Forum Activity for @folkfan

I've cut some picks from the lids from cans of prunes we buy at Walmart.  They are in a purple plastic with no printing on them.  I also cut one from each of the lids. They are lopsided leaving a large top strip to grip with the pick cut below and to one side.  Sort of a purple pick on a grip stick.   Fewer picks fly out of my hands and I don't have to hold on to the pick as tightly between my thumb and index finger.  It gives the arthritic joint at the base of my thumb a rest.

My husband's banjo picks might be worth a try.  It would be an adjustment as I've been using the nails of my fingers (I, M, R).  Quick Dumb Question, Ken, how does Liquid Skin do if you apply it repeatedly?  It would be if I continued using those finger nails.

Below posted elsewhere but maybe better as a post here:     

     Having just gotten my new for me dulcimer and not caring for the tone from my go to picks, led me to a very interesting creative way of taking care of the problem. I came up with a  '2-Tone Pick',  once I got started making them, I ended up with several:         Taking just the picks I have collected but don't use for one reason or another, I added leather to one side of the pick.  I also had some felt uke picks & ones made from plastic cards or butter tops, which I glued leather to the other side.

    I found some scrap leather at Hobby Lobby (thanks ken for the idea of scrap leather) , several different types & had a coupon so the whole bag only cost about $3-$4. 

  I haven't seen any other 2- sided leather picks so I wonder why non of the pick companies have come up with something like this. Does anyone know or do you know if there is a pick like this?

    I would say, the leather does mellow/damper the sound some so if you like a very bright/loud sound a leather pick may not be for you, but then you have the other side of the pick and can have bright on one side & mellow on the other. 

Always an adventure, always glad when we are on it together.

Dusty has a great idea;  I'e used the Herco brand Thumb-Flat pick for years.   If you like the softer sound of a bare thumb, try painting your thumb with "Liquid-Skin" or something similar.  Even a bit of Superglue will protect the skin -- just keep your fingers apart until it dries

Jan, Have you ever trued making a pick out of an unplayable vinyl record with your pick punch? 

Thanks, Charles...it was the sound of you playing yours (and showing the website) that decided me to get one! Can't wait to get it!

Steven

Lois, I assume the pick you are talking about is a flatpick, right?  Have you tried a thumbpick?  Since it fits on your thumb you don't have to hold it very tightly and maybe it wouldn't bother your arthritis as much. Just a thought.

I am thinking of something like this or this .

A pick tends to create arthritic pain, so I've been using my hand for strumming.  I try to use just my fingernails, but often get the skin on my first knuckles.  Is there something to protect my skin besides improving my aim?

always thought that to remember something there are many channels in the brain you just have to find the right channel to retrieve the information you are looking for.

Steven, Congrats on your Berg! I'm playing mine right now, great sound!

No doubt, I got an Echo Dot for christmas, still haven't set it up because I'm waiting for the 15 year old to show me how, well, be honest, to do it for me!!

So I picked up the Lazenby, It has the wooden friction pegs, which I am actually quite fond, a few minor dings and will need some serious TLC, will do before and after pics. Mostly minor issues with the finish ad a few scratches. Only has the lower f-holes, but otherwise sound. Just been neglected a long time, corroded strings etc.

 I love fixing them up! Makes it more personal.

Sometimes I use plastic collar stays.

Thanks, Marg!

I love the V-Picks Bing Lite picks for all types of playing. But my new favorite are picks made from Coconut shell. They're made by Steve Clayton (and maybe others). They are very loud, so if you're trying to play with no one else hearing you, these are the wrong picks to use. They also have some of the inside husk on the back so you have a grip. They are all natural, very durable and sound amazing. But they are a bit expensive compared to say a nylon pick. Though the Bing picks are expensive too.

Steve Clayton Coconut Shell Pick

My 10yod has recorded me on my camera.  That's about all I can muster!  LOL!

steven,

Yes, that is what I have & yes I like it. 

Have fun with yours, and let us know how you do with it.

I'd probably drink a little bit, pour a little into the recipe, drink a little more, pour a little more...  SOUNDS DELICIOUS!!!!

I just purchased a Berg 5-string elliptical (all sycamore) last Sunday...I'm eagerly awaiting delivery! I'm glad you like yours! 

Steven

("free standing bridge" similar to that of a banjo??) (probably not a good idea)

Yes.

I don't use a wrist rest but someone from my group was asking and after I looked & thought about it couldn't see a way.  Therefore the question, just in case anyone knew of anything.

thanks, I didn't think so either

Do you mean the kind of dulcimer which does not have a full length fretboard, but does have a "free standing bridge" similar to that of a banjo??  If that is the case I don't see how you could put on a wrist rest.

Way cool.  Thanks for that, Strumelia!

Thanks for sharing that video, Strumelia. We have known for decades that studying music (especially the piano) leads to greater abilities at abstract reasoning.  After all, when you play music you draw connections between the distance between two notes in tone, on a fretboard or keyboard, and in notation. Not a simple proposition.  And music is not static, so those connections are constantly changing. To be able to understand that is quite a remarkable thing.  Even playing a simple tune like Rhody or Cabbage involves a whole range of different types of cognitive functioning.

It's too bad music has been removed from so many school districts' curricula.  We are obsessively concerned with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math), but if we just mandated music as part of the curriculum, students would excel in those areas.

I've been passing on links to the video and the Huffington Post article. Thanks for sharing.

Our whole brain thanks us for playing, nice info.

thanks

With a floating bridge & no fret board anywhere near it, where or how could you put a wrist rest for the dulcimer

 tony,

Funny & you are right. I am always dropping my picks & hunting for them. Lucky you not to loose yours.

;-)

     A very bad photo of the 2-Tone Picks - sorry,  some are on the leather side & some are on the reg. pick side. You can see once I got started I did several.

     Ken, I did have some felt uke picks & I ended up putting leather on one side of them also. Taking just the picks I have collected but don't use for one reason or another and adding leather to one side. 

    I ended up finding some scrap leather in a bag at Hobby Lobby, several different types & had a coupon so the whole bag only cost about $3-$4. I was curious if the different leathers would also make a difference & I think they do depending on if they were thin or thicker, rough or smooth. 

I haven't seen any other 2- sided picks so wonder why non of the pick companies have come up with something like this. Anyway, having just gotten my new for me dulcimer and not liking the tone, led me to a very interesting creative way of taking care of the problem. It is interesting where changing the strings up or down a bit doesn't make much difference & yes I could change the tunings but wanted it in DAd for a performance coming up - trying different picks make a big noticeable difference. I would say, the leather does mellow out the sound so if you like a very bright sound a leather pick may not be for you, but then you have the other side also and can have bright on one side & mellow on the other. 

Always an adventure, always glad when we are on it together.

thanks

 2tonepick.jpg - 265KB

This is so cool...

and more info in this article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/playing-music-brain-benefits-aging_us_58765d35e4b03c8a02d4713b?3ixvn1tn85lfk1emi

An artists paint brush makes a fun pick. Hold it down near the bristles like a pencil and play up high on the fretboard away from the strum hollow. It's fun to experiment with if your looking for a softer sound.

 image.jpeg - 138KB

A felt ukulele pick from an acoustic music store will also give you a softer sound -- harder than bare thumb strum, softer than a plastic pick

Find a leather crafting shop that has heavy "belt" leather nearly a quarter inch thick, they may have scraps they might give you.  

Another good soft pick that you can find at music stores are the hard-ish felt picks used by some ukulele players;  I've had one for years.

WOW, what a difference a leather pick makes with toning down the plucky tone

Interesting a 2 tone pick:  I took a pick I didn't like and glued a thin piece of a leather belt on one side, cutting to fit. Love the sound but on some of the picks I made, they sound better on the other side than the leather side. 

Has anyone ever thought of a 2 tone pick, bright on one side & mellow on the other side?

(What's a leader?)

Sorry leather 

I took a pick I didn't like and glued a thin piece of a leather belt on one side, cutting to fit. Love the sound but on some of the picks I made, they sound better on the other side than the leather side. Interesting a 2 tone pick.

What's a leader?

leather picks:

can we buy these somewhere or do we make them & what would be a good leather to use?

ken-h

You posted this elsewhere but could go here also:

" "sounds bad" because you aren't accustomed to hearing the new sound.  "

There's this too... https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/09/am-i-too-old.html   

What an inspiring article.  I copied it to share with my dulcimer group. Thank you, Dulcinina

 I bet she has long telomeres! 

If you don't understand my comment, read  The Telomere Effect by Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn. In it she writes how uni-tasking helps us to live disease free in our senior years. Playing an instrument is uni-tasking, at least it is to me.