Picks for ukes

LarryS

LarryS

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Ive had a few picks for my guitars, I usually favour heavy picks for a richer, less flappy sound (on electric I sometimes used a coin). But what about ukulele? How many of you use a pick and whats your favoured type? Ive noticed felt picks mentioned on some websites. Felt? That would be really soft and thick!
 
I am quite new to uke playing - I was given a Kala Concert neck size for Xmas and I have recently bought a Goldtone Ukulele-Banjo in Tenor size. I found plastic picks much too stiff for strumming so I bought some leather picks in various thicknesses and I find my strumming much more even with one of those than with my fingers. That may well be because I am a beginner, but that is my experience so far.
 
Leather picks are another option. Not as muted as felt, and less plastic clicking then from a traditional guitar pick.
–Lori
 
:2cents:I started using alskan finger picks on my steel string (risa lp) a couple months back. I like because the steel strings kept chipping nail, now I use them with my martin tk1. Problem with them are at times I have to rejust. I only use them on my pointer and middle finger.
 
I like these picks best... 22268372_550-the-doctors-brush-picks-dental-toothpicks-.jpg Oh wait wrong forum! :D

Back when I noodled with guitar and bass I became fond of jazz picks of various thicknesses. 110060000445159-00-500x500.jpg

I believe the purple and green were the ones used most but I remember having a few that were really thick for bass perhaps not in the tortex line. Oh the jazz 2 or jazz 3's most likely or the stubbys 2.0-3.0's. Got a bunch in the bass case if I dig her out. I liked the jazz picks a bit better they are smaller and for me much easier to control.

I only use fingers on my nylon stringed ukuleles for now but might start getting back to some picks as I plan on playing scales and getting back into doing lead work with a couple electric ukuleles. Steel stringed KonaBlaster for certain if I ever play the thing.

~AL~
 
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Ill have to try different ones, see which I like. Might even try cardboard. Anything goes
 
I experimented with a toilet roll tube. Cut the end off at an angle leaving a continuous loop of double layer cardboard, then hold it so that a pick shaped piece is sticking out. Less harsh than a guitar pick.
 

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Inksplosive AL said:
This is a friendly bunch so no harm no foul.
~peace~
Click to expand...

Aye.

LarryS said:
I experimented with a toilet roll tube. Cut the end off at an angle leaving a continuous loop of double layer cardboard, then hold it so that a pick shaped piece is sticking out. Less harsh than a guitar pick.
Click to expand...

Looks legit.

But (pardon the pun) I wonder if using the TP-roll cardboard makes the picking sound like, well, to put it kindly: 'crap'...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.....I'll show myself out.....
 
I didn't post on that other pick thread, but I might as well here. After playing guitar for almost 50 years and always used a pick, since playing the uke over three years ago, I never use a pick. And now that I'm also playing bass uke, never on that either.
 
The leader of our uke jam is a handyman by day, and he often dings a finger or thumb. When he's wounded, he cuts a pick out of thin cardboard and wraps it with duct tape. Just sayin.'
 
I only use a pick for melody playing and my preference is a leather pick.

However, I've cut picks out of expired credit cards and they worked fine.
 
Tootler said:
I only use a pick for melody playing and my preference is a leather pick.

However, I've cut picks out of expired credit cards and they worked fine.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've done that too. One can even buy a little cutter (looks like a small stapler) that cuts them out. :eek:ld:
 
Not a fan of using picks on my uke, I think I mostly worry about the gouges someone has already mentioned, but I have a 0.46mm nylon pick that sounds terrible on my guitar, works a treat on the uke and is thin and flexible enough I doubt I could take a chunk out of the wood. And you can get thinner again.

On the plus side, picks are cheap, you can try a whole bunch for only a few dollars.
 
Unlike slide whistles, Kazoos or even decent ukulele strings picks are still carried by every music store out there. It isn't uncommon at all for musicians to buy handfuls or various sized picks and as stated above they are relatively inexpensive.

Hell there is even one of these in my guitar case from way back. http://www.styluspick.com/ If anyone is worried about carving the body of their ukulele while picking perhaps this is a good tool for us as well to learn proper pick control. Of course Ive seen many ukuleles carved by fingers strumming as well.

~AL~
 
I played rock and blues guitar for many years, using my fingers;
I only ever used a pick for slide playing, which I got into quite
late in my guitar days. I would never use one on a ukulele, I
think you have much more control over volume and 'attack'
that way. Whatever works for you is good, just my personal
choice!
 
Not to hijack the thread, but I have an interesting story about picks and ukuleles.

I had a friend who asked to borrow a ukulele so he could try-before-buying. So I loaned him my Samick concert. It's what I started with, and it's a comfortable instrument. He enjoyed playing, and he wanted to play one during a church service. It was going to be a bit before he could purchase one of his own, so I loaned him my Ovation Applause tenor. It has pickups, so it's easy to use with a PA. When I got there, he was warming up, using a medium gauge pick. I told him I wasn't comfortable with that, but he ignored me and used the pick for the song.

Now, I'm not saying picks are evil or anything like that. It's your choice how you play your own instrument. But if you're going to loan them out, be explicit about how you want others to play your instrument.
 
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