It's not about the size of the dog in the fight...

...but I bet it probably helps to be the bigger dog.

Kind of like how if you're a guitarist, you can rock any old guitar, but MAN. Life is so much better with the right equipment.

I started sinking funds into new equipment last year, when I realized I'd need a good-quality nylon-stringed guitar with a pickup in it. I'd played a Breedlove a year prior to that - but I declined to buy it, thinking, "this is just a hobby... I don't really need a guitar with a pickup in it."



But now I'm thinking of music as a business and a job, not a hobby. And yeah, you can mic a guitar. Is it awesomely awesome to mic a guitar? No, not really. I move around, so I either bang into the mic, or I'm too far away to be heard. Hence, the Breedlove and the new amp. Needless to say... I entered a radical new world. Guitars have STRAPS, and you can WALK AROUND while WEARING and PLAYING the guitar! And you can HEAR YOURSELF coming out of an AMP! Still while WALKING AROUND!

Wow, I thought. I am finally cool.

Now I'm exploring picks and capos. After my Breedlove arrived, I realized... it's nylon-stringed, but it's more closely a steel-string body. Which means that I needed a curved capo, instead of the flat ones that classicals use. And, bonus!, it happened to be bright red. Score.



For picks, classical guitarists grow out their fingernails. This is great for classical pieces. The tone is wonderful and you have absolute control. If I wanna rock out, though, I have to use a pick. Primarily because, even on nylon strings, I tear my nails to shreds. After years of conditioning, I cannot break myself of caring for my nails. (Also, I could never grow strong nails. All the guys in the guitar studio had nails as thick and shiny as a hardwood floor... mine sucked.)

So I decided to try some out...



My honest preference is the thumb pick. It transitions easily between picking and strumming, plus it's actually attached to your finger. I wish I had a metal one, though.

Also, I made a short video of me using those aLaska Piks, the strange tan ones in the photo. They've got potential, especially as a backup for a broken nail... they fit snugly on my finger and I can file them into the right shape. I think the plastic also recreates the tone of a fingernail quite well.

Enjoy!