Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst 1234
Results 76 to 91 of 91

Thread: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playing?

  1. #76
    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Co. Mayo, Ireland
    Posts
    3,569

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    On a whim I dug out the Wegen M100 to try with my Collings MT-O, and I'm loving it! I hadn't really clicked with it on the A-jr as there seemed to be resistance traveling over the strings - I'm now realizing that it was because I was playing the A-jr with a much heavier hand, whereas the MT-O responds to a much lighter touch. I had been using the Blue Chip Kenny Smith 40 and really liked it with the A-jr but it just wasn't doing it on the MT-O. Moral of the story: don't be too hasty to part with picks that aren't working with one mandolin as they may be a perfect match with another one!
    2018 Girouard Concert oval A
    2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
    2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar
    1969 Martin 00-18




    my Youtube channel

  2. #77
    Registered User Dan Adams's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    664

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Was playing at a farmer's market, affectionately known as the zucchini tour, when I looked down and picked up a white, heavy, Peavey pick at my feet. I didn't know Peavey make picks? Sound really good with my pancake Flatiron. The pick and mando have been to Ireland performing as a duet. Zucchinis are green after all!
    Play em like you know em!

  3. #78
    working musician Jim Bevan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Limache, Chile
    Posts
    809

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    I'm glad this thread resurfaced, 'cuz I want to update my choice.

    Now that I'm not touring at the moment, and have a choice of mandolins for different gigs, I find that I'm almost using pretty much a different pick for each one. I suppose it's 'cuz I'm trying to get "my" sound out of each mando, and since they're all different, they all require a different pick to get that sound.

    That said, the most commonly used pick is a BC TAD-3R 50.

  4. The following members say thank you to Jim Bevan for this post:


  5. #79
    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    3,210

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin



    Thickness: Extra-Stout. (For Strength)

  6. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to mandocrucian For This Useful Post:


  7. #80
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Southeast
    Posts
    240

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Trying to find a BC pick I like for tenor banjo, but no luck yet. I'm thinking a custom order TAD30 or 35 might work better than the heavier ones. Usually use clayton ultems, but the BCs are much easier to grip.

  8. #81
    Registered User John Kelly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Ardnadam, Argyll, Scotland
    Posts
    2,280

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocrucian View Post


    Thickness: Extra-Stout. (For Strength)
    And those serrated edges are just the thing for playing fast triplets and trills. But remember, they take a long time to settle down, being made by Guinness!
    I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order. - Eric Morecambe

    http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOldBores

  9. #82
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    44

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    I've moved on since I last posted my plectrum choice, from primetone sculpted 1.5mm to clayton small teardrops in ultem. Finding the right plectrum seems to be an endless but thankfully not too costly search.

    I haven't decided whether I prefer the 1.07mm or 1.2mm yet, but I really like the shape to hold and the strong crisp tone they produce. They're a bit rough when you get them and sound likewise, so need some polishing of the edges to get a good sound.

    I'd be very interested in trying a Blue Chip plectrum in this size, shape and thickness if one ever became available.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	clayton-ultem-1.07.jpeg 
Views:	111 
Size:	23.4 KB 
ID:	151196 Click image for larger version. 

Name:	clayton-ultem-1.2.jpg 
Views:	122 
Size:	24.3 KB 
ID:	151197

  10. #83
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,753

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Lately, I have been diving into playing Irish-style tenor banjo. I say Irish-style tho I have dipped into the repertoire on and off over time I pretty much play old time fiddle and mandolin. In any case, for years on mandolin I was using BC Jazz LG picks from 35-50 on mandolin and switched maybe 6 months ago to alternate between Wegen BN120 and BC similarly shaped.

    I wonder tho why the tenor banjo would play better with a thinner pick. I didn't have many thinner picks in my pile so I bought a few Dunlop Ultex .73 standard Fender shape from my local GC and that is all right. I just took out the BC35 which is a little thicker and that seems to work fine. I have a feeling that the key to playing triples and triplets and the like is keeping the grip fairly loose and since I have been playing fretted instruments for over 40 years should be pretty adept at this without reverting to a super thin pick.

    The Vega Style M I have is very responsive and I think I have the right gauge strings (John Pearse heavy Irish tuning .040 on the bottom) so I suppose it is just a matter of trial and error.

    BTW I do like ITM and have been having a blast playing jigs and I have been listening to ITM banjo players. I also bring the TB to old time sessions and since most of the folks are friends (even the 5-string players) most don't give me the stink eye. We also have a contra tunes session which I plan to go to and try out the TB there.
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  11. #84
    Registered User gortnamona's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Belfast, Antrim
    Posts
    52

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    dunlop prime tone 1.3 for me at the minute, not much difference between them and a bluechip as far as i can see....other than price of course.

  12. #85
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,753

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    I know it for a fact but I till cannot figure out why my mandolin playing "asks" for a thick pick and the banjo "asks" for a thinner one. Strange. After playing the banjo withe the BC I reverted to the .73 Ultex. Any clues out there? Less tension on the strings and the single string courses?
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  13. #86
    Registered User zoukboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Lubbock, TX
    Posts
    1,251

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    I know it for a fact but I till cannot figure out why my mandolin playing "asks" for a thick pick and the banjo "asks" for a thinner one. Strange. After playing the banjo withe the BC I reverted to the .73 Ultex. Any clues out there? Less tension on the strings and the single string courses?
    Yes, and yes, and the fact that the banjo really requires a different pick stroke from wooden double-strung instruments. For many, playing the TB with a relatively lighter pick is a way to ensure against overplaying (that is, if you overplay with a thinner pick the pick just gives way - overplaying with a heavier pick means that your overplaying results in (usually) playing too loud.

  14. #87
    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Posts
    5,293

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    I know it for a fact but I till cannot figure out why my mandolin playing "asks" for a thick pick and the banjo "asks" for a thinner one. Strange. After playing the banjo withe the BC I reverted to the .73 Ultex. Any clues out there? Less tension on the strings and the single string courses?
    Since we're talkin' trad/celtic here... are you playing the tunes as written (or heard) with just the notes? Or are you adding ornaments?

    On both banjo and mandolin, that would typically be a "treble" ornament: a quick three-note flick of the pick. On mandolin you might supplement that with hammer-ons and pull-offs, but on banjo that's the one ornament that's typical of the style.

    Your mileage (and everyone else's) may vary, but for me, that puts a limit on how thick the pick can be when playing melody. Thick picks are harder for me to flick quickly across the strings to get that rapid treble ornament, so I use a pick thinner than a Bluegrass mandolin player would. Currently that's a BC TAD40-1R, about 1.0mm thick.

  15. The following members say thank you to foldedpath for this post:


  16. #88
    Registered User Bad Monkey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    178

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_20170321_180701602.jpg 
Views:	94 
Size:	209.9 KB 
ID:	155116
    I'm using the Dawg style that I stick a piece of sandpaper on the thumb side. The sandpaper lets me use a lot less right hand finger pressure and the plectrum never moves around. Much more comfortable at the end of set 4.

  17. #89
    Registered User Mike Snyder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Neosho, Mo
    Posts
    2,320

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    I cannot play tenor with a thin pick. I got a BC 40 big triangle which works, but the Wegen 140 has the feel and has been on that banjo so long that it just belongs. Triplets are there, but one must concentrate to get them consistent. Spoiled, I am, by thick picks on the mandolins, so mute I must. I've got two sock monkeys living in there and an alternate stuffed bug for quiet little jams. Surprisingly, the tone of the banjo (Orpheum #1) does not suffer. No resonator to suffocate the monkeys, but I have to constrain the enthusiasm or the volume becomes an issue. I'm more old-time than ITM and I go for more plunkiness than the ITM guys, much more, so I make my own bridges and have a piece of duct tape inside the head under the bridge. And monkeys, but I've dialed in exactly the tone I want. The bluegrass folks get a kick out of it when a tenor player kicks it. .........Usually.............
    Mike Snyder

  18. The following members say thank you to Mike Snyder for this post:


  19. #90
    Registered User Bren's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    Posts
    1,036

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    I use a yellow JD Tortex large triangle (.73) for TB, and fairly heavy strings to get tension on a short scale.

    Pick diameter is important to me - if i use a teardrop shape i tend to miss the strings, especially if they have less tension.

    I'm wondering if putting a backside bevel on the JD corners similar to what Wegen and JD Primetone do would help me with accurate treble/triplet picking. Or would the material break easily?

  20. #91
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,753

    Default Re: straw poll: what's your favourite pick for trad/celtic playin

    Quote Originally Posted by foldedpath View Post
    Since we're talkin' trad/celtic here... are you playing the tunes as written (or heard) with just the notes? Or are you adding ornaments?

    On both banjo and mandolin, that would typically be a "treble" ornament: a quick three-note flick of the pick. On mandolin you might supplement that with hammer-ons and pull-offs, but on banjo that's the one ornament that's typical of the style.

    Your mileage (and everyone else's) may vary, but for me, that puts a limit on how thick the pick can be when playing melody. Thick picks are harder for me to flick quickly across the strings to get that rapid treble ornament, so I use a pick thinner than a Bluegrass mandolin player would. Currently that's a BC TAD40-1R, about 1.0mm thick.
    I have been inserting where I can and when proper triplets or trebles. I also got as copy of Enda Scahill's Book Volume 2 to see what wisdom he can impart. I like the sound and style of the ITM TB but am also experimenting with applying that style to OTM and to the contradance music, each of which, I believe requires a different approach. My BC LG Jazz is 35 so even thinner than yours (.89mm thick ).

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Snyder View Post
    I cannot play tenor with a thin pick. I got a BC 40 big triangle which works, but the Wegen 140 has the feel and has been on that banjo so long that it just belongs. Triplets are there, but one must concentrate to get them consistent. Spoiled, I am, by thick picks on the mandolins, so mute I must. I've got two sock monkeys living in there and an alternate stuffed bug for quiet little jams. Surprisingly, the tone of the banjo (Orpheum #1) does not suffer. No resonator to suffocate the monkeys, but I have to constrain the enthusiasm or the volume becomes an issue. I'm more old-time than ITM and I go for more plunkiness than the ITM guys, much more, so I make my own bridges and have a piece of duct tape inside the head under the bridge. And monkeys, but I've dialed in exactly the tone I want. The bluegrass folks get a kick out of it when a tenor player kicks it. .........Usually.............
    I have a skin head on the Vega and a towel to mute it a bunch tho I do like the sock monkey concept. Does that duct tape also mute the overall tone of the bridge. I would also love to see what you are making for a bridge and how it would differ from a more standard one. I have a Farquhar 4-String banjo bridge that I used for my Gibson TB-Junior and got one for the Vega tho I have not put it on the Vega yet.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	f4b.jpg 
Views:	158 
Size:	4.1 KB 
ID:	155333
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •