Steel Strings: Use a Pick or Use Fingers

Jerryc41

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Yesterday I got my Vorson FSUK-1 electric ukulele. It sounds great with the Fender 10G amp. This has steel strings, and strumming with my index finger has a different feel. I imagine that it would act like an automatic nail file after a lot of playing. I tried strumming with a pick, but the pick makes noise as it hits the strings, and it's something new for me.

So, what do those of you who have steel strings use to strum?

I'll post pictures later.
 
I usually use a pick if I'm primarily strumming. You might try a different pick if you don't like how yours feels or sounds. Or turn up the amp so it overwhelms the acoustic pick noise. If finger picking then I'll occasionally strum with thumb or finger nail, or I'll pluck a chord rather than strumming it
 
Either technique is useful depending on the sound you want.

Mark Knopfler used his fingers mostly.
Eric Clapton used a pick.

Learning to play with a pick can be useful and I suggest you buy yourself some Dunlop Nylon picks. 0.73 gauge I think. These are the easiest and quietest picks to use to start with anyway.
 
Either technique is useful depending on the sound you want.

Mark Knopfler used his fingers mostly.
Eric Clapton used a pick.

Learning to play with a pick can be useful and I suggest you buy yourself some Dunlop Nylon picks. 0.73 gauge I think. These are the easiest and quietest picks to use to start with anyway.

Thanks. I've received lots of plastic picks with other orders. I'll look at the Dunlop.

EDIT: Wow! A whole new world has opened up to me - the World of Picks. Too many choices. :)

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=Dunlop+Nylon+picks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
 
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Charmed Life Picks are great. I used the gray Dunlop .073 and like them okay. The Brown CK73 is the one I'm using now for flatpicking and general playing. I play an 1893 Bay State Parlor and Thomas Contra baritone thru a Phil Jones Double 4 amp.. The Charmed Life Picks use a material developed by the owner and glides across the strings with out the usual clicking sound from a plastic pick.

Yep, a whole world out there when it comes to picks and capos; I have a drawer full of them. The Charmed Life Pick is expensive but well worth the money.
 
Charmed Life Picks are great. I used the gray Dunlop .073 and like them okay. The Brown CK73 is the one I'm using now for flatpicking and general playing. I play an 1893 Bay State Parlor and Thomas Contra baritone thru a Phil Jones Double 4 amp.. The Charmed Life Picks use a material developed by the owner and glides across the strings with out the usual clicking sound from a plastic pick.

Yep, a whole world out there when it comes to picks and capos; I have a drawer full of them. The Charmed Life Pick is expensive but well worth the money.

"Brown CK73" - Google doesn't always work. :D

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bro...9i57j69i60l2.502j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
 
I sometimes use leather picks from an outfit called SkinTone picks https://shopskintones.com/

I use them for bass guitar and guitar. I haven't tried them with ukulele, though. You're right, there are an overwhelming variety of picks out there. These leather picks don't make any clickety clack noise at all, at least when I use them.
 
I don't think the pick noise is coming through the amp, but I can hear it, and it's distracting.
Yeah. The pick noise doesn't get captured by a magnetic pickup and doesn't get amplified. If you can hear the unamplified pick noise then the amplified volume isn't high enough ;)

Maybe a felt pick would be better.
Personally, I can't stand the feel of felt picks and threw them out before even giving them a real chance acoustically. Picks are like strings though: there are lots of choices, everybody has a different opinion, and everybody's opinion is right. You can pick up a ton of picks pretty cheaply and try them out to see what works for you.

I mostly gravitate to Dava picks, but for some songs and some instruments I prefer heavier (coins are classics!).

I know people who swear by Blue Chip Picks, but I avoid anything too expensive because I'll lose 'em. This came out of one laundry load:
IMG_0337.jpg

i bought a couple of picks, but normally use cut up (credit type) cards of various thicknesses & shapes.
I haven't found a card stock I actually like, but this is one of the silliest, best, and most useless music gadgets I have!
yhst-56194736215675_2260_9386657.jpg



 
I have no steel string ukuleles.

On my steel string acoustic guitar I usually play arpeggios without a pick. Or alternate between picking single bass notes and strumming the rest of the strings.
No problem there.

But when I play a song with just strumming, and I tend to strum a bit louder and intensely, I can feel it wearing on my nails and I believe that I should use a pick for that. I have an assortment to choose from, but I am not used to using one.
 
There is no right or wrong way there is only what works for you and a specific song.

Try using a series of different thickness of picks

As a starter, use thin pick for strumming, and a thick pick for riffs and instrumentals.

A slight difference in thickness can make a big difference as can the material the pick is made from.

Experiment.
 
I like to fingerpick my steel string baritone, but the steel strings can be tough on my fingernails. I will sometimes use Fred Kelly fingerpicks with a Dunlop thumb pick.
 
Jerry,
Try Wedgie picks. They are made of a type of elastomer and feel a bit like rubber. They do not make any clicking sound at all, and are easy to grip too. Available in three different degrees of stiffness (i.e. soft, medium, and hard, indicated by their color: light, medium, or dark gray). Start with the medium, see what you think, then collect the whole set! :) Can be found on Amazon, and frequently at local music stores.
Jan D.
 
Jerry,
Try Wedgie picks. They are made of a type of elastomer and feel a bit like rubber. They do not make any clicking sound at all, and are easy to grip too. Available in three different degrees of stiffness (i.e. soft, medium, and hard, indicated by their color: light, medium, or dark gray). Start with the medium, see what you think, then collect the whole set! :) Can be found on Amazon, and frequently at local music stores.
Jan D.

I posted a reply to this, but it doesn't seem to be here.

Thanks for that recommendation. I ordered a pack of a dozen medium.
 
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