Pick your PICK!!

[Hink]

they are good for pinching out some extra harmonics too when doing pinched harmonics.

I learned, or more accurately became more acute at pinch harmonics by practicing them without a pick at all

Interesting...don’t think I ever tried without a pick.

just dont think about it, I literally pretended the pick wasn't there...a lot of it is really just the thumb hitting the string for the harmonic, just with the pinch you're exercising more control of the entire envelope. Of course there will be a sharper attack with a pick as well, and also for me that led directly to using my thumb and controlled palm muting to get harmonics. As you know it's all a matter of position

[Forgotten]

they are good for pinching out some extra harmonics too when doing pinched harmonics.

I learned, or more accurately became more acute at pinch harmonics by practicing them without a pick at all

Interesting...don’t think I ever tried without a pick.

just dont think about it, I literally pretended the pick wasn't there...a lot of it is really just the thumb hitting the string for the harmonic, just with the pinch you're exercising more control of the entire envelope. Of course there will be a sharper attack with a pick as well, and also for me that led directly to using my thumb and controlled palm muting to get harmonics. As you know it's all a matter of position

Already tried it, but thought you meant pick upwards with index finger nail before hitting with the thumb. I'll try again with thumb and palm muting.

[Hink]

when I was 16 it was a neat trick but really practicing it improved my consistency with harmonics...I have said it before, I love harmonics and squeals...for me a squeal is most often demonstrating I'm happy with my tone, in my groove and the squeal is my expression of elation. I spent months and months practicing all forms of harmonics

[Mats Eriksson]

Of course, you can tuck a pick away inside your hand. It's different for different people and hands and fingers, it depends. Some picks works better than others, I can tell you I drop "regular" picks much more often, when trying to hide it, but the sharkfin I have never dropped. Since I used the green plastic paper bag thin ones, they can bend and flex while tucking it under your fingers. Stone picks doesn't do that, and slips away quite easily. As well as those Gravity and V-picks. The more pointed/sharp the "point" are of the pick the more it can pinch you while tucking it. Still in 1965 this was virtually unheard of when Sharkfins came around. Hybrid picking has been around for a long time but, occupies thumb and index finger for holding the pick and you can use only 2 other fingers. So no more than 3 tones at a time. With thumb pick, without any pick at all, or "tucked pick" you have one voice more.

But as I said, Sharkfins are only ONE option in my toolbox, as I use anything in between those extreme forms of picks. Either stone picks, and Sharkfin green ones. As thin or as hard, and anything in between. Still can't get around Blue Chip picks, they cost a fortune but yet wear eventually, albeit very slowly. Stone picks are expensive too, but they do not wear. Ever. They wear out the strings instead. But those strings you'll change anyway sooner than the pick wears them out.

I use teardrop shaped picks too, because I've found out that they don't flex as much because of the lever effect they produce when the majority of material is hold steady by the index finger. Same if I use three fingers to hold the pick (almost any) like Steve Morse. Some people thinks it slows you down, but most picks doesn't flex at all when holding with thumb and two other fingers, however, the pick must be large enough surface to hold those 2 fingers. Most of my stone picks are teardrop shaped, thick and heavy and polished and has the least friction of all picks out there. The downside is the chirping noise they make initially at each attack. So to speak, automatically a pinched harmonic each and every time, provided you use bridge pickup. Neck pickup doesn't detect those.

[Mats Eriksson]

IMHO pinched harmonics does just work on select guitars, I think on single coils only, and with certain picks (as well as technique) and of course, the more metal surrounding the bridge... People don't believe this but even up at the other end, close to the nut you can get those high NATURAL harmonics - especially on brand new strings - when doing the 2nd and 3rd freth harmonics. They ring and ping out better/louder with steel/brass nuts or zero frets.

Here's the master of pinched harmonics... IMHO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDOIL5OqvYs

Can you spot where he tucks his pick? During the "flamenco" strums in the middle of his solo? There he does pinched harmonics without pick for sure.

[The Noodlist]

RB.png

Roy was rocking way before.

[Hink]

IMHO pinched harmonics does just work on select guitars, I think on single coils only, and with certain picks (as well as technique) and of course, the more metal surrounding the bridge... People don't believe this but even up at the other end, close to the nut you can get those high NATURAL harmonics - especially on brand new strings - when doing the 2nd and 3rd freth harmonics. They ring and ping out better/louder with steel/brass nuts or zero frets.

Here's the master of pinched harmonics... IMHO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDOIL5OqvYs

Can you spot where he tucks his pick? During the "flamenco" strums in the middle of his solo? There he does pinched harmonics without pick for sure.

The character of pinched harmonics changes with different pups and really which pup you are using (bridge, neck, middle) but they are there. Gain plays a lot into the sustain and character of the harmonic, you won't get a screaming squeal with a clean guitar but whether it be subtle or screaming they all have their place.

As for natural harmonics around the 2 or 3rd fret, absolutely and I love them but many are not above a fret...do that with a fair amount of gain and it can get nasty. The thing is they might not be in tune/key or at least start that way. I typically only use those with a whammy bar

[Mats Eriksson]

Yeah, the 2nd 3rd fret harmonics are a little bit off. But if you barely touch with your fingerpad above 12 fret you recognize there's some "aperture" space in that, that particular halfway node doesn't really need to be right over it either. You can get approximate with the node point. 5th and 7th fret you need to be narrower with the touch and 2nd 3rd fret is not at all over the actual fret, but at an even narrower and smaller node point just in front of the actual fret. I think there's some room for 2 nodes even between 2nd and 3rd fret.

[Forgotten]

They’re off because equal temperament puts the fret in the wrong place based on the string length. Even the 7th fret harmonic is slightly out of place.

[an-electric-heart]

I use Jim Dunlop nylon 1mm (black) for electric,

Me too, love 'em. Someone on YouTube suggested Jim Dunlop Jazz 3 picks (the reds ones) for Metal so next time I go pick shopping I'm going to get a few of those to see how they work for me.

But if we define "pick" as anything that causes a note to sound on a guitar then much of my "picking" comes from my left hand in the form of hammer ons and pull offs.

I'm left handed but play RH guitar so my right hand has always been the weak link. Well that and total a lack of talent, skill, etc.......

Not "metal" but a hell of a player.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxOd0XmdhX0

When I was younger I played very fast punk and metal, all the plastic picks I tried just straight up shattered, I pretty quickly discovered that nylon picks are the only ones that coped, after time they get blunt, but they'll never break. I don't play music like that anymore, but they're still my pick of choice 20 years later.

[Hink]

you would like my brass picks, I still have one from 1982...an emery board every so often is needed to clean it up (might develop a little burr if you always hold it the same way) but they wont break.

[Teksonik]

Well then you'd remember the "Mined Pick". It was a polished stone in the shape of a pick. I never did get the hang of using it.

[abhor]

The red jazz 3's and petrucci jazz 3's. Probably the red one's are my favorite.

Oh and big stubbies too!

[Mats Eriksson]

you would like my brass picks, I still have one from 1982...an emery board every so often is needed to clean it up (might develop a little burr if you always hold it the same way) but they wont break.

Yes, I remember copper picks, I think Adrian Belew still uses them. I bought a couple, but alas when you tucked them under your fingers...OUCH!!! Even van Halen blamed his metal/copper pick uses for causing him tounge cancer, since he put them in his mouth while just fingerpicking...yeah right..but that was because he couldn't tuck it between his fingers...

They were great sounding, but I thought they were on the thin side and did flex. Didn't wear though. always a plus.

MIN'D pick, made of polishd brazilian agat stone is my favorite!



Teardrop, absolutely the lowest friction of them all (beats Blue Chip big time) and, as such, doesn't wear no matter how much you do heavy metal slides with it (scratching along the strings) ... you can actually do stone pick tricks that you can't do with metal picks or other picks:

1. Bagpipe like tapping. The chirp produced is a deadringer for a bagpiper when he moves the fingers from the holes, a brief "chirp" is heard right at the start of every note. The high pitched ones.
2. You can hold it lightly with your fretting hand over the three middle strings that produces a G major chord, D, G, B and then pick with your fingers and it sounds like a faux banjo. It turns into a banjo sound due/thanks to the dampening, and you can do "slide banjo" if you move it up the neck.
3. Bird calls, and seagull cries: Slide the stone bick from the bridge on top of the string along the string towards the neck. Use bridge pickup only. Seagull cries above the high e-string at around 24th fret, or where the 24 th fret is supposed to be, slide gently two or three frets down towards the nut, and "phrase" it like seagull cries.
4. Dog barks: Works on some guitars. Some pickups have the "elusive" and onomatepoetic "bark" in them, mostly humbuckers. Use bridge pickup only, turn down tone control, medium distortion, and some sort of reverb that is of a short "distance". Drag the pick on the low e-string above the 24th fret, from nut and towards the bridge, just a short distance, within a frets distance. I have fooled some dogs with it. They perk their ears up and starts to growl, grumpily...
5. Chinese, or korean koto like picking. Reverse of bird call (point 3). Fret notes in a pentatonic way, works on plain strings only. A bit front of the bridge and slide the pick towards the bridge on each note. Use the edge of the pick.

Here's bagpipe thing with a stone pick, and yes, a lot of pedals involved, but nothing that you can mimick with just a lot of distortion on any amp and cunning use of built in EQ or tone knobs on the amp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiQsgG4Bpjw

[reggie1979]

EVH is a god. But, he should blame his cancer on SMOKING TOO MUCH

Anyways, back on topic.............