On a mission to befriend fingerpicks

michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:25 am

Hi everyone,

I used to have nails like steel. They were fast growing, hard and really tough; a perfect set of fingerpicking tools. Well aging and hormonal changes have played havoc with my great nails and now they’re thin, brittle and break really easily. As soon as I grow them to an OK length again they chip, rip or crack, often right across and quite low.

So... I’ve finally decided that I have to make peace with finger picks and find some that work for me. I did it with thumb picks so I can do it again.

My most recent thumb pick thread is here if anyone needs thumb pick advice. There’s lots of different ones suggested by lots of you in there. I definitely found your advice helpful.

http://www.totallyguitars.com/forum/4-g ... urite.html

Today I went to my favourite music store and purchased five different sets after spending quite a while finding individual picks that fit pretty well. They are:

- aLaska Piks
- Dunlop plastic
- Propick split wrap - stainless steel
- Propik fingertone - F-tone - single wrap - stainless steel
- Fred Kelly freedom picks - delrin

I’m finding that they’re all working better for me then they use to, but so far the winners are the Fred Kelly freedom and the Propik F-tone. Fred Kelly makes a great pick, but I’m currently leading towards the Propik F-tone for playability and sound and I’m also finding them the most comfortable. I’m enjoying the sound on both nylon and steel strings. The fact that I can still feel the string is a big plus too; and I’ve been able to adjust the size relatively easily.

http://www.totallyguitars.com/images/fb ... FEA18.jpeg

http://www.totallyguitars.com/images/fb ... DF7D9.jpeg

https://www.guptillmusic.com/propik-fin ... ger-picks/

And here’s a video with Fred Kelly showing his Freedom picks.




So hopefully I’ll be able to get so comfortable that I don’t even notice them any more and broken nails will not worry me again.

So... does anyone have any finger pick experiences you’d like to share? Found any great ones lately?

Read you later

Michele

P.S. - for some reason I am unsuccessful posting images now, so I’ve just included the links instead.


sandysue
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:06 pm
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Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:56 am

Hi Michele

Those are some good ideas for picks for fingerstyle playing. I’ve always just used my fingertips. I even keep my own nails short. I’m sure you get a better crisper louder sound with the picks. You’ll have to post us a song when you get good at using your new picks. :)


Sandy


willem
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Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
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Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:13 am

I'm planning alaskas from china.


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auntlynnie
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Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 5:31 am
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Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:23 am

Hi Michele,
Sorry to hear that your own fingernails aren't working so well anymore. That's a bummer.
My nails have never been useful for fingerpicking (thin and brittle). I currently do fingerpicking mostly with the pads of my fingers and that works most of the time, except when I want to be louder, or certain styles of acoustic blues just seem to cry out for that clangy (is that a word?) sound. Like Saint James Infirmary, for example.

I have used fingerpicks off and on over my fifty years (yikes) of playing and with a bit of practice I can begin using them again pretty easily. In my little bag of picks and capos I still have some of my original fingerpicks and a couple of spare sets on hand in case I lose them. They all look pretty much alike. They are all Dunlops .015 and .020 and .0225 - they all seem pretty much the same to me. I think mine are small sizes - they can't possibly be the same size as men would use. It has been so long since I've needed to buy any that I just don't know. I think the real challenge is finding a thumb pick that works for you. As you can see in the photos I have two identical plastic Dunlops and one National that I don't like very much. I'm hoping I can post the photos.

My suggestion is to find the ones that are most comfortable and then stick with them for awhile - they really have to become like a part of your fingers - and you'll get the hang of them.
ImageIMG_2751.JPG Image
Image IMG_2752.JPG

Lynn


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:39 pm

http://www.totallyguitars.com/images/fb ... 38C40.jpeg

Image

Hi!

Sandy - they definitely have their uses and work well if you find the ones that suit you the best. Experiment, it’s fun.

Willem - hi! The aLaska Piks are good, have fun. I hope you love them.

Lynn - I’m just not satisfied with the sound when I just use my fingertips, especially after having pretty long and hard nail for ages. But these ones I’m using now feel pretty good. I’m feeling clumsier but hopefully I’ll get more proficient with more time. I absolutely intend to take your advice. Thanks!


Tech savvy people - I used to be able to post photos, but now while I can get images into the TG library, I just don’t seem to be able to post the images in the thread, just the link... when I surround the link address by Image (as the program does when I upload it) it just comes out as text.... the image size is ok too I think, so I have no ideas what I’m doing wrong. So I turn it into a link by removing the Image ...after it’s in the library.

If anyone can educate me, I’d love advice on how to post images again.



Cheers

M


dean1342
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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:35 am
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Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:23 pm

Hi Michele,

Have you ever considered having nails put on? I am not sure how it works but I have known a player or two that goes to a manicurist and has fake nails put on. I understand they are stronger than regular finger nails in most cases and can be colored so that its hard to tell they are fake. I have been lucky so far and my natural nails seem to hold up but I imagine that when the time comes I will do fake nails also. Anyway good luck with your search!!

Dean


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:49 pm

Hi Dean

Thanks for the suggestion. Yeh you’re right, it’s a option. A couple of friends use acrylic nails and they find them pretty good. I’d rather avoid that for the moment. In 2016 I got an acrylic repair when my very long thumb nail torn at a very bad time. It worked for a while, but I didn’t like the effect on the nail itself and I know it needs to be back filled and maintained. Still I may go that way at some stage.

I quite like the idea of being able to just slip on the perfect finger picks whenever I need them. :). I just need to find that perfect set, ... right?

Thanks for sharing.

M


TGNesh
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Location: The Netherlands
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Sun Sep 23, 2018 6:58 am

Well I guess you know my history Shel...

Played without nails most of my life, turned to acrylic ones a few years ago. I have to say, that i love them...., bút it's a pain to play the piano or touch a keyboard, like on a phone :S . And it ruins the actual nail....so...

I have tried out finger picks, and only liked one so far, which is the Propik F-tone. Odly enough, I have only one (I need two), but I can't find them here in the Netherlands. :( Thankfully my ringfinger and thumb nail grow pretty good. But i think i really need to find myself another Propik one. The only thing I don't like too much is strumming with them, which i quite often do with my acrylic nails...and i dislike the feel of any finger pick around my fingers. But, what can you do. Choices, choises.

What i like about the acrylic ones is i have them 'handy' áll the time, whenever i pick up the guitar. This putting them on and off is annoying. Well needing to stand up to pick up a guitar is already annoying to me, so go figure :laugh: :laugh:. (that's why they are to my left and right behind my desk.)

Anyway, as much as i love my acrylic nails, i'll probably get myself another Propik F-tone. (need to see where i can get those though). I want my actual nails to breath again. Or I might try out your other suggestion, the Fred Kelly picks.

So, let me know how it goes with your mission. :)

Ness


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neverfoundthetime
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Sun Sep 23, 2018 4:06 pm

Its not like you Shel, to do things by half, only getting 5 different sets to try out :laugh:

You will have to upload something to show us how you are sounding. Guess you are coming out of winter hibernation just as we all say goodbye to summer and get ready to go back indoors...


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Sun Sep 23, 2018 6:19 pm

Ness,

Yeh I remember when you didn’t grow your nails at all. :p

I need to spend more time with them, but I think you’ll find the Fred Kelly Freedom picks to be a bit bulky; they’re pinching the flesh on the inside of my fingers too, I think I could make changes to adjust them. But I suspect that you don’t have the patience to adjust fingerpicks. It’s much more effort than standing to pick up your guitar. ;)

If you don’t find a source of Propik f-tones, next time I’m at my favorite music store I’ll pick some up for you. If not before, I’m going back in about a month to drop in one of my guitars to get a buzz repaired (I think it’s the electronics hitting the sound board...).

Shel


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