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 $7.99.
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What kind of idiot can’t hold a guitar pick. Its not as though it is a golf club or something.
The idiots among us who have had wrist surgery. Are you a moron?
Obviously he is!
Really handy for when you’re doing finger style and you need to go to use a plectrum afterwards you don’t have to pick one of the mikestand it’s already in your hand
I have muscular dystrophy. My legs are mostly useless and now my fingers are going numb. I’ll try anything to help me keep playing and gigging. I’ve had to ask people to help me pickup as many as four picks a night because I can’t bend down. Or cuz I’m an idiot. Either way.
Maybe an idiot who lost a finger Jack.
I personally build up too much oil on my thumb and forefinger so I like the zero-g pick.
Wait until you get arthritis in your hand and can’t play with a regular pick. Also this allows you to claw by pushing the pick out of the way and retrieving it when you want to pick. I’ll bet a months pay you’re one of the %^$& morons who only uses open tuning and power cords.
An idiot that lost the tip of his finger in an accident! Wow! How shallow can ya be?
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.
Thank You Mike!
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.
I love these picks because they enable me to switch back and forth from finger picking to using a pick in the middle of a song, something I’ve always wanted to be able to do but never could do without missing a couple of beats until they invented these. When finger picking I just flip it up into my palm and it’s completely out of the way. When I want to use the pick, I flip it back down and am ready to go instantly. I do have two major complaints. First, I agree with the comments above that it needs to be offered in more than one thickness. But my bigger complaint is that no matter how thick they make it, the material they use for the pick itself (the colored part) is total crap. It doesn’t sound right because the plastic it is made from is too soft. It starts wearing on the edge immediately, and it’s toast after only a few gigs. The worn edge doesn’t just wear off, it gets ragged. I’ve tried without success to locate the manufacturer to talk to them about this issue but cannot locate them. Fantastic idea, lousy implementation. Today I’m going to try to superglue a decent pick onto their really cool strap but I have doubts whether it will stick.
I’m the kind of idiot who uses it! I fractured my arm in a bike accident and lost half of my wrist and with that went most of the strength to hold anything so this has actually helped me re-learn how to strum without dropping the pick every two seconds. These picks do wear out pretty fast tho…
I’m that kind of idiot, too. Lost the tip of my right thumb in a maintenance accident some years ago. In the months and years that followed, victories like re-learning how to use toilet paper, sign my name, brush my teeth have been hard-won. I still can’t button a shirt worth a crap.
So I’m trying to pick up the guitar again, and this looks like something that would help me quit dropping the damn pick every few minutes.
If getting around the world’s easy for you, that’s gravy. Don’t disparage others that don’t have it so good.
Another idiot here. I have had three surgeries on my right arm & would wear prescription lidocaine patches & still it’s extremely painful. When you’re disabled, much is taken away from you & you must adapt to bring it back. You don’t just lose function of said limb, body part, etc…You also lose self confidence because you can’t do the things you once could. It is heartbreaking to have something you love taken away. I want to play & now I feel better because this seems like it may be the ticket to having some of “me” back.
Well RO I have MD and cant hold a standard pick any longer. this pick enables me to continue playing.
Well now Ro I know you are feeling sort of ashamed of your hasty comment. Lets see if I can make you feel better. It seems you have trouble holding a golf club. Why don’t you try this?http://www.blessthisstuff.com/stuff/sports/field-sports/golf-grip-training-aid/
I lost my Index finger, severley damaged my middle pip joint and crushed the rest of my hand breaking most of it in an accident. I lost my business and had to lay off my employee. I even went through a divorce a year after that, probably because I turned into a depressed traumatised moron. At my darkest hour and pressed by debts due to not being able to work for 18 months I thought id never be able to play again anyway and amongst most of my belongings I sold all my gig equipment. Its been four years now and whats left of my bloody cauliflower hand has improved. I can do stuff I thought id never be able to do again, like shaving for example. Still hurts like hell ive gotten used to it. You know the worst thing? Aside from loosing all sensation during the winter months? Not being able to stretch all the way to the end of your fingertips or hold things without them jumping out of your hands.
Well enough of that crap..ive had enough.
Next month im going to buy a new guitar and amp. Im hoping I can learn to grip with my middle. Ill buy one of these too and test it, im going to need it.- absolutely brilliant – its going to help me thrash the hell out of my new rig. I need to thrash the hell out of my new rig- like you would not beleive.
Music is a soul thing. All you amazing people that keep on keeping on- Best of luck.
@Handy Harry thank you for your comment. I hope you’ll consider giving us an update after you try the Orbit pick.
Me you ignorant idiot. A spinal cord left me….besides loosing the ability to walk, and even holding a guitar at first, let alone hold a pick. I worked my butt off to the place where now, with a great deal of difficulty, I can hold a pick…if it has something that helps me hold it. So…before making such a blanket, short sighted statement, think a little bit. I, for one, am exactly that sort of idiot who needs help holding his guitar pick….and I’m very fortunate to even have left what I have.
Add 1 more too the “idiot” list. I am a 60 yr. old who has been a steel fitter for the past 35 years. As you can imagine, my fingers have taken a beating over the years. One injury in particular caused permanent nerve damage to my thumb making it difficult to feel the guitar pick . I also experience hand cramps during long sets.I just ordered this pick and can’t wait to try it.
an idiot like me. I am a stroke victim that affected my right side. I was just starting to learn to play the guitar. when I had my stroke. I have some movement in my right hand, and this pick might help me,to begin my lessons with the guitar. I am not asking for pity. there are a lot of folks in worse shape then me. but I think this pick might help me in my therapy. thank you for your time. please excuse my English and spelling.
Because I have lymphedema following breast cancer surgery, my right hand is so swollen that it is hard to hold an instrument pick for a time without getting tingling and numbness. So, I found these picks. They are amazing! And you don’t drop them. I round the bottom of them for the mandolin. They work great as is with the tenor banjo and the ukulele.
Handy Harry,
I thread my ring finger through the loop.
I am a bass player and my thumb cramps up by the 4th set to the point it is very hard to hold my pick. I think its because Im also a computer tech and type 8 hours a day. Anyways, I came across another pick:
http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/gear/music/pykmax-ergonomic-guitar-pick.asp
And I was wondering if there is a difference between the two. One looks a little better quality but much more expensive. They advertise it more for the reason you all are talking about (and makes so much sense)
Any thoughts?
Either way, this looks like a cool product and may help me get back into playing those long four gigs I used to dread.
If you get thumb arthritis you will find out.