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Dava Rock Control Delrin Guitar Pick, 3-Pack

• Made by Dava
• Model Number: 1303

Dava Rock Control Picks feature a larger control area and insert molded tips for the best sound. Made from Delrin, a very smooth material that glides over strings for a fast action and is used by rock, jazz, and fusion players. Dava’s multi-gauge grip gives you the dynamics of multiple pick gauges on the fly-simply choke up on the tip for a hard gauge or release the flexible center section for a soft gauge.

List Price: $ 3.75

Price: $ 2.79

by Allie Patterson

The Guitar Pick: A Little Goes A Long Way

When I was young, I always thought my father’s guitar pick was the prettiest little thing. It was faux tortoise shell (although I didn’t realize that at the time), and I was always driving him crazy by taking it out to play with and then forgetting to put it back where I found it. Even though I was only four or five years old, I still understood that that little piece of plastic was what allowed my father to play the guitar as wonderfully as he did. Guitar picks are magical little pieces of plastic and can be important components in producing the music of the guitar. Guitarists can be very choosy about their picks, but fortunately, the wide variety of styles available can accommodate everyone.

The correct name for a guitar pick is actually “plectrum,” although I doubt that the average person on the street would know that. The word comes from the Greek “plektron,” or “plassein,” meaning “to strike.” A plectrum is usually thin, between 0.2 and 1.5+ mm thick, and shaped like a triangle with rounded corners. Traditionally, guitar picks were made from the shells of tortoises. However, human civilization being what it is, the tortoise is currently a highly endangered animal and the result is that the use of its shell for making guitar picks is strictly illegal. Unfortunately, because tortoise shell picks are supposedly superior in tone and easy to use, they are still coveted and sometimes produced.

The modern garden variety guitar pick is made of plastic, although bone, wood, steel and the afore-mentioned tortoise shell versions do exist. They come in a rainbow of colors and sizes and can be as individualized as the artists who use them. The shape and size of a guitar pick is generally dictated by the use to which it is put. A jazz pick, for example, is smaller than one used for a bass guitar. Similarly, the thickness of the pick varies depending on its application. Thinner versions are usually used for strumming or rhythm playing, while thicker picks are generally the choice for single-note lines or lead playing.

Although very different from my father’s traditional-looking triangular pick, fingerpicks should also be included under the heading of guitar picks. A fingerpick is a type of plectrum, but instead of being held between the thumb and finger like a typical guitar pick, it is attached to the end of a finger or thumb. It is common for several fingerpicks to be used simultaneously, both on the thumb and the fingers. However, the one on the thumb is usually made of plastic, while those on the fingers are generally metal. Like the triangular pick, the fingerpick comes in a variety of thicknesses according to the style of musician and music.

Fingerpicks are traditionally tools of bluegrass style banjo music, but it is not uncommon to see a guitar player using them. Artists of the Hawaiian guitar, bottleneck guitar and Dobro (a guitar with a single inverted resonator) often utilize fingerpicks. They are sometimes even used by classical guitar players, who tend to employ them as a means of saving their fingernails from the abuse often caused by playing the guitar.

by tonydg

Guitar Picking Technique – the Basics

If you want to do some serious guitar picking you need a fairly heavy pick. I recently read a post on a forum where a guy said he uses a dime for speed picking. This might be a trifle extreme but it illustrates how far you can go in the pursuit of individual style. Whatever you choose for a pick, hold it between your index finger and your thumb. That might seem obvious but we need to be on the same page. And let’s get something straight right away – you need to pay attention to how you hold the pick. The sound you get is cleaner if you are holding the pick parallel to the strings. Angling the pick gives a softer attack.

You pick guitar strings with the pointy part of the pick, and the idea is to pick clean and fast. But it takes practice. There are a few different ways of looking at developing picking speed. One school of thought says you keep your wrist rigid, starting the movement from the elbow. You can also just use the index finger and thumb in a circular movement but your body is probably going to want to move from the wrist.

Any mode of picking you actually use will be a mixture of the above methods reflecting your own body’s way of working. Here is a good place to mention pain. Don’t play through it, you will injure yourself. If your wrist or hand or arm hurts – stop. If it hurts when you start again tomorrow, maybe you should see a doctor. It’s best to look after your body and live to pick guitar another day.

For playing fast you need to develop your alternate picking technique. Start with a downstroke and do alternating down and up strokes. Don’t try for speed at this stage, you are just getting your muscles used to the picking movement.

Many guitar players mute the strings that they are not actually playing so no unnecessary sound is picked up. Place the meaty heel of your hand on top of the strings, in front of the bridge. If you are playing metal guitar, you will be going for the chugging sound that some pressure on the strings will give you. If you want to hear the notes ringing while you are playing fast, lessen the pressure of your hand on the strings.

Another consideration for a guitar picker is the dynamics of the sound produced by picking near the neck or near the bridge. You are possibly already aware that you get that Duane Eddy twang by playing close to the bridge, and the sound mellows as you move your picking hand closer to the neck.

Of course you are going to be in need of further exercises for getting your up and down strokes flowing automatically. You can get these from a teacher or from an internet search. For practicing muting and experimenting with different sounds, you should already know some songs you want to fool around with.

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by Яick Harris

My Guitar Does Not Care How I Pick On It

Guitar picks or Plectrums as that is the technical name are one of the great mysteries of the world. They are made from quite a variety of materials. I even noticed some picks made out of meteorites! Wow over on hundred bucks.

That is a lot of doe $$$. I would have to #1. Try one first and pay later. #2. It better be like going to the crossroads. I should be a much much improved player after buying that!

Most picks are made of a plastic polymer called polycarbonate, real tortoiseshell, tortex: is basically a synthetic tortoiseshell compound, celluloid which is the most common and oldest and can actually catch fire(no shredding, Yngwei), and acetyl/polymers.

There are numerous styles of picks ranging from thumb and finger picks. Generally used by finger pickers like Merle Travis and many other great acoustic finger pickers. The other style which is most common are flat picks. These picks are held between your thumb and index fingers. Used by almost all electric guitar players and myself. Some other quirky designs are: stubby picks, jellyfish picks, metal picks and specialized picks for special styles of play.

Thickness is another decision that must be made. Ranging from thin to thick. No need for extensive details on thickness. Thickness is a matter of experimentation.

Some folks swear by a certain pick and some people don’t find a big difference. I have played for a fair amount of years and I generally like a medium thickness pick. The main reason for that is I get less vibration in my hand with a thicker pick. I don’t like any of the weirdo space material picks, in fact some of the super hard materials can break strings, so think about that before you lay out a bunch of money for a meteorite pick!

Realistically speaking, I probably have not solved anything. My experience is that most picks are cheap. Buying a bunch of different picks and trying each one for a while is the best way to choose your pick. Perhaps my hearing has diminished a bit, but I really don’t hear a significant difference between pick types.

Even though I use thicker synthetic polymer picks I tend not to be to fussy about them. But I do have a preference for a particular brand and color! The brand is not mentioned because it is not fair to influence you. It is fun messing around with picks. Have at it.

Experience over the years is the next best way to make your choice. And you may end up with a large collection of types, shapes, colors and materials before you can fell good about picking on your guitar.

by sweenpole2001

How to Use a Guitar Pick

Regardless of whether you are a guitar novice or already have some training in playing the guitar, the following guidelines will prove useful. You shall be told how to properly hold a pick (plectrum). “That’s ridiculous!” you may say. “It’s so very basic, what’s there to know?” But following my instructions could help you improve your guitar play quickly and easily.

Picks used to be earlier made from animal bone or tortoise shell, but nowadays they are mostly made of plastic. They come in various sizes and shapes. I recommend beginners to use medium size picks because these are the easiest to play with. This is of course only a suggestion, a general rule of thumb and not an absolute. You might experiment with picks of different shapes, sizes and materials to find out the one most suitable for yourself. Also because picks get easily frayed and perhaps, as easily lost, it is a good idea to keep quite a few picks with you at home. Having a few picks in reserve is not difficult as they are fairly cheap.

Let me now tell you the proper way to hold a pick. In the following guidelines, I shall assume that you are a right handed guitar player, i.e. you hold the pick with your right hand.

The first step is to hold out your right hand and stretch out the palm with its face open towards the left side of your body. Now lightly clench your fingers onto your palm and place the thumb on the upper side of the first (the biggest) joint of your index finger. Next place the pick into this gap between your thumb and index finger and hold it firm. Do not hold it very tight. Also be careful not to hold either too much or too little of the pick. You should leave uncovered just enough of the tip of the pick for you to strum the strings.

Then try to strum the strings slowly one by one, upwards and downwards. Your aim would be to generate clear and sharp notes. In the beginning the pick might just slip from your fingers. Do not be frustrated. Use this exercise to determine exactly how strong your grip on the pick is required to be and how much of the pick is required to be left free. Remember: you can acquire your own rules only with practice.

As for the rest of your fingers apart from the thumb and the index finger, you can position them in two ways. You can either keep them in a curled grip or you can leave them loose. Personally, I prefer to leave them loose and extended, because these can then be used for several different purposes. As you gradually acquire more advanced guitar playing skill, you could use these free fingers to pluck the strings at the same time as you use the pick. You can also use these fingers to tap a beat on the body of the guitar, or to use the tremolo mechanism, as also to adjust the volume of your electric guitar.

Apart from this, there are three other ways to hold the pick. Although I personally would not recommend them, you might find that those methods suit you better.

Some people hold the pick between the thumb and the middle finger. This method allows you to hold the pick firmly and steadily but it makes it difficult for you to use your remaining fingers to strum properly when you require. Alternatively some people place the thumb on the second joint of the index finger to grip the pick. Although this, once again, allows a strong grip, it reduces the flexibility of the picking. And finally, some people use the thumb, the index finger and even the middle finger all together to hold the pick. In this method, since you take up one additional finger to hold the pick, you have only two free fingers to pluck the strings which could possibly handicap your style and make it unsuitable for the more difficult guitar scores.

I hope that following my guidelines for holding a pick will prove effective and beneficial for you. I am sure that if you can practice keeping my advice in mind, you shall find playing the guitar that much easier and more productive. Happy playing!

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by mediamolecule

Finger Picking Guitar

Using finger picking techniques to play guitar makes your music more interesting and varied. Flat picking does not give the guitar player the chance to pick several notes at the same time, to play in octaves or explore the possibilities of the finger style technique known as Travis picking. A skilled finger picker can create the illusion of the sound of more than one guitar being played. Playing the guitar finger picking style is said to have originated with ragtime music. This was part of the early blues music era and was very popular played on the piano. It was not long before guitar players were using their fingers to pick out melodies in imitation of the ragtime pianists.

When you use finger picking guitar playing technique you can use the flesh of your fingertips to pluck the strings, or you can grow the nails slightly longer on your right hand to give a sharper sound which is similar to that of flat picking. You also have the option of fitting a thumbpick and/or fingerpicks on your picking hand. This is the best option if you are playing an electric guitar or a steel string acoustic because steel strings can be hard on the nails.

Travis Picking was developed by a country guitarist named Merle Travis. It is a simple technique that sounds more technically demanding than it really is. As a general rule the thumb plays the bass strings which are the fifth and sixth strings using an alternating bass pattern. The index finger plays the third string, the ring finger the second string and the third finger plays the first string. Or you can simplify your playing by using the index finger or the index and ring fingers to play the melody notes. Assigning strings to particular fingers is just a way of starting off your finger picking in a disciplined way rather than a hard and fast rule. You will find as your technique and your confidence progress that you will want to use chords where your bass notes might be on the fourth and third strings so you will be varying your technique accordingly.

To get the hang of Travis picking just fret an A minor chord and start picking an alternating bass on the fifth and fourth strings.

Here is your chord . . .

E -0———————————

B -1———————————

G -2———————————

D -2———————————

A -0———————————

E -0———————————

. . . and here is your picking pattern on the fifth and fourth strings:

   1    2     3    4

D ——2———-2

A -0———-0—–

Now you can use your index finger or the middle and ring fingers to throw in random notes that fit in with your alternating bass pattern. To start you off, here is your alternating bass with a few notes thrown in. Just use your index finger to pick the melody notes on the first and second strings. Note that you start this pattern with a “pinch” where you play your bass and melody notes simultaneously.

   1   2   +  3  +  4   +

E -0——————–0

B ———1—–1——-

G ———————–

D ——2————2—

A -0———-0———-

E ———————–

As you begin to see what can be done with finger picking guitar techniques, you will also see that your playing of single note runs will be slower than if you were using your plectrum. This limitation on speed of playing can be overcome by working on your thumb picking. The thumb can be quite fast if you use the “rest stroke”. This is technique used in flamenco and classical guitar where the thumb picks a note and comes to rest on the string below it. The resulting note will be much stronger than if you simply used free stroke where your thumb moves outward from the string. As you become more familiar with finger picking you will develop the confidence to use pull-offs and hammer-ons to augment your finger picking.

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by bluemoose

Guitar Picking for Beginners – Guitar Picking Techniques

Guitar picking is one of the big achievements in life. If you can sit down with your guitar and pick out some licks or show off your sweep picking your audience is going to know that you are one cool dude.

Let us take a look at some guitar picking techniques. Alternate picking is when you play a downstroke, then an upstroke, then down again. It is often mis-named alternative picking. This is a commonly used technique which just requires solid practice to develop some speed. If you can learn to play fast using alternate picking you might find that you are less impressed by guitar tapping and sweep picking as ways of impressing your audience with your guitar technique.

The way to begin practicing your alternate picking is very slowly. Do not even think about speed. The use of a metronome is also very important, and this is where your first difficulty will lie. You need to set the metronome to a very slow speed and keep to it as you practice. Most people have a belief that they can play the guitar in time without a metronome. This is just a little trick that our mind plays on us. Very few people have the ability to play in time naturally. The best thing is to assume you are one of them.

Some new guitar players have an issue with whether to begin guitar picking with an upstroke or a downstroke. When you start off learning guitar picking you generally have a natural tendency to use downstrokes. That is, your body wants to pick down all the time. It is more comfortable. Working on alternate picking gets you out of the downstroke rut and into the knack of using up and downstrokes as and when you think they sound best.

Another question that comes up for guitar picking students is where to place your right hand when you are picking. If you are playing an electric guitar, your picking sounds different when you play in different positions in relation to your pickups. The sound you get also depends on which pickups you have switched on. When you are picking on an acoustic guitar playing near the bridge sounds very different from playing over the sound hole, and you will notice variations in between. This is where your own musical creativity comes in. The guitar picker decides which sound suits which song and whether to have a thin sound coming from near the bridge or a more “booming” tone coming from near the neck.

Another guitar picking technique is known as “sweep picking” and is a fairly tricky technique to get sounding right. You are not only working on your actual guitar picking but on the cleanness of your sound and economy of motion. Basically sweep picking is a way of playing fast using arpeggios. In a way it gets you doing fast guitar picking in a short length of time but getting the knack of sweeping the pick across the arpeggios and at the same time doing the left hand fingering can be quite a challenge. If you are not sure what sweep picking is, the best way to find out is to do a search on one of the video sites and watch a guitar player actually demonstrating the technique.

by fullo

Travis Picking Guitar

If you want an all round picking technique for guitar, choose Travis picking. The Travis referred to in the name is Merle Travis, the country guitar legend who not only invented a guitar picking style but also had a few hits with his songwriting. Travis picking originally just used the thumb and index finger but was extended to the use of the second and third fingers by Chet Atkins in the mistaken belief that Travis could not possibly be getting his sound by the use of just one finger.

The basis of Travis picking is the alternating bass. This is because finger picking on the guitar was inspired by ragtime piano playing. It might help you to get the spirit of Travis picking if you remember that.

An accomplished Travis picking guitarist has a whole range of picking patterns he can use to accompany and solo with. To begin your Travis picking journey you will need to learn one picking pattern and get it flowing smoothly. The basic idea is that the thumb keeps the rhythm going while the fingers pick the melody and the grace notes.

To start practicing Travis picking, fret an A minor chord with your left hand and pick the open fifth string with your thumb while at the same time picking the open first string with your second finger. That’s your first beat.

The next beat is made up of two movements: pick the fourth string with your thumb (that’s half a beat) and pick the second string with your first finger (another half a beat).

Pick the fifth string again with your thumb for half a beat and then pick the first string with your second finger for half a beat.

The final of your four beats is: pick the fourth string for half a beat and then the second string with the first finger.

The tab looks like this (remember you’re holding an A minor chord:

e-0———-0———–|

B——-1———1——|

G————————|

D—–2———2——–|

A-0——–0————-|

E————————|

Even if you have no experience with guitar finger picking, you should have this pattern repeating itself nicely within a week. Of course, you can try it out on different chords and vary the strings you pick. Don’t try to go too fast at first, because you need to be very comfortable with the way your fingers are moving on your guitar before you attempt any Travis picking at high speed.

(Fox News Channel May 11 2007) www.dailygut.com www.rachelmarsden.com www.foxnews.com Be sure to catch Greg Gutfeld, Rachel Marsden,Bill Schulz,Andrew Levy and the rest of the Red Eye Gang on the Fox News Channel Nights at 2 am EST! _________________________________ OFUMedia’s Red Eye Pick 3 for May 11 2007 Jared the Subway guy allegedly sold porn while in college?… www.tmz.com Newcastle Australia bans the sale of alcohol shots… www.allheadlinenews.com A Rush Limbaugh billboard on a Baltimore interstate is defaced… newsbusters.org …plus mail time! ________________________ Tonight’s Special Guests: Entertainment reporter Katrina Szish Us Weekly’s Noelle Hancock Conservative columnist Doug Giles Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton,aka Frangela, comedy duo on VH1′s ‘Best Week Ever’
Video Rating: 3 / 5

by Яick Harris

Guitar Picks – Which Material and Thickness to Choose?

Generally, guitar picks are isosceles triangle-shaped ones made up of different materials to play guitars. Guitar picks are made up of various materials including, plastic, nylon, rubber, tortoiseshell, bone, wood, felt, stone, polycarbonate, Lexan and metal. Although different manufacturers use different shapes, the most common shape is isosceles triangle with highly rounded two equal corners and less rounded third corner. You can also go for customized guitar picks of your taste.

Customized Guitar Picks

Most of the guitar picks have a sort of imprint. This may range from imprinting manufacturers’ logos to fully customized guitar picks for artists. In addition, guitar picks come with signatures and logos of popular bands and musicians. For example, Rick Nielson mass-distributed customized guitar picks of “Cheap Trick,” a renowned rock band. Customized guitar picks evolved over time, as the printing technology evolved. Even many guitar enthusiasts started collecting various types of custom guitar picks, as guitar picks have become more colorful with attractive designs and look. You can get custom picks from music concerts, since at times many guitarists throw their used guitar picks on the crowd. You may even notice some celebrity guitarists selling their guitar picks.

Guitar Picks Made of Bone

Bone guitar picks in general and many in particular favor dinosaur bone guitar picks. These guitar picks made of bone come in natural colors and some of them are even transparent. Dinosaur bone guitar picks are hand-made and fully fossilized or agatized. Bone guitar picks are ideal for rock guitarists. However, these picks are relatively costlier than picks made up of other materials.

Types of Picks and Music Styles

Guitarists use different types of picks of different thickness to generate their desired sound. The thickness of the guitar also depends on the kind of strings and playing styles. Electric guitar players who play rock and metal music prefer thicker picks to produce more controllable, delicate and great music. Guitar players who play farthest genres, such as, black metal, death metal or punk rock prefer soft guitar picks. Many Jazz guitar players prefer to use very thick guitar picks, since they like heavy gauge strings. However, there is no written rule on selecting a particular pick. It is purely based on personal choice. Steel guitar picks are believed to be producing much brighter sounds than that of plastic picks. However, steel picks may damage the finish of the acoustic guitars.

Finding the Thickness of the Guitar Picks

Several of the manufacturers, including, Alicem Jim, Dunlop and Teckpick, imprint the thickness of their picks thousands or in mm on the pick itself. Popular guitar manufacturers like Fender, Gibson, Ibanez and Peavey sometimes used cryptic way of denoting the thickness of the picks.

Therefore, if you have the passion for guitar picks and want a celebrity signature, it is better to opt for customized guitar picks. You can claim you are a collector too.

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