The Pick of Picks March 5, 2008
Posted by Bob in Mandolin, Music.Tags: mandolin picks
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For any and all who’re obsessed with mandolin tone, below is an interesting site that compares various picks and how they sound on a mandolin. I can’t help but harken back to playing guitar with the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra and recall how some individuals would have certain picks readily available for a given song because they were able to coax out nuances of tone. I don’t know. It must be like fine art. Hey, all of those Rembrants and Van Goghs (or is it Rem Gogh and Vanbrant?) look the same to me. And all of those mandolin picks sound the same to me. Perhaps our resident expert has a more informed perspective. But, wouldn’t that mean that he knows something? Should he then be excluded from this group?
Todd
Daren
Bob
jeph
You seem to be in an exclusionary mood.
As that famed philosopher, Sgt. Oddball (as played by Donald Sutherland in “Kelly’s Heroes”) would say; “There you go again with the negative waves…”
Ah yes. The ongoing debate over mandolin picks. A worthy subject, but alas I am not one who has the skills to add much in the way of intelligence to the dialog. As I recall, the last time I tried a variety of picks in an effort to discover the subtle tone differences available, it was Bob who asked me to start using a cotton ball instead of a conventional pick. He also wanted me to play while the mandolin and I were in entirely separate rooms. I must admit the tone improved, but I couldn’t help thinking he was making fun of me. I wonder.