034 - 3 Cheap Guitar Pick Experiments You Should Try ASAP

An infusion of #guitargeek vitamins awaits you on this Acoustic Tuesday. Acoustic vitamins to fortify you and your #guitargeek friends.

Acoustic Tuesday presented by http://tonysacousticchallenge.com 

As is customary on Acoustic Tuesday these vitamins come in the form of 5 guitar items that will be placed on your #guitargeek radar. 

So grab a tall glass of water and make sure to take all of your acoustic infused medication. 

Open wide...

Picks are picks are picks... right? Definitely not! Picks impact the tone of a guitar in a major way. If you are a flatpicker, you can do a quick and easy experiment: Get three different picks, play the same lick, and observe how each pick will add a subtly different tonal characteristic. Some picks are bright and clear while others are on the dark and warm end of the spectrum, the new Acrylux picks by Daddario actually cover both ends of this tonal spectrum. These new Acrylux picks come in two different recipes: the "Reso" version and the "Nitra" version and both have a unique sound to offer. The "Reso" picks offer a subtly more clear and bright sound while the "Nitra" composition is a bit warmer and offers a darker tone. These picks come in three different shapes: Standard, Jazz, and Mandolin, and only one thickness (1.5mm) at the time of writing this. Although these picks are on the thicker end of the spectrum they have a decent amount of flex to them. My experience with these picks is that both versions produce a tone that is on the warmer end of the spectrum, however the "Reso" picks do have a touch more clarity than the "Nitra" ones. I also noticed that both picks seem to be pretty slick and smooth in how they interacted with the strings. These would be a great option for any #guitargeek looking for a warmer/fatter tone. 

https://youtu.be/6FizOj0vbOA - Acrylux Product Video

http://www.accessories.daddario.com/pwProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=4115&productid=1146&productname=Acrylux_Reso_Standard

http://www.accessories.daddario.com/pwProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=4115&productid=1142&productname=Acrylux_Nitra_Standard

https://amzn.to/2EBtE6T - Acrylux Reso

https://amzn.to/2GNt78b - Acrylux Nitra

The material that a pick is made of impacts its tone in a huge way, but it goes beyond that... The material also has an effect on the pick's stiffness. Think of it this way: you can have a 1mm pick made out of delrin or you can have a 1mm pick made out of cattle bone; although both picks are the same thickness their inherent stiffness is very different. That is the very thing I noticed upon trying TUSQ picks by the company Graphtech. These picks were brought to my attention by Acoustic Tuesday viewer Andrew D. and I am very happy that he got me to try them because I was stunned. These picks are incredibly stiff and that correlates into a fast snappy release from the string as well as a very clear tone. Not only did I try different thicknesses of picks I also tried different materials (Graphtech has three different materials which they advertise as the tones: Bright, Warm, and Deep). I was amazed at the variety of tones that were possible and also how comfortable I was with a subtly thinner pick at 1mm as compared to my usual 2mm Ultex pick. The thing that was the most pronounced for me was the stiffness and the resulting clarity that it helped me achieve. For any player looking for more articulation  these are a great starting point. It's always hard for me to put down my Dunlop Ultex 2mm pick, but these are a very enticing option for certain. 

http://www.graphtech.com/

http://www.graphtech.com/products/product-categories/picks

https://youtu.be/Ce_Nx0WIMBU - Product Video

https://amzn.to/2IKG7rF - TUSQ Picks Mixed Gauge Pack

https://amzn.to/2qlSPFG - TUSQ Picks Mixed Size Pack

https://amzn.to/2GNpdfk - TUSQ Picks Biangle Mixed Pack

Hearing a songwriter sing a completely raw and truthful song while performing solo is a magical experience. What makes it magic in my eyes is that it doesn't really happen all too often... (I guess in my eyes it should happen all the time... so I am biased). The artist that I am listening to this week came from a band setting and went ahead releasing a solo album in December of 2017... just himself and a guitar... and yes it is truly magical. Benjamin Tod, who also plays with the Lost Dog Street Band, released his solo album I Will Rise in late 2017. It contains 10 songs that will downright rip your heart out, make you reflect, and proceed to kick your heart down the street a little bit... even through the puddles and the potholes. Benjamin's album is well beyond a treat to listen to and it delivers on the raw and emotional front. One of the reasons I think this album emotes so well is that it's just him, a guitar, and nothing else besides some songs that you know are loaded with personal tales, trials, and tribulations. Benjamin's voice has this quality that I'll refer to as "raw yet refined," you can hear it when he trails off on a line with this unique three note step down that seems a bit Celtic. This album is a must play on one of those days when you wake up only to see the clouds hanging low in the sky contemplating on whether or not they're going to let the rain out. "I Will Rise" is about the purest album I can think of released in the last 6 months. 

https://youtu.be/NACMpkxm-fA - Using Again (Song)

https://youtu.be/st-CkCeqMO0 - I Will Rise (Song)

https://youtu.be/-qwRjPpHFbg - Hungry For You Blues (Song)

https://youtu.be/eR04x5XXAwQ - The Mountain (Cover Song)

https://amzn.to/2HrM2lG - I Will Rise (Album)

https://amzn.to/2Hp0zid - Life's a Dog Gone Shame (LDSB Album)

https://amzn.to/2GMqNxW - Sick Pup (LDSB Album)

https://amzn.to/2EAscSB - Homeward Bound (LDSB Album)

https://amzn.to/2EAVDDK - Rage and Tragedy (LDSB Album)

https://benjamintod.bandcamp.com/

http://www.lostdogstreetband.com/

There are some things that #guitargeeks deal with on a regular basis like broken strings, constant tuning, and misplacing your pick, but nothing is worse than finding a pick that you absolutely love only to have it become slippery in your hand and start spinning while you play. This #guitargeek phenomenon is all too common and thankfully there is a company out there trying to stop the spinning and slipping. Monster grips is a company that makes these small and grippy little discs you can stick right on your favorite pick... and they actually work! I have tried many products that aid in helping your pick stay put, from Gorilla snot, to violin rosin, and even the Cool brand picks with the sandpaper attached to them. I can confidently say that Monster Grips are a cut above the rest and are raising the bar in this category of Acoustic Guitar Accessory. They are easy to use and extremely durable. I put the grips on each side of a Dunlop Ultex pick, played the guitar for more than an hour, followed that up with placing the pick in a cup of coffee, and then washed it off with dish soap. In short, I put these through the ringer, and after cleaning they were just as grippy as when I first put them on. One of the things I had to get used to was the feel of the grippy pads on each side and the added thickness, but after a short adjustment period I found these to be pretty darn effective. They also work really well as a non slip surface on the feet of effects pedals. All in all Monster Grips are pretty outstanding if you are one of those players needing a little extra grip on your pick. 

https://www.monstergrips.com/

https://youtu.be/2LVsOpNMfWA

https://amzn.to/2qn3fVA - Monster Grips on Amazon 

For as much joy as playing with another person can be, it can also produce a ton of anxiety… and I mean the kind of anxiety that can cause any player to lock up.

What can cause the anxiety are the questions that bubble up. Those pesky questions that rattle around our guitar #guitargeek brains like:

What if I don’t know the song and can’t play along?

What if I’m not good enough to play with others?

What if I’m unfamiliar with a certain chord?

What if whomever I am playing with asks me to do a solo?

What if there are no song sheets to follow?

What if…

There are a billion "what if" scenarios, but the reality is that the overarching theme here is fear of the unknown and that is totally valid.

This is something all #guitargeeks go through at one point or another and, quite honestly, it never totally goes away. The good news is that there are some things you can do to keep that fear at bay and open yourself up to the learning opportunities that present themselves while playing with other folks.

Here are some tips to gain confidence in playing with others and some things to learn that will help you on your guitar journey.

1.) Guilt By Association - Surround yourself with guitar geeks that share the same thoughts, enthusiasm, and approach as you. This gives you the peace of mind that the folks you are playing with are there to support and help you along on your guitar journey.

2.) Open Mind - Go into any situation with other players as a bonus opportunity to learn. So many times the practice room feels like the only place to learn a lesson, but the truth is you can learn lessons anywhere and often the ones outside the practice room are the most valuable.

3.) Ask Questions - There is no rule, that I am aware of, that says you can’t ask questions and that you are magically supposed to know everything without ever asking. When playing with others it’s ok to ask questions about what chords are in a song or what key it’s in. Really any question is fair game and usually, those questions lead to major breakthroughs.

4.) Communication - This is key, no pun intended… hehe. Communication lies at the heart of having an awesome experience when playing with friends. One of the most crucial parts of communication is having the musical vocabulary to do so. Understanding what a key is and how chords work within a key will not only help you communicate with fellow guitar players; it will also help you be able to musically function within a jam which will certainly cut down on your anxiety when approaching a playing situation.

So wrap all of those things up with a nice little bow and you have yourself a launching pad into a world of fun that you will enjoy for years to come.

Wait, wait, wait… what if all those sound good except for that whole communication part...???

No worries, I've put together a free workshop on that very topic that starts on Monday, April 23rd.

In this workshop, I am going to discuss the Foundational Five which will help you not only clearly communicate in a jam, but also give you the confidence to start playing with other folks.

It's super easy to attend the workshop, all you have to do is visit fretwiz.com and be sure you are on the waiting list for Fretboard Wizard. That's it. I can't wait to see you there and share in the lightbulb moments that will be happening!

Wow, another round of acoustic infusion from Acoustic Tuesday. Go forth and wave your #guitargeek flag and don't forget to share this episode with your fellow guitar geeks. 

Guitar geeks unite!

Cheers,
Tony