Oops, dunno my own strength *^_^*;;

[annathepiper]

"Captain Kidd" is to date the one GBS song I've been able to play off of the mighty, mighty The Hard and the Easy. It's been favorably received in Jam as well, as I've posted. So it's joined the "Anna's Set" playlist of songs on the iPod that I can play along with.

This afternoon I was cheerfully banging away on Rags, in time with the aforementioned recording, when I suddenly felt something shift in my grip on the pick. I sputtered to a halt and discovered that the force of my playing had ripped the pick almost all the way through. Oops. *^_^*;;

For the guitar geeks out there, it's an Alice brand pick, .46mm. It's the same type of pick that solarbird has also ripped through, only mine was blue. I'm really rather amazed that I ripped through one, though! Dara plays with way more force than I do, usually. Plus, Summer has metal strings to Rags' nylon.

But apparently whipping through "Captain Kidd" along with the GBS recording is enough for even me to take out one of these picks. Note to Self: when in the Alternate Fantasy Universe where I tour with Great Big Sea, be sure to whip out a pick of greater substance! (And in the meantime, use better picks in this universe, too.)


Too Much Thumb

Comments

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

i'd have gone for at least a .53mm, maybe even a .57mm :) but then again i don't play, i just test hubby's picks for their tensile strength by bending them and seeing which i accidently break while not meaning to! :) oooooops! :)

bb

[annathepiper]

I've been playing around with what thickness of pick I like. In the past when I was still playing Summer, I had favored thinner ones since they tended to allow me finer control of my strumming, as well as the happy (accidental, mostly) side benefit of more ornamentation on chord changes.

Once I shifted over to playing guitar mostly, I started favoring heavier picks. But lately I've been experimenting with the lighter ones again and wanted to see what I could to do with the .46mm.

Apparently the answer to this is 'rip it practically in half while playing Great Big Sea songs'! *^_^*;;

[hubbit.livejournal.com]

I'm half-tempted to suggest that you and Dara start a guitar/banjo duo (like Flatt & Scruggs or any two of the three Monroe brothers) and call it "The Picksplitters". :D

(Do pick manufacturers specify the tensile strength of the material from which the picks are made? It seems odd to have two go like that...)

[annathepiper]

Assuming that I get off my ass and practice enough to catch up with Dara (a chancy proposition as way more of her spare time goes into music, while mine goes into writing), I do actually plan to go out and busk with her more. Or maybe play with her at Folklife next year, or play backup for her once she starts recording stuff!

Heh, though. It's not odd to me at all. Anybody who plays professionally or at the very least more seriously than I do is going to tear through picks on a regular basis. Actually ripping through the pick is a bit unusual for me, but I've put picks through a lot of abuse just by regularly playing. The edges of them get very worn down and rough and you have to change picks eventually anyway. And I daresay dropping them or damaging them in the middle of play is why performers keep a lot of picks on hand during any given show. :)

[howlinhobbit.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

The solution to the broken pick syndrome is to tape a bunch of them to your mike stand (or other easy to reach place) so you can throw the broken one out into your great big sea (ahem) of adoring fans and grab another one... without missing a beat, of course.

My solution is somewhat different. I haven't broken a pick in about 7 years. 7 years ago was when I started getting serious about the ukulele and, since I don't use a pick, I don't break them. YMMV.

On the other paw... I have the weirdest selection of callouses on my right hand.

[annathepiper]

Hee, I have observed my B'ys engaging in that very pick-tossing practice. Generally, Bob. I am not surprised that of the lot of them, he breaks the most picks. ;)

I've tried playing pick-less before. I can't get much volume out of Rags that way. And it feels weird when I do it on the zouk; I don't think I do it often enough to have the appropriate calluses for it to not hurt!