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Finding the perfect pick is sometimes like finding the perfect guitar - you
have to try a lot of them until you find the right one! For many, the ultimate
material for picks is real tortoise shell, but this material is unavailable
because it comes from an endangered species. You'll see many modern picks
compared to tortoise shell.
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There is an enormous variety of materials used for picks,
and there are new ones coming out all the time. All are composed
of man-made materials of some type or another. |
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Many Bluegrassers like Clayton
Golds, Dunlop
Ultex, and Dunlop
TortexOther picks that have generated
interest recently are from Wegen and Tortis. The standard cellulose pick like those made
by Fender are
also a popular choice.
A new entry into the pick market is the Blue Chip pick This pick is remarkably like real tortoise shell in the sound it produces, but is man- made and not as brittle. Although expensive by comparison, this pick is truly remarkable in terms of sound and wear-resistent. |
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The most common pick shape is the standard teardrop shape.
Some players prefer the larger triangle shape (tri-tip). |
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Bluegrassers tend to use thicker picks than an electric
player. If you use too thin of a pick, you'll start noticing
a clicking sound along with the notes. A pick with a thickness
between .8 mm and 1 mm is a good starting point This would
fall somewhere around the "medium" or 'heavy" category
of some makers. If you want a fatter tone, try a thicker pick.
for a thinner tone, go with a thinner pick. |
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For the ultimate bible on picks, check out .
This delightful little book by Will Hoover is an
illustrated history that has fantastic photos of
picks made throughout the years.
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Today there are a host of affordable electronic tuners available that
make it much easier to tune your guitar. These generally come in
two varieties.
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Basic guitar tuners are calibrated to tune a guitar to standard
tuning only (EADGBE). These are the least expensive types |
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Chromatic tuners enable you to tune each string to whatever
note you want. This is essential if you want to explore alternate
tunings. |
Most tuners can be used in an audible mode (where they listent to
you play the string) or electronically (where you plug in your guitar
if you have a pickup installed). Popular tuner manufacturers include Intellitouch, Korg, Boss, Sabine, Seiko and Fender.
In many situations, you will find
that the audible mode won't work because there are others playing
or tuning around you. One solution to this is to purchase a small
add-on unit that plugs into the tuner on one end and a small pickup
that clips onto your guitar on the other. These clip-on units cut
out ambient noise and only listen to your instrument to tune better.
The Intellitouch tuner
combines this concept into one design. |
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Capos are an essential tool for the Bluegrass guitarist. A
capo lets you play a song in an unfamiliar key. It is especially useful
in Bluegrass where the sound of open strings and chords are preferred.
Using a capo is fairly straightforward, as illustrated in the following
table. For example, to play in the key of C#, you could put the capo
on the first fret and play as though you were in the key of C. To
play in the key of Bb, put the capo on the third fret and play as
though you were in the key of G. Please notice that there are multiple
options for any key.
| Open |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
A |
B |
| 1st Fret |
C# or Db |
D# or Eb |
F |
F# or Gb |
G# or Ab |
A# or Bb |
C |
| 2nd Fret |
D |
E |
F# or Gb |
G |
A |
B |
C# or Db |
| 3rd Fret |
D# orEb |
F |
G |
G# or Ab |
A# or Bb |
C |
D |
| 4th Fret |
E |
F# or Gb |
G# or Ab |
A |
B |
C# or Db |
D# or Eb |
| 5th Fret |
F |
G |
A |
A# or Bb |
C |
D |
E |
There are a bunch of different designs for capos, and some are definitely
better than others. The best designs are those that let you adjust
the force exerted on the neck. You only want enough force applied
so that the open notes on each string sound clean. Too little force,
and the strings buzz. Too much force can also cause distortion -
or worse, dent your guitar's neck.
One of the most popular enduring designs is the "U-shape" capo.
Examples are the Elliott and Paige capos.
Another design that has stood the test of time is the Shubb capo,
which attaches from the side of the neck. The Victor and
the G7th capos are also designs where the capo is attached from
the side.
If you want to learn more about capos, check out the Sterner
Capo Museum. It offers photos, and historical notes and much
more. |
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Metronomes are an essential practice tool. While it takes a
little effort to learn to play with one, the results will be worth
it. A major key to successful playing is having rock-solid timing,
and the best way to learn that is by using a metronome when you're
practicing.
Modern metronomes are electronic. Look for models with a flashing
light and which can be run with and without an audible sound. The lights may be LEDs (light emitting diode) or LCD (liguid crystal display). LCD displays are much easier to see outdoors than those with LEDs, but LEDs are better indoors or in darker environments.
Popular metronome makers include Wittner, Korg, Boss, Seiko and Sabine |
Using Metronomes
Metronomes are generally set to click once for every beat in a measure. So, if you have a tune in 4/4 time, there would be four beats per measure. Each quarter note lasts for one beat; a half-note for two beats; and a whole note for four beats. It also means that there are two eighth notes per beat.
Most fiddle tunes are played between 200-240 beats per minute. That's at the upper limit of what most metronomes can handle, and it's also very hard to hear the metronome that fast. In this case, set the metronome to play at half speed - say 100-120 beats per minute - and then play two quarter notes per click. |
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