Sometimes it’s the little things; guitar milestones

michelew
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:37 am

OK, this is a silly thread to be sure. But hey that’s the sort of mood I’m in so fair warning.

I feel like I’ve reached a milestone. I’ve warn out my first pick. My trusty Takamine pick, which I’ve amended to be just right and then played with and played with and played with ... is on its last legs. Boo hoo... :( ... and the squillion others I have are just not quite the same. But, I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet and choose an understudy.

Here it is.

Image


I’ve basically worn the tip off it and now I’m having trouble hitting individual strings accurately. Well I think that’s the problem. Maybe I’m just blaming the pick for my own sloppiness. If you look closely you can see I’ve actually worn a bevel on the edge (opposite edges) from strumming in circles.

It’s just the right flexibility. My other picks are either too hard and make a clicking sound, or sound too harsh or they’re too soft and sound dull and muffled a little.

It was wider when I first got it. While I was learning ‘Moondance’ I changed its shape, thickness (adding tape) and grippy-ness so that I could perform the 'hidden pick' technique smoothly. Well ... needless to say it all worked for my normal strumming too, so it is pretty much the only pick I’ve used since about January.

So now it’s almost dead and I need to train a new one ;) I don’t have another one like it, I think I got it from Tony actually, so I need to experiment again until I find another one that suits me well.

Maybe you’re sitting there thinking - ‘Oh my God she’s a lunatic!’ ‘How can she be so picky’ (snicker :) ) But I figured that if anyone understood the death of your favourite pick it would be you folk. But, feel free to have a go. A laugh is always welcome.

So I digress, even though I’m lamenting the loss of my favorite pick, the fact that I’ve worn one out feels like a guitar milestone. Woo hoo, I’ve done enough miles to need new tires (hmmm... when you say it like that it doesn’t sound like such an achievement). Anyway, I’ve put in a few yards.

Why has it taken so long. Well previously I mostly played finger-picking songs and before that I never had a pick long enough to wear it out, I just misplaced them.

So... there is actually a question in this thread. Here it is:

Tell us about something you’ve experienced while playing which may seem meaningless to others (or not) , but feels like an achievement. Tell us about your guitar milestones; big, small, it doesn’t matter.

Hell if I can talk about a worn pick just about anything is fair game.

I look forward to reading your stories.

Michele


Chasplaya
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:53 am

You know you are a lunatic... But I guess a few of us have been there and back again and agai and again and again ...


Anyway, I always carry several picks in my pockets of varying sizes so whenever i play i don't know what I'm gonna get.. A bit Forrest Gumpish I know but it works there are few occcasions now that I can play anything and the odd occasion that I can't. result I don't get bound by one pick size entirley I do have preferences but certainly not as fussy as I once was.


michelew
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:57 am

Well at least I'm not the only lunatic in this asylum. Thanks for the company Chas.

Yep, I'm a fussy bag. Oh and a creature of habit. It's all true.

B)

M.


Chasplaya
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:14 am

Jeez do you ever look back and look at your spelling ugh!! atrocious too many red wines tonight thats for sure lol.

But honestly get used to using various pick sizes remember the saying 'Its a bad workman that blames his tools', now that has stuck with me for generations literally! and I've worked around it. I recently broke one of my gift picks from my wife a jade one and I was devastated, but I have another she gave me so life goes on, maybe expensively ugh but it does!


Chasplaya
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:17 am

Right now I just checked how many picks were in my pocket I have 11 ... 6 different sizes and different brands one that my wife gave me cost an exorbitant amount and I love it funnyily enough


Chasplaya
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:18 am

And that was not counting the three types of coinage i could use in a push, ask Brian May of Queen, he used a silver threepence for years maybe still does!


michelew
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:24 am

Chasplaya wrote:
Jeez do you ever look back and look at your spelling ugh!! atrocious too many red wines tonight thats for sure lol.
Fixed teach! I can't even blame booze. The rest of the red lines are due to that funny American language dictionary that TG uses.

M.


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daryl
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:46 am

Haha, that was a funny sad story! The end of your favourite pick, you left me in tears! :P

Buttuh...it's a milestone indeed!

A milestone of my own, well I have to think hard for that one....not that I haven't had them, most of them were playingwise, like when mastering new techniques or something. But there's nothing new about that since we all have or had those milestones, like playing a reasonable well sounding F-chord, or your first barre-chord, or mastering Travis-picking, the first strum and so on.

Well those milestones were a long time ago for me since I've been playing the guitar for quite a while now. However, I did manage to master one specific technique for wich I had to practise, while being a member at TG. I used to fingerpick using one finger per string, but of course when playing more than one note on the same string, you need to change fingers, well I really wasn't used to that, but I had to do it when learning Bourree (well re-learn it :blink: ), wich I did upload. Well Neil didn't say anything about it in his review, so I guess it was alright! ;)

Well it wasn't something that I mentioned back then, but it was indeed one of those milestones for me. Funny and thankfully enough it's really easy now, phew :silly: !

Oh well, not an exciting story, but yep a milestone for me and for my playing!

Ness


michelew
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:58 am

nesh16041972 wrote:
Haha, that was a funny sad story! The end of your favourite pick, you left me in tears! :P
I'm SO glad you realise JUST how sad it is! Of course ... it could be that I'm looking through PMS goggles and could cry at just about anything.... hmmmm... no - you're right ...definitely tears worthy. :P :P :P B)

Alternating fingers on one string. Check. I love doing that actually. It's cool.

Thanks for the story Nessa.

Shel


willem
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Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:14 am

The one you pick,,the one you go by,,i have several in my pocket(and washmachine)..i think i heard you when you say ''strumming in circles,,swingtime is'nt it???

Yesterday a friends birthday night party i geuss i had one,, they were all yelling,,,''yes a new one'' and then i mean i introduce them to ''teach your children'' first i was playing it with a very on tone staying girlfriend and then it got attension by the others and they liked...the milestone was that i was playing and singin it and they go with me!!! most of the time i was only a background guitarist(i i call me that now!!! well i dare..lol) just playing along with my friend...so the coming day's i will stay on the tune for enjoying the milestone...


Oh I bought a while back an uke just for fun and for my granddaughter to hold and there was a pick with it that i love,,it is also a bit sticking(gleued) at my fingers...


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