that I don’t have to try something different (like the brass ones that are more comfortable to me). I like the Fred Kelly thumbpicks …
Steve, glad I could contribute to raising hour heart rate! Do you get the idea that I have a bit of an evil streak in me?
You must have heard me shout WHAT! across the Atlantic. What a fright to give someone. Revenge will be all the sweeter…….(dramatic drum roll, twisting of hands and a ‘Mwaah haw haw’ thrown in for good measure)
Elizabeth
Ah yes my dear, thanks for playing! That’s exactly the response I was hoping for! But it was all in good fun. Fun at YOUR expense, but fun nonetheless!
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