Herco Thumb/Flatpick
Gerry
The sum of it is, I never really clutched a herco "flat thumbpick" to
my soul for a month and tried to acclimate.
http://www.bigcitystring.com/herco.htm
Have others? Does any of the local crew usually use a thumbpick?
Occasionally? I started with thumbpick as a teen with pop and folk and
stuck with it for a few years, but when I got into blues I ditched it
for flatpick.
The current question:
In a local thread "easy-roll guitar video" there is a pointer to
ezrollguitar.com. George Pittaway sells an instructional DVD there
regarding his right-hand techniques. Pretty interesting stuff. I hope
it's worth the price of the DVD, since I purchased it.
Anyway he mentions the (apparently critical) use of a Herco thumpick.
This gizmo has a flat-pick built into it. I saw one about 5 years ago,
bought a heavy-guage version, fussed with it, then threw it in the big
box-o-picks with the rest.
Is there anybody using these with a vewpoint? My only criticism with
it was that in attempting to do a up-stroke it could slowly work it's
way around my thumb. But maybe my thinking was goofy. After all. with
a bare thumb I never attempt an up-stroke (other than as a lab
experiment). So logically it is either a flat-pick, as gripped, or it
works for down-strokes only in the usual finger-picking approach
Relative to the Pittaway approach, he says in guitartricks.com's archives:
> There are tricks to using fingers 4 lead guitar. 1) reverse roll
> (M,I,Thumb) On TWO NOT THREE strings at a time. index and thumb strike
> the lower string in each "pair" of strings. That's one trick. Using
> that same picking pattern its a short jump to playing insane cascading
> rolls, once you get the TIMING down. I play lead both ways, and can
> speed pick well with a flatpick, but nothing EVEN COMES CLOSE to the
> fingers (with a little bit of fingernail, and a thumbpick. It is
> mathematically IMPOSSIBLE for flatpicking to equal fingerpicking for
> lead guitar. You would eventually want to learn some articulation
> tricks and then its shredfarm for days. I think I can e-mail a short
> video on what its like when you do it right if u want.
An interesting view. I use to do something similar a generation ago
when playing with country bands in the south, but when I stopped
playing the music, I stopped using the technique.
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skrohn
Most performed well with the critical exception of the comping down
stroke that I use. I don't routinely use a thumbpick for that reason.
Gerry
> I have used the herco and many others.
>
> Most performed well with the critical exception of the comping down
> stroke that I use. I don't routinely use a thumbpick for that reason.
Noteworthy exception. On Pittaway's site, under FAQS, when asked when
he never used a flatpick, he says he uses it for "strumming" where a
thumbpick (herco variety or otherwise) just won't cut it.
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Alex
Here's Pittaway on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61snQH-aIuU
Gerry
>>> ezrollguitar.com.
> Here's Pittaway on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61snQH-aIuU
Yeah. That's the one cited int he local thread.
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Derek
strap. Dunno how those compare to the herco.
sheets
Kind of reminds me of Kleinhaut's tone without having to totally
revamp my entire picking hand. I could never get fully comfortable
with the thumbpick though. The herco was the only one that I felt was
remotely close to being able to be a usable tool.
armandom28
that he shaves down a bit, and he has no problem using it like a pick.
You simply put the time in until you are used to it.
Armando
Phil T
Scotty did use the Fred Kelly Slick Pick and Speed Pick. I believe he
filed or sanded them thinner so they were more flexible.
If you want a really nice assortment of top notch thumbpicks to
experiment with, get the Fred Kelly Sampler package. It contains two of
every type of pick he makes except the Bumblebee pick.
Paul Yandell (Chet Atkins sideman) apparently used Herco blue thumbpicks
that he would have to sand and modify to get them right.
Johnny Winter - another blistering master of the guitar - uses a
thumbpick for everything : strumming, and up and down strokes.
Phil T
Gerry
> I've used the hercos before. I like the solid tone you get with them.
> Kind of reminds me of Kleinhaut's tone without having to totally
> revamp my entire picking hand. I could never get fully comfortable
> with the thumbpick though.
Me neither. I played all day long with one yesterday, as a thumbpick.
It felt, as before, uncomfortable and awkward. This for about 15
minutes. Then I completely forgot about it, I'm suprised to say.
About 75% of my day-to-day picking is with fingers, so I was surprised
to find it working so well.
> The herco was the only one that I felt was remotely close to being able
> to be a usable tool.
I've got very used to these lovely tortoise shell flat picks that I
use. The flat pick utility of the Herco seems fine, but it too will
take some getting use to. The density of the tortoise is nice.
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Gerry
> If you want a really nice assortment of top notch thumbpicks to
> experiment with, get the Fred Kelly Sampler package. It contains two of
> every type of pick he makes except the Bumblebee pick.
I'll check them out.
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armandom28
> Johnny Winter - another blistering master of the guitar - uses a
> thumbpick for everything : strumming, and up and down strokes.
Hell yeah! I forgot about Johnny Winter........a great thumbpicker.
IMO, the Fred kelly picks are thw worst I've ever tried. The Dunlops
for some reason feel right....and sound good sanded back.