conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

mandodoxy: your plectrum matters

One of the things I do to try to keep myself sane is to continue figuring out the mandolin. To that end, I have been taking (and enjoying) lessons. It's been quite revealing. One of the things that I have changed since I started taking lessons is the type of pick I use. The changes I am being compelled to make are quite basic. To me the most basic change has been in the thickness of the plectrum.

Perhaps you think this strange. Trivial? Alas, thou art mistook!

So, one of the things that I have been working on is getting the right tone out of my instrument. My Mid-Misouri mandolin is a sweet little bugger. I like it. But I have been frustrated that it sounds, I don't know, "jangly." You know, tinny.

The Mandoguru took my pick and bent it in his hand and said something like "How do expect to get anything good from something this flimsy?" Can anything good come out of planet waves?! Oh. Um. I dunno. I chose it because it was thicker than the average guitar pick and it's orange. I try to hold up the protestant end in my Irish-ish band. Impolitic? Yes. But there you have me in a nutshell. Plus, orange is just pretty. I know. I'm a dork. I just like orange.

Anyway, so I went to get new picks...something stiff that does not require my clutching and whitenuckle attempts to get the thing to be rigid enough to give me the tone I want. I now have these great little picks that don't bend in the slightest. The tone is much improved. Sadly, the only color I could find was...Wait for it...You know the answer...green. Yep, green picks. This is absurd! Someone out there help me! I need orange picks .84mm thick. The Catholics are everywhere!

Mandodoxy is a difficult road, brothers and sisters.

Next on Mandodoxy: Trying not to strangle the mandolin when playing jigs.

Posted by tripp at September 20, 2006 09:24 AM