Okay. I admit it.....There are about 17,000 mistakes I made when learning to play guitar about 35 years ago. My background was with the "take lessons, practice hard" school of music with Sax/clarinet/flute/bassoon etc. and when I came to folk and guitar, it was like an amazing freedom, a kind of "just do it" thing and of course I screwed up. I never could get the feel for fingerpicks initially, but a thumb pick was totally "natural" feeling...probably because I am holding my hand wrong or something. Over the years, I've tried to correct a lot of things and said "Aw screw it" to most. Its always great to see some biggie doing something wrong as I do, kinda' reassuring or something.

In any case, I have really tried to get into fingerpicks and have bought a ton of them in all sorts of shapes/sizes/materials. I was really excited to get the Alaskapicks....FINALLY, I thought. Couldn't do it. And I really wanted to....Working with wood building instruments is hard on your fingers and hands and there is nothing like accidentally sanding off a right hand nail to really piss me off. I've gotten into the artificial nails if absolutely needed and they do fine.

But does anyone else have this problem? Its like when I put on a fingerpick, my fingers "lock up." Can't move them. I don't get it. Just a tiny little band at the tip and WHAMMO--locked finger. Friggin' weird...but then again, so am I. I just wondered if anyone else has that same thing. I've spent days trying...even forced myself to play for a month once....couldn't ever get the feel.

Spaw