Of all my whiney personal trials, I think having broken a couple of fingers, then developing chronic tendonitis and arthritis in my hands to be amongst my most well-attended pity-parties. I am a bluegrass musician, and when my hands can’t kick in an’ pick like the mill tails of Hades, I am just not livin’ a full and thrilling existence. (I know – ‘real drama’ right?)
One thing I had to forgo a long time ago was holding a flat pick. For a while, real thick picks like the great Blue Chip would do the trick if I used fiddle rosin or Big Sexy Hair Powder Play to add some grip-factor on my fingers. The hair stuff was my favorite. It would grip a pick and got even stickier as my hands started to sweat a bit. My pickin’ buddies did call me ‘Big Sexy’ for a while, but I have had worse nicknames.
Eventually I gave up flat-picking altogether and started fingerpicking everything. To flat pick you have to grip like you are trying to smush bugs at a picnic with a toothpick. To fingerpick, you make a gentle, non-grip, motions like you are tickling a kitten’s belly. Much easier on crampy hands.
Then the day came when my wife bought some glass jewelry from Oofda Stained Glass. The jewelry came with a heart-shaped glass worry stone. It is smooth on one side, a little rougher of the other, with beautifully smooth edges, really thick, and it is quite heavy. It felt great in my hand, so I tried it out as a pick… Yup! I am back holding a flat pick again. Hello old friend!
A nice lady at Oofda sent me a heap of worry stones in various thicknesses for me to try out, in the meantime she is working up a passel of pick-shaped picks. Now I just need to find where I put my ‘Big Sexy.’
BTW – take a trip over to the Oofda Stained Glass’ Facebook page, and tell ‘em Big Sexy sent ya, and you wanna do some pickin’ with glass. They will set you up right nice.
>>> Link to Oofda Stained Glass facebook page <<<
Here is a quick demo of the Oofda Worry Stone Pick, on a nylon string folk guitar as I take a turn through the ol’ Wildwood Flower.
Try this cool stuff so ya’ll can get a grip on that flat pick! If you try the hair stuff, just dab a bit of powder on your pick-holdin’ thumb and index finger. To use rosin, you should just take your jack-knife or sandpaper and scuff up a bit of rosin powder and apply it the same way. Re-apply as needed. The hair stuff washes off pretty good, the rosin is on your fingers for the long haul.
FREE stuff!
I would like to invite you to subscribe to my blog. That way you won’t miss any of my acoustic and traditional music ramblings. When you subscribe to the NekkidMusic.com blog, you get a FREE get started e-guide to learn the 5-string banjo! You will learn the basic blocking and tackling to get you started playing chords, rolls, and fun old tunes on the instrument that launched the ship that Earl sailed upon. (I hear angels singing.) Please subscribe!
Take a leisurely look at my general store where I keep some links to important things that you can buy to help your pickin’. >>> Link to NekkidMusic.com general store <<<
Thanks for stoppin’ by today! Ya’ll come back and we’ll do some pickin’.
TH