Plectrums...........

bodhran

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As a complete novice to any instrument with strings I am having a huge problem strumming with my fingers. This is I guess in part due to inexperience and in part to the stroke I had a few years ago that left me with less control of the fingers in my right hand and less feeling. I just cannot get my brain to get my right hand fingers to move quickly enough.

The upshot is I have started to play using a plectrum which I find much easier.

So far i have been making plectrums out of thin plasticard and have found that a plectrum with a very thin tip (In terms of width and thickness) produces a much better sound.
 
As a complete novice to any instrument with strings I am having a huge problem strumming with my fingers. This is I guess in part due to inexperience and in part to the stroke I had a few years ago that left me with less control of the fingers in my right hand and less feeling. I just cannot get my brain to get my right hand fingers to move quickly enough.

The upshot is I have started to play using a plectrum which I find much easier.

So far i have been making plectrums out of thin plasticard and have found that a plectrum with a very thin tip (In terms of width and thickness) produces a much better sound.

I'm glad that you're finding a way to make the ukulele work for you!
 
There are plectrums/picks especially for ukulele made of felt, but I have no experience with them. As a former guitar player, I can tell you that the thickness and material of your pics can really make a tonal difference, so have fun experimenting. :)
 
How interesting!

When I was playing guitar, I started using my fingers alone, because I couldn't hold onto the plectrum (or "pick" as we usually call it over here) and kept dropping it.

I've found it easier when I strum the ukulele to just use the index finger - no real "control", just an exposed piece of my hand, that works. And, since I can feel when I'm striking the strings (which I realize can be an issue after having a stroke), I can tell how hard I'm striking the strings - another problem I had with a pick.


As far as dropping the pick, a wonderful guitarist named Max Cohen showed me an interesting device he'd gotten from Musician's Friend - it is a pick attached to a small lanyard - you slip your finger through the lanyard, and grasp the pick as usual. When you want to switch to finger picking, you simply let go of the pick, and either just let it drop into the palm of your hand, or swing it around to the back of the4 hand, out of the way - but you don't drop it, and it is easy to grab it again. I've seen plenty of players who can do this with an un-anchored pick, but I'm not one of them.

Anyway, Bodhran - thanks for the insight- anything that lets you play is a Good Thing!
 
Thanks for the comments. I tried using just my index finger but had problems in that I could not 'feel' what was going on and also in controlling and adjusting the exact position of my finger.

I tried a shop bought plectrum but had problems grasping it but found that by making my own with a larger 'body' for me to grasp the problems went away.
 
plectra

I'm glad you are adapting the instrument to you.

You may wish to look in to V Picks (v-picks.com 615/927-5989), a family owned business of extremely nice people that produces a variety of sizes and colors that are made of some kind of material that doesn't fall out of your hand. I love them

They make one called the Bing Lite and Ultra Light (denoting flexibility) for mountain dulcimer players that sounds really good on a uke.

I could never get accustomed to the "clunky" felt ones.

Oh, you may want to put on or have a luthier put on a set of clear flamenco like scratch plates so that your uke doesn't undergo trauma from the pick.

Good luck and happy strumming.
 
I cut some out of old credit cards. Suitably thin, they worked quite well but I found that I managed better with my fingers.
 
Having experienced plectrum playing through my wife (who used them the first five months or so of playing), we found the tone of the Wedgie pics to be the closest to a finger. They are thick rubber and easy to hang on to as well. Might be worth giving them a shot, and good on ya for making the uke work your way!
 
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! PICKS AND UKULELES DO NOT GO TOGETHER! SACRILEGE, I SAY, SACRILEGE!

Just kidding. :D

Way to go, my friend!
 
I like Wedgies... the pick, not the....
 
Never used a pick in 48 years of guitar playing and
never use one (nor ever will) on ukulele! But as usual
if it works for YOU,then that's all that matters!
 
the wedgies can leave rubber dust all over your uke, looks like eraser shavings.
I tried them once long ago on a guitar and it was a real mess.
Not nearly as bad on nylon strings though.
 
I'm having trouble using my fingers, but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.....

I've just made a load of my own.... I bought a couple of sheets of sticky-back felt from a craft shop and made a load of my own felt ones..... I have made a load with various materials between the felt, ranging from paper to credit card plastic, to find which one sounds better...... The one that I think sounds the best is a really thin plastic that I cut out the side of a milk bottle, with felt either side of it.....

Of course, I still practise with my fingers, I'm just struggling to get an even tone at the moment, especially on the up-stroke.... Something I suppose just takes alot of practise.....
 
I like the Wedgie rubber picks as well. They come in a variety of thicknesses and stiffnesses. I hadn't noticed any "eraser dust" when playing, but that may be more attributable to my lack of awareness than any lack of dust.

Many like the leather plectrums as well, and you might want to try those.
 
Many thanks for the comments folks. I think I will give wedgies a try.
 
I'm having trouble using my fingers, but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.....

.... Something I suppose just takes alot of practise.....

Yep - just keep at it. It will get easier with time.
 
'Made' my best plectrum yet: just a simple rectangle of hard(ish) leather about 3/4 inch by 1 1/4 inch. Very easy for me to grasp and produces a lovely mellow sound.
 
I tried the rubber wedgies but they gripped the strings and it felt weird, made it hard to control. But that same grip made them easy to hold on to, so I used them as a base and riveted pieces of felt (very thick carpet felt, the kind you find in hardware stores used as padding under carpet) and leather in a loop around the bottom.

The felt works pretty well, but the volume is very soft (the felt is pretty soft to start with). The tone is also extremely mellow, not plucky at all. It starts sounding more like an electric jazz guitar then a ukulele.

The leather worked better, but softens up over use which makes it inconsistent since they need to be broken in...and then have a limited practical life.

I tried the felt picks I could find premade, but they all seem to be extremely stiff felt and still too "pick like" rather then "finger tip like". However, I've taken to cutting a slice down the tip (flat, length-wise) with a razor. Tricky and hazard to do, but it softens them up perfectly for me and holds that state longer then other things I've tried.

None of these work for picking...only strumming. I've yet to find something I like for both at once.

--

I use my finger tip when I can...but my nail gets torn up easily (even with reinforcement), so I need to use something while I let it recover.
 
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