Chris Thile's new pick

[ccravens]

Well, I think you exaggerate, Chris. No, we don't find all this talk about Chris Thile's pick to be "offensive." No one here is offended. We do, however, think that excessive attention to whatever pick Thile happens to be using at the moment, be it Wegen, Bluechip, casein, or whatever, is just a little bit silly.

The thing that some of us find mildly amusing (or ironic) -- but not offensive! -- is how many folks seem to be under the impression that if they buy the same equipment as their mandolin heroes, it will likely make them sound better.

As for your first statement, it's ironic that the posters who consider threads like this "excessive" or "silly" will still take the time to post and let everyone on the thread know their opinion by using ridicule. If I find a thread silly, I do something that many people don't seem to be able to consider: I don't read or post to it. Simple, right?

As to your second statement, this has been used as a tactic of ridicule by a number of posters on this thread. One thing I was wondering: can you point to anyone who ever posted with the thought that playing the same pick as CT would make them as good as him? Otherwise, that straw man is getting old.

[Timbofood]

If we all spent the number of hours, trying string /pick combinations, set up variables and were paid for that like the esteemed Mr. Thile is and worked as hard as to be a real professional, we might play at that level.
You get out of it what you put into it. He has paid his dues and been lucky enough to be acknowledged as an outstanding talent.
If you want to be outstanding on your field, you have to put in the time.
Whatever strings, picks, setup, instruments, deodorant, socks he uses makes little difference to my meager abilities. I will be content to listen to his talent with no pretense of reaching that level.

[MontanaMatt]

It's not our fault, (it is our fault), there are so many picks to try. Inspiration is all I seek.

It's PAS, I know, I got it bad. I'm just glad I'm keeping my MAS in remission.

[mandowilli]

The original poster ikusan is a new member.

Welcome to the Cafe!

[ikusan]

The original poster ikusan is a new member.

Welcome to the Cafe!

Thank you!

[sblock]

If we all spent the number of hours, trying string /pick combinations, set up variables and were paid for that like the esteemed Mr. Thile is and worked as hard as to be a real professional, we might play at that level.
You get out of it what you put into it. He has paid his dues and been lucky enough to be acknowledged as an outstanding talent.
If you want to be outstanding on your field, you have to put in the time.
Whatever strings, picks, setup, instruments, deodorant, socks he uses makes little difference to my meager abilities. I will be content to listen to his talent with no pretense of reaching that level.

Alas, if it were only a matter of the time commitment, diligent work, and "paying dues"! Sadly, there is so much more that goes into being a successful virtuoso than that.

Great musicians, like Mozart, Paganini, Menuhin, Chopin, Kreisler, Liszt, and so on, who were widely considered to be true virtuosi in their time -- and yes, we can include Chris Thile here! -- displayed prodigious, "natural" talent from an early age, and proceeded to cultivate that talent with hard, sustained work.

So no, I cannot agree that if the rest of us "worked as hard as [Thile] to be a real professional, we might play at that level." I am quite sure that there are any number of very talented mandolinists out there who have devoted equivalent amounts of their time and energy towards playing better, but will never achieve what Thile has. Thile is not great simply because he puts in more time. There's a whole lot more to it than that.

In the classical world, there are a great many aspiring violinists who have devoted their entire lives to become the best possible musicians that they can be. But unfortunately, try as they might, few of them will ever manage to play like Oistrakh, Perlman, Menuhin, Heifetz, etc. Or Joshua Bell. Or Sarah Chang.

Ask any instructor at, say, Julliard or Eastman or Oberlin or Curtis or Berklee (or any great music conservatory) and they will tell you that there is much more to being a virtuoso than a willingness to work at it. Talent and natural abilities -- both physical and mental! -- are very real things.

[Timbofood]

Oh, well.

[George R. Lane]

Likewise, welcome to our crazy little world.

[bradeasley]

I joined in on this thread early on because the topic interests me, not because I think knowing or purchasing whatever pick CT is using these days will make me play better, or sound like him, or in any way make up for the hours upon hours of practice that I know is the only real path to becoming a better mandolin player. But because I enjoy this element of the hobby; talking about gear, nerding out on who uses what, and trying out new things. It's fun. Does collecting baseball cards have anything to do with being a good baseball player? No, it's just a hobby that some people enjoy and others don't. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that most of the members of this forum enjoy the mandolin as a hobby rather than a profession. Hobbies have many elements, and different folks like different parts of them. Even within any one element, there are different camps; such as those who like to learn by ear versus learning tunes from tabs, or those who play strictly bluegrass to those who play only classical. There is a spectrum within this element of gear from the picker who uses anything he can get his hands on and just plays to the collector who has many of the finest mandolins made today but doesn't play at all. There isn't a wrong way to participate in and enjoy a hobby. It's simply a matter of preference. As an amateur musician, I know that I'll continue to improve over the years with practice, but I'm not in it to be the next Thile or Winfield winner or even semi-pro. I just enjoy playing for it's own sake. For some of us, it's not a contest, it's just a pastime. Your way isn't better than mine nor vise versa. To that point, if your way of enjoying the hobby is to demean others' opinions because they choose to discuss gear (or any other element) in a way you disagree with, just know that no one's mind is being radically changed by an internet forum. So you're wasting as much of your breath telling folks that talking about CT's pick is pointless as we are by sharing our interest in it.

Then again, some folks just enjoy getting a rise outta people, and to those folks I say you're welcome.

[MontanaMatt]

Brad, I would further your line of thinking by saying, I've been playing professionally for 14+years in the same band (+1500 shows). When we started, we had fun, put on a fun show, and got complemented for our work. I've listened to our old recordings...we were not good back then. Our customers, generally, are not tone critical, or know what a flatted third sounds like in a lick. My quest for better gear is internally motivated. I have a sweet set of quad driver, custom, in ear monitors. I love to hear the high fidelity representation of our mix. I am loving my Tonedexter d.i., as it sounds very much like my acoustic mandolin. I fixate about my tone during my performances. I can't help it, it's part on my internal dialogue. I like to change picks during our shows to see if I can hear or feel the difference. I do, and I enjoy that control. I do practice, and I do progress in my craft. I have also progressed in my collection of gear to make "the sound" I'm wanting to hear.
Let's continue to geek our about gear!

[LadysSolo]

Alas, if it were only a matter of the time commitment, diligent work, and "paying dues"! Sadly, there is so much more that goes into being a successful virtuoso than that.

Great musicians, like Mozart, Paganini, Menuhin, Chopin, Kreisler, Liszt, and so on, who were widely considered to be true virtuosi in their time -- and yes, we can include Chris Thile here! -- displayed prodigious, "natural" talent from an early age, and proceeded to cultivate that talent with hard, sustained work.

So no, I cannot agree that if the rest of us "worked as hard as [Thile] to be a real professional, we might play at that level." I am quite sure that there are any number of very talented mandolinists out there who have devoted equivalent amounts of their time and energy towards playing better, but will never achieve what Thile has. Thile is not great simply because he puts in more time. There's a whole lot more to it than that.

In the classical world, there are a great many aspiring violinists who have devoted their entire lives to become the best possible musicians that they can be. But unfortunately, try as they might, few of them will ever manage to play like Oistrakh, Perlman, Menuhin, Heifetz, etc. Or Joshua Bell. Or Sarah Chang.

Ask any instructor at, say, Julliard or Eastman or Oberlin or Curtis or Berklee (or any great music conservatory) and they will tell you that there is much more to being a virtuoso than a willingness to work at it. Talent and natural abilities -- both physical and mental! -- are very real things.

I agree, when I was looking at college, I had been planning to be a professional musician (keyboard,) got into college as a music major. When I was at home, I was a big fish in little pond. I worked hard in college, practiced for HOURS every day, but I was a little fish in a big pond at college. I knew my limits, and came home and changed my major. It takes a LOT more than hard work!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Sblock's last post,echo's almost 100% of what i posted in a thread re. outstanding talent (or something similar) a while ago. ''Some people'' are gifted with a ''something else''. An ability to almost intuitively 'see / accomplish things ' that it takes 'standard folks' a long time & a lot of effort to work out. What it is exactly,we don't yet know,any more that we 'know' how some folk can accomplish complex mental math problems to an incredible degree.

As i say,we don't know 'how' they accomplish what they do,indeed,i doubt whether they themselves can explain how it is that they can do things so easily. I doubt if they ever stop to think about it - they simply do it,
Ivan

[Eric Platt]

If a pick could make me play like a musical idol, would immediately grab a ton of Gibson heavy picks. It's what Heikki Lahti, the Finnish mandolin master used. Unfortunately, regular heavy picks just don't seem to work on my mandolins. Love them on guitar. Too muted sounding on my mandolins.

[Martin Hense]

He seems to have switched (for the time being) to something other than Bluechip / Wegen. You can see it in this video at 1:39:25 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FWCH_h8SEuo&t=3690s anyone recognize the pick?

There will be a D´Addario Chris Thile Pick
Not on the D´Addario Homepage now, but found on this two US Dealers sites

No idea when it will be available in europe... (but hopefully soon)

https://www.zzounds.com/item--DADCACT

https://www.americanmusical.com/Item...-2CA701CT-LIST

[Drew Streip]

There will be a D´Addario Chris Thile Pick
Not on the D´Addario Homepage now, but found on this two US Dealers sites

No idea when it will be available in europe... (but hopefully soon)

https://www.zzounds.com/item--DADCACT

https://www.americanmusical.com/Item...-2CA701CT-LIST

My lovely wife pre-ordered one from one of those sites for my birthday. I'll be happy to report back on how much I like it and how I improved 200% overnight.

[DHopkins]

You know what? If I played like Chris Thile (or if there was any hope of ever playing like Chris Thile), I might be concerned. The more I think about it, though, the more I want to make sure the pick I use suits me.

[Joe Dodson]

Twenty five bucks. I'm afraid the best I can afford just now is to sound like Steve Earle. Either that or search through the couch cushions for my Blue Chip.

[Bill McCall]

Blue Chip still has the CT 55. All is not lost

[Br1ck]

Dang he shows a lot of pick

Someone should set him straight on that don't you think?

[dhergert]

Hmmm, I can send Chris a couple of my Fender Heavy picks if he wants them... They're really easy to replace when you get mad and throw them at the sound tech, in my experience anyway.

But if he really wants to sound like me he's going to have to change his tuning.

[MontanaMatt]

Hmmm, I can send Chris a couple of my Fender Heavy picks if he wants them... They're really easy to replace when you get mad and throw them at the sound tech, in my experience anyway.

But if he really wants to sound like me he's going to have to change his tuning.

He can throw those D’Addario picks out, he doesn’t pay for them. Plus his sound technicians probably don’t make mistakes.

[Bob Buckingham]

Sad news, that pick or any other won't make you sound like any one but yourself.

[Mark Gunter]

Sad news, that pick or any other won't make you sound like any one but yourself.

The horror.

[Austin Bob]

interesting pick grip...pick looks a little like a Dunlop Utex; Chris must have heard I went back to them too

That the pick I use for guitar, except I use the .88 in a triangle. About a buck each, and a bag of six should last me for 10 years or more, including loosing one every now and then.

But I'm spoiled on the mandolin, once I tried the Bluechip, nothing else seems to work for me. I was also intrigued by Chris' grip and technique using the rounded part of the pick. I must admit, I've never tried that, I'd be much too afraid the pick would fly out of my hands across the floor in the middle of a song.

[dhergert]

... I was also intrigued by Chris' grip and technique using the rounded part of the pick. ...

I have a dear friend and mandolin mentor who picks with the round part of the pick too. I've tried it at his recommendation, for me I just can't get enough bite on the string with the round part of the pick. Once you get used to using a pic one way and have gotten string-to-pick contact edges and angles working for you, it's really hard to change.

More power to you if you can do it!