Michael_TCTX
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I’ve found that switching to a bit of a heavier/thicker gauge has helped me approach both strumming and picking with a gentler touch, but with it has come more precision and deliberate striking of the strings. In my case, that meant moving from the Fender medium picks I had always favored to the Dunlop Jazz III XL 1.14/purple option as my plectrum of choice.
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I shared your reluctance. Just wrote an essay in response to another thread about what pick to choose that elaborates those thoughts, so won’t repeat them here, but perhaps my comments there might be of some use.
I found the Flatpicking Jumpstart helpful. It is found at the link below. I’ve only been here about six weeks, but did the 30 days course and a couple of the skill builders. I find revisiting even the most basic topics helpful to build confidence and momentum.
As for focus, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the mix of fingerstyle and flatpicking in the challenges. Close to 50/50, or perhaps 40/60 finger/flatpick. In any event, a good variety.
Many blessings,
Michaelhttps://tonypolecastro.com/courses/flatpicking-jumpstart/
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Years ago, I always defaulted to Fender mediums. But, I had no technique (a result of having no practice discipline or routine, either) and was an on-again/off-again player for many years turned decades. In retrospect, I liked the Fender mediums because they were flexible and I was strumming and striking the strings too hard. I even liked the clackity-clack rhythm sounds they made as a result. There were many reasons why I was a mediocre guitar player.
Around the turn of the century, I picked up the bass in earnest and found success, strictly finger-style. When I revisited the acoustic ten years later, I kept using fingers only. I learned songs to lead in worship, but nothing else. So, I did what I did, typically in prisons and missional settings, where my primitive style worked well, but I was limited to a severely narrow range of playing. When I stopped leading (pre-COVID), my guitar began to serve its own sentence in solitary confinement to its case.
This spring I began to notice the urge to play guitar. I saw a young teacher on FB yelling at me saying, “Use a pick!” and I decided that if I was going to commit to playing the guitar again, it would in fact be a commitment and would indeed include flatpicking. My wife went on a retreat in March, and I decided to decide my guitar-playing future that weekend. Part of me simply did not want to finish life with such poor guitar skills, and the other recognized that to improve I would need to commit. My evaluation first included a pick-selection showdown and afterwards a final on-line course selection review that resulted in me joining TAC.
I went to GC and bought two packs of picks, both Dunlops. One was a variety pack that included a wide range of picks, some that were of standard shape that reminded me of the Fender mediums. It also included a Jazz III that caught my eye, having read many players citing that as their pick of choice. I bought a second pack of standard purple 1.14 mm tortex picks, thinking that, from what I had been reading, I probably needed a thicker pick that what I had used in the past. I went through most of the picks in the variety pack, and quickly dismissed all of the thinner picks and the alternate shapes (triangles, etc.), focusing on the Jazz III and the thicker standard picks. I gravitated toward the purple (1.14) and black (which I thought were a bit thicker, but a check as I am writing this shows they are same, 1.14, although a bit worn and I am not certain). That led me to the purple standard, because the Jazz III just felt a bit too small, and I felt like my hand was cramping a bit holding it. Ironically, the standard pick shape felt a bit too wide, and as I was searching online to see what others gravitated toward, I noticed an article that shared SRV’s habit of rotating the pick to strike with the rounder side. So, I tried that, and spent an evening using the pick in that manner, seeing if I wanted to continue. In the process, I managed to find a short power chord sequence to the Stones’ “Heartbreaker” and found a strumming pattern that for perhaps the first time felt natural and sounded musical. I crossed the line, deciding that I would indeed return to the guitar. It was then that I started the online lesson evaluation and found TAC.
Ironically, I was literally packing up all the miscellaneous picks from the variety pack when one that I had somehow missed fell onto my desk. It was a purple Jazz III XL, a little bigger than the Jazz III and a bit smaller than the standard pick. I tried it, holding it in proper position (and went through the flatpicking basics video here as well) and found that I really felt comfortable holding it. I had already become more comfortable with the slightly thicker pick, and noticed that I was being more deliberate and more deliberately gentile in my string attack as a result. Another day or two of back-and-forth evaluation and the final results were in—it was the purple (1.14 mm) Jazz III XL for the win. Another trip to GC found that they do not carry them in stock at that store (although I did get a well-needed setup on my guitar), so I had to order online from Sweetwater.
I shared all that because it was a recent experience and, at least for me, pick selection is an important part of the equation. If I had not found a pick that I was comfortable with, I very likely would have decided against committing to play the guitar. Instead, I am very grateful that I took the time to find one that I am comfortable with, and the time to find the right instruction, which I believe I have found here at TAC. The challenges have reinforced my thought that my picking technique needed attention The heavier 1.14 weight helps me be more deliberate and yet simultaneously gentle, and the Jazz III XL shape is very comfortable for me. I guess I learned today that I could have selected either black or purple, and that has always been a tough call, anyway but it was purple for the win, As for sweat, I figure there have been many people rocking and sweating their way around the world without too much problem, so I have three picks on my desk and one on the bookshelf for when I stand up. Once I get back out, I’ll get a holder for the micstand and have reinforcements handy.
Thanks for reading. Peace and many blessings to you all.
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Thanks for replying! It was much more beautiful than I expected. It is nice to get in touch with the human dimension beyond the music itself.
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It was a good trip, thank you!
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I love it!!!
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It will be my turn in November