During my normal Saturday morning routine of hot tea, steel-cut oats and magazine browsing, I happened upon the ZeroGravity Orbit Guitar Pick in the latest copy of a Musician’s Friend catalog. Guitar Picks really haven’t changed much over the years, so this one easily caught my eye. Attached to the actual pick is a soft rubber ring that you place around your index finger. Then you grip the pick with the same index finger and thumb in the designated areas. It looks awkward to me, but the idea is to make you hold the pick correctly for optimal playing. You can get one for $2.99 or three for $7.99.
 |
Subscribe to our RSS feed. |
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
What kind of idiot can’t hold a guitar pick. Its not as though it is a golf club or something.
Could be helpfull … I more then once lost my pick during a performance when accidently hitting the strings too hard or in a wrong angle.
It even ended up inside of my (spanish) guitar a couple of times.
Didn’t happen too often in the 30 years of guitar playing, but this special pick could be helpfull.
To people having trouble holding the pick due to reumatism of arthrosis to the MCP-joints this pick could be helpful. It makes it possible to relax the muscles when you don’t have to play during a performance e.g. in a band, without losing the pick.
So maybe not so idiot as one would think …
In South Africa, they want us to pay $65 for it!
http://www.wantitall.co.za/Instruments-Music/ZeroGravity-Orbit-Guitar-Pick-Medium-Single__B0002E1UNU|
UNBELIEVABLE!
Well Ro,
It’s nice to see people with an open mind …
Having used them for a few years and loving them, there are a number of reasons I like to use them that has nothing to do with the author’s comment about training wheels.
First: By having the strap around my index or middle finger, it allows me to switch mid-song to/from finger-picking in the blink of an eye, something I do quite often for the type of music I play and context of my playing.
Second, having the strap allows me to grip the pick more loosely, allowing me to be moving my hand very quickly and at the same time getting a softer tone.
There are more reasons, but the final one I will give is that, over the years, for whatever reason, my fingers have become significantly less tacky. The smooth picks slip easily out of my fingers and position unless I grip them hard enough to make my arm begin to ache fairly quickly. No, I am not handicapped, my hands are quite strong enough, my skin just doesn’t “grip” like it used to.
Be a little less hasty in your judgments and try to see things from other people’s perspective and you’ll come off as significantly less a pretentious ass.
My son lost movement in his left hand due to being shot during a mugging. He has just regained some movement due to extensive surgeries at The Mayo Clinic. He is reteaching himself to play left handed guitar and this pick is exactly what he needs. So yes Ro, I agree with Mike up above!
I would be that kind of idiot. I have MS, and one of my disabilities is poor function on my right side. This unit has helped me maintain my career as a bassist; when I want a finger-style tone, I combine this product with the Planet Waves Adjustable Insert Pick, and I have something that sounds close to a finger, feels close to a pick, and is “un-droppable”. Careful with those words you use – they actually MEAN things.
I would really like to see this pick available in several different gauges, but so far have only found .60mm, or similar to the orange Jim Dunlop Tortex picks. Just a little too floppy for this bassist, but not bad at all for a “last resort”.
I run the loop around my middle finger, as I really choke up tight to the tip of the pick. Works rather well.
I have a muscle condition that makes it difficult to hold a regular pick. The orbit has been a big help.