Pick scrapes? Who here does em? Im terrible.

[amstratnut]

Sounds ridiculous, I know. We sometimes cover songs with pick scrapes and if there is one thing I botch every time.......

They seem to ruin picks too so, theres that.

Advice? Thoughts? You do em?

 

[arct]

They are the guitar style and technique that everyone else hates about me so, yeah.

Practice practice practice. It's like windmills and throwing it over yer shoulder. No amount of advice is going to help, you just have to do it.

I will suggest keeping your hand in front of the pick, drag it along on an angle. Sure, it beats them up, but it's for your art. Man.

rct

 

[Mouse]

I just posted pics of my Red Bear pick in a separate thread. While I've done scrapes using them, I don't like to because it does beat them up and they're a bit too pricey to inflict that sort of damage. Generally if I'm playing something that requires pick scrapes, out come the Tortex or other plastic pick.

As for "botching" pick scrapes, the angle helps but I've also found thinner picks can dig into the string winds better than thicker picks which tend to glide over the ridges with less roar.

 

[Seamus OReally]

I haven't played a pick scrape since the last time I tried to play Boston.

 

[ashtone]

Just use the mic stand...

 

[Mouse]

I was just listening to Jambi by Tool the other day. I'm sure we don't have many Tool fans here but, the solo (if you can call it that) was using a talk box. The ending of the solo is a pick scrape through the talk box. I was thinking, "Hmmm...that might be a first". Scrape at 5:13

 

[StratoMutt]

I gave up trying to get those right over the past several years. Used to quite a bit with thinner picks.

I'm sure we don't have many Tool fans here

I am one!

 

[crankmeister]

Pick scrapes and pinch harmonics, I’m terrible. Scraping I think maybe being a lefty who plays right handed hurts me, it feels awkward using my right arm like that. But still, it’s part of my ongoing “not great at the mechanics” of playing guitar.

 

[amstratnut]

I was just listening to Jambi by Tool the other day. I'm sure we don't have many Tool fans here but, the solo (if you can call it that) was using a talk box. The ending of the solo is a pick scrape through the talk box. I was thinking, "Hmmm...that might be a first". Scrape at 5:13

I wouldnt call myself a fan but listened to them a little in the 90s. Great band.

 

[3bolt79]

I use these. They are soft and glow in the dark. I use them, and after an afternoon’s use, they are worn out.

The medium pick is just perfect to me for doing pinch harmonics.

I scrape the strings a couple of times, and the pick is ready to be replaced. They are cellulose.

 

[StratoMutt]

The oldest used pick I have - 1976 or '77. Herco Nylon 55. The keyboard player in the band I was in stole a small handful of these while at a music store. I was never one to do so and remember feeling guilty for accepting them.

I did pick slides then and found these made it easy along the flat top edge.

When I started using thicker 1 mm+ picks, slides became difficult and did not sound right.

 

[thomquietwolf]

Sounds ridiculous, I know. We sometimes cover songs with pick scrapes and if there is one thing I botch every time.......

They seem to ruin picks too so, theres that.

Advice? Thoughts? You do em?

C'mon
You are really good
You'll get it...

 

[3bolt79]

The oldest used pick I have - 1976 or '77. Herco Nylon 55. The keyboard player in the band I was in stole a small handful of these while at a music store. I was never one to do so and remember feeling guilty for accepting them.

I did pick slides then and found these made it easy along the flat top edge.

When I started using thicker 1 mm+ picks, slides became difficult and did not sound right.

View attachment 635468


View attachment 635469

Herco picks last a long time. Great for pinch harmonics. If I don’t lose my pick, I can get more than a month out of them before they show wear enough to replace them. I currently have 18 different picks that I keep on hand, with several dozen of each, on certain makes.

 

[Believer7713]

I definitely use them in my music but only when they fit. They can be a cool effect.
I find that not thinking about it and just initially striking the string like I would a note and letting the rest happen naturally makes them sound better. Being tepid about it sounds like about anything else when playing music.

 

[Boneman68]

For me I just spent a bunch of time scraping the pick at different angles, at different speeds, and using different amp effects too to see what technique works best and how different techniques changes the tone or the scraped sound result. Drag the pick or push it? There’s lots of variables and you should want to know how each difference impacts the sounds so you can pull it off when you need to recreate it. You just gotta experiment and practice. Also, helps when attacking like you mean it. Good luck, you got this!

 

[Handsome McClane]

I do them. Once you've done them enough you'll get consistency. Can't say I'm 100% yet but I'm a lot better than I used to be. Also, get a tougher pick if you need to. I switched to Dunlop Tortex from Fender Mediums because I was digging channels in my picks. Now it takes longer to dig channels in my picks.

 

[Willmunny]

I thought this was gonna be about pg scratches lol

 

[Johnnyg123]

It's like teeth on a blackboard for me. Can't abide it.

 

[mad axe man]

who did the first pick scrape? hmmmmm

 

[Mouse]

who did the first pick scrape? hmmmmm

Blind “Scratchy” Johnson back in 1934.