Picks Slippingand rotating while playing

[MikeEdgerton]

I had to dip into my favorite bottle of Gorilla snot today while playing a show in Jersey. There's just something about being able to hang onto a pick with just one finger that I find fascinating :cooL:

[hucklebilly]

And finally, the solution advocated by a great many of us:

8) Many -- and possibly most! -- beginners are plagued by problems with the pick twisting, or moving in the hand grip, as they play. This is perfectly normal! However, they often find that this problem tends to go away as they get better and better at playing the mandolin. It happens for many reasons. Their grip eventually tends gravitate closer to the "center of percussion" of the pick, at which point the torques on it vanish while striking the string, reducing any further tendency to twist. They also learn (without thinking about it) to make many micro-adjustments in their grip while playing that compensate for the twisting problem. They learn to loosen the grip and angle the pick appropriately. They make many tiny, almost imperceptible changes in grip that lead to the pick seldom twisting. Finally, they also learn how to quickly swivel the pick back into proper position when things do go out of whack.

Put another way: as you get better and better at flatpicking, the chances are pretty good that pick rotation will happen less and less, and you will not need to rely on any of the solutions in (1)-(7). Admittedly, this doesn't happen for everyone, but it does for most of us. Notice that a good many of the "mandolin heroes" we admire here on the MC (e.g., Thile, Marshall, Monroe, Grisman, Burns, Steffey, and many more) play (or played) with unmodified grips on their flatpicks. It takes lots of practice, but the problem can be tamed by technique alone![/QUOTE]

This! This! This! 1000 x This!

[Eric Platt]

If you can use your particular pick choice without ever needing anything extra, good. After 20 years of playing am no longer that confident. Only have the issue with Wegens. And it's nothing new. As I've said in other posts - have owned these picks since they were first introduced in the US. Something about the carbon fiber and my skin chemistry.

Agree that it is usually the best if one doesn't need help. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. And the older I get, the more I accept this.

Oh, and the Wegen with the extra grip worked well at the jam today. Didn't have any rotation, and was able to really loosen up the grip. Worth it for me right now.

[MikeEdgerton]

Spinning because of a lack of technique hasn't been an issue for me in a few years. Dry skin on the other hand seems to be getting worse as I age. Some days I need something and some days I don't.

[ajh]

Like Eric Platt, I ordered a package of Monster Grips based on what I read here. Am liking them a lot. No twisting at all and is allowing me to (at least in my own mind) hold the pick noticeably looser. I use it on the thumb side.

[MoreThanQuinn]

A slightly related question. I've heard many people describe the ideal pick grip as "so loose that the pick is almost falling out of your grip"

As a relatively new player, I'd be curious to know: How many of you all subscribe to this? I certainly get a better tone if I loosen up, but is there a point when it becomes too lose? (Aside from the pick falling out of your hand, of course.)

[sblock]

A slightly related question. I've heard many people describe the ideal pick grip as "so loose that the pick is almost falling out of your grip"

As a relatively new player, I'd be curious to know: How many of you all subscribe to this? I certainly get a better tone if I loosen up, but is there a point when it becomes too lose? (Aside from the pick falling out of your hand, of course.)

Well, Chris Thile advocates a loose grip in his instructional videos. He even mentions holding it so loosely in a contest, once, that it actually DID fall out of his hand!

I would say that most, if not not all, of the top players use what they would likely describe as a "loose" grip. It is well known and widely appreciated that excess tension in the hand (and forearm), including a tight grip, are antithetical to fluidity and rapid playing speed.

[stevedenver]

I dont have the spinning pick issue. And i think my grip is pretty loose.
But,
I do fatigue after about 3 -4 hours and can lose grip almost entirely when playing hard and or very fast tempos. Hand just cant do it, cant hold the bloody pick.

Solution 1: pro pic thumb pick, ie a 351 style bolted to a metal thumb cage....it allows me to chop when I literally can no longer hold a pick. $4 . A bit odd to use otherwise.
Solution 2: those little rubber door key covers sold at the hardware store, they slip snuggly over a 351 and 346. Makes the thing easier to hold. Cheap. I only did this once, and, it works, but wasnt my fav. But i tend not to like too thick a feel.

Another tacky solution: hockey stick tape! I used this inside a metal thumb pick that wouldnt stay put. Very effective, but, leaves tape residue on fingers. Also works on picks, but eventually curls.

And, i tend to like embossed picks, wegen, prime tone with raised grippy dots, pickboy PEI ultex 351 with pot plant embossed. All of these can help grip.

[Mark Gunter]

A buddy of mine showed up Sunday with some new picks and offered me one. I was surprised, as it is the most comfortable and grippy non-slip pick I've tried, and I have tried quite a few. Slippage isn't much of an issue with me most times, and I love my large triangles (this pick is a largish teardrop shape), so I just tossed it in my keeper collection, and have no plans of using daily.

The pick has what looks like inner tube rubber mounted on both sides. Steve's homemade solution looks similar. This thing is called GuitarMoose. It appears to be acrylic, 1.0 mm

[Jim1hays]

That looks a lot like the pick holders I was speaking about. Except they slip over the pick as these look like they are adhered to just the front and back of the pick.

[monstergrips]

Oh, and the Wegen with the extra grip worked well at the jam today. Didn't have any rotation, and was able to really loosen up the grip. Worth it for me right now.

I’m glad to hear they worked well for you. If you ever have questions, we’re here to help.

- - - Updated - - -

Like Eric Platt, I ordered a package of Monster Grips based on what I read here. Am liking them a lot. No twisting at all and is allowing me to (at least in my own mind) hold the pick noticeably looser. I use it on the thumb side.

Excellent! Happy to hear, and as I mentioned to Eric, let us know if we can help.

[gtani7]

On one of hte older pick grip threads, somebody posted this (Bush, McCoury etc): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTJJdlswFPE

The way you can tell their right hands really have loose relaxed grips is that their index, middle and ring fingers on right hand aren't all scrunched together

But if you want to something like Plastidip on your picks, that's just fine by me. I think that's what's on these fingerpicks https://www.banjoteacher.com/banjo-s...njo-picks.html