Tuners and Alaska Picks

Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. We ventured out of our Covid bubble to do some shopping and I stopped by a small local independent music store. All they had was some $7 piece of junk and a SNARK. So I bought a Snark. Previous one lasted 6 years, Meh.

I fingerpick melodies and strum. I know where my fingers are.

I’ve tried flatpicks and metal claws. Neither work well for me. I’ve read about Alaska picks which can be trimmed slightly longer than ones fingernails. The shop did not carry them, nor heard of them.

Any experience out there.

Another Ukulele said:

Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. We ventured out of our Covid bubble to do some shopping and I stopped by a small local independent music store. All they had was some $7 piece of junk and a SNARK. So I bought a Snark. Previous one lasted 6 years, Meh.

I fingerpick melodies and strum. I know where my fingers are.

I’ve tried flatpicks and metal claws. Neither work well for me. I’ve read about Alaska picks which can be trimmed slightly longer than ones fingernails. The shop did not carry them, nor heard of them.

Any experience out there.

Click to expand...

I broke a nail on my index finger and had to clip it back to the quick before it split even more. Of course, it was three days before a performance. I bought a set of Alaska picks on Amazon that contained various sizes. And trimmed the one that fit my finger to a length close to my usual fingernail length.

Took a day to get used to it. But it worked a charm. I pretty much forgot about it as I played.

I haven't tried them on my 3 fingers and thumb. But based upon my experience, you might like them. Way more comfortable than metal or the tradition finger and thumb picks.

I use them for clawhammer banjo and fingerpicking guitar. They're quite good, but they do have a bit of a learning curve. Another one to try is the Fred Kelly fingerpicks, available in derlin or polycarbonate. The derlin is much softer, the polycarbonate louder and brighter. The Fred Kelly tend to be uncomfortable on my large hands, although you can heat shape them somewhat in boiling water. Between them, I use the Alaska most of the time, although be sure to get the right size.

Forgot to say, they're available through online retailers.

I like a poly tune clip on. As far as picks, I only use a thumb pick for guitar and love the fit and tone of blu chip

I’ve tried then but didn’t stick with them. I’m used to flat pickin. You do need to have a little bit of white to your nail as they are meant to tuck under your natural nail tip. Otherwise, they are not stable enough.The developer has a good video on how to wear them and adjust them.

Aaron Keim uses the Alaska piks. I'm going to give them a try sometime
https://youtu.be/AL5uUUhtdp4

I have junk fingernails. Nothing but cracking and breaking. So, I use Alaska Piks when I want a nail picking sound. I've literally tried every brand and style of pick out there. Alaska Piks are the only ones that work more or less like your own fingernail would work. Yes, you can trim them to preferred size. But I use them at the length they come in, but I file down the edge to round it off. That gives the pick a slightly softer attack. The trick is to leave your own nails just long enough to allow the Alaska Pik to slip under them. Once firmly under your own nail, the pick starts to feel more like a false nail than a finger pick. I like that a lot. Unless you have really tiny fingers for a man, consider ordering a pack of the X-large picks. I find them suitable for all my fingers, and I even have to use hot water to initially open up a couple of them even more. I actually use one on my thumb too. I don't use the picks all the time. I probably play with bare fingers eighty percent of the time. And I find shifting to the picks an easy transition. Try them. I think you'll like them.