Man, I’ve been messing around with different guitar picks lately, trying to find something that feels just right. I stumbled across these things called Fred Kelly picks, and they’re… different. So, I figured I’d share my whole experience with them, from start to finish.
The Discovery
First off, I gotta say I’m mostly a flatpicker. You know, your standard teardrop-shaped pick. But I’ve been wanting to get better at fingerstyle, and that’s where the trouble started. My regular picks just weren’t cutting it for that hybrid style – picking some notes, plucking others with my fingers.
So, I did what any reasonable person does: I went down an internet rabbit hole. I watched a ton of videos, read a bunch of forum posts… and these Fred Kelly things kept popping up. They looked weird, like little claws or something, but people swore by them. I was skeptical, but hey, I’m always up for trying something new.
Getting My Hands on Them
I ordered a few different kinds. See, they have these “Slick Picks,” “Bumble Bees,” “Speed Picks”… it’s a whole world. I grabbed a variety pack to get a feel for the different shapes and thicknesses. They’re mostly made of this Delrin plastic stuff, which I already knew I liked from some of my other picks.
- Slick Picks: These are the more “traditional” thumb pick shape, but still pretty different from anything I’d used before.
- Bumble Bees: These have this extra little piece that wraps around your index finger. Looked super strange.
- Speed Picks: A bit shorter and pointier, supposedly good for, well, speed.
The Awkward Phase
Okay, the first time I put one of these on, it felt weird. Like, really weird. It’s a thumb pick, so it wraps around your thumb, but it’s a lot more secure than those old-school ones that always seem to slip off. The Bumble Bee, with that extra loop, felt even stranger. I felt like I had a lobster claw on my hand.
I started by just trying to strum some chords. Clumsy. So clumsy. The pick felt huge, and I kept hitting strings I didn’t mean to. My accuracy went way down. I almost gave up right there.
Getting the Hang of It
But, I’m stubborn. I kept at it. I started slow, really focusing on my thumb position and how the pick was contacting the strings. I practiced some basic fingerstyle patterns, using the thumb pick for the bass notes and my fingers for the melody. I used the pick for playing.
And you know what? Slowly, it started to click. The Slick Pick became my favorite. It gave me a lot more control over the bass notes than I ever had with a flatpick, and I could still strum pretty comfortably. The Bumble Bee, I’m still not 100% sold on, but I can see the potential for certain things. The Speed Pick is nice for, you guessed it, faster runs, but it’s not my go-to.
The Verdict (So Far)
So, after a few weeks of messing with these Fred Kelly picks, here’s where I’m at:
They’re definitely not for everyone. If you’re strictly a flatpicker, you might not see the point. But if you’re even remotely interested in fingerstyle or hybrid picking, they’re worth checking out. There’s a learning curve, for sure. You’re going to feel clumsy at first. But if you stick with it, you might just find that they open up a whole new world of playing possibilities. I’m still experimenting, but I’m definitely keeping these in my pick collection.
