“I got some Stylus Picks a few weeks ago and I love them! They really do dramatically increase picking speed.
Thanks for providing a great product. ”
“The Stylus Pick definately benefits any player, no matter what style.”
- Rich Acocella, BA, Berklee College of Music“One Minute I couldn't, the next minute I could. This is magic!”
- Alphonse Faggiolo, Producer/Musician“It's amazing how well the stylus works. I'm pretty fast to begin with but I was even faster with the Stylus Pick. ”
- Jack Grassel, Author, MONSTER CHOPS“The Stylus Pick proves to be a valuable tool. My only regret is that it wasn't around when I was learning how to play because it probably could have saved me a lot of time. If you feel that your picking could use some improvement (and whose can't?), try the Stylus Pick, it works!”
- George Bien, Ph.D, CUNY“I have observed a marked increase in the speed and accuracy of my students who use the Stylus Pick. No matter what level a student is on, the Stylus Pick has increased their ability to execute shorter picking strokes with more control and less wasted motion. ”
- Mike Ihde, former vice-chairman, Guitar Department, Berklee College of Music“...the Stylus Pick is a cool idea...”
- Bill Edwards, Author, FRETBOARD LOGIC“I really love the Stylus Pick! The tone and feel of the Stylus area of the pick is great!”
- Orville Petty“I could not imagine being where I'm at without training with the Stylus Pick! Thanks for creating such a powerful and useful pick!”
- Arnie Rodriguez“The more I use the Stylus Pick, the more I'm getting hooked on practicing my picking! Thanks for producing a great product! I recommend it for anyone who is serious about improving their picking!”
- Walt Serafin
By Dr. George Bien, Ph.D.
There are many schools of guitar playing today that rely on hammer-ons, pull-offs and sweep picking, often times to avoid the difficulty of the alternate pick-stroke. Perhaps they are right. I know, from experience, that countless hours of dedicated practice are needed to perfect the art of alternate picking. What if, however, there were a device that could facilitate this process? The Stylus Pick may be the answer.
The Stylus Pick was basically designed to help facilitate high-speed alternate picking by training the picking hand to pick with more precision and accuracy. The booklet that comes with the pick claims that "the Stylus Pick utilizes a method of forced accuracy and a patented guiding factor to increase awareness of the elements of fast picking." The literature goes on to say: "After practicing you discover a definite improvement in your ability to gauge your regular flat pick for alternate picking at higher speeds." Let's see if the Stylus Pick is everything that it claims to be.
At first glance, the Stylus Pick appears to be nothing more than a gimmicky device that could easily find itself in the pocket of the average beginning heavy metal guitarist. But looks can be deceiving. I found it to feel extremely comfortable in my picking hand and I could see how it can force a person to pick with the tip of the pick. I then had about fifty guitar students of various playing levels try the pick and found something very interesting. The lower the level of expertise, the more difficulty the student had playing with the Stylus Pick. Could this mean that as less adept students develop a natural playing ability with this pick, their precision and accuracy with overall playing would also increase? I decided to do some research.
As an assignment, I had students in my guitar classes at York College, CUNY, purchase the Stylus Pick and do all their practicing with it exclusively for a month. The results were fantastic and an increase in picking accuracy was obvious in over 90% of the students. As they became more comfortable playing with the Stylus Pick, their precision and control improved dramatically.
Now I needed a pro, other than myself, on whom I could test the Stylus Pick's effectiveness. I lent one for a week to Carol Polizzi, one of New York's hot guitarists, and she said: "Maximum speed with alternate picking is attained when you utilize the very tip of the pick since this causes less resistance against the strings. The Stylus Pick forces you to pick properly by correcting any slight errors in depth gauging. It is extremely effective and I recommend it highly."
The Stylus Pick proves to be a valuable tool. My only regret is that it wasn't around when I was learning how to play because it probably could have saved me a lot of time. If you feel that your picking could use some improvement (and whose can't), get the Stylus Pick; it works!
By Tom Mulhern Separating gimmicks from tools is often a matter of perspective. Take the
Stylus Pick, for example. It would be easy to dismiss it as a gimmick; after
all, it's a pick designed to help you play faster. If you bought one of these
out of a bin with no instructions, and you left the
store with nothing more than a pick and a receipt, it would be easy to label
this a gimmick. However simple the pick may appear, it is actually a
well-thought-out device. It has a conical tip instead of a flat edge, so the
point of contact with the string is extremely minimal, and therefore fairly free
of friction. It comes with a 26-page booklet that outlines the underlying
concept, explains how the pick should be used, and
includes musical examples to turn you into an alternate-picking speed-demon.
This assumes, of course, that you dedicate yourself to a rigid discipline of
learning to use the Stylus Pick.
How does it feel? Once
you get into it, you can easily see its potential. Whether it's due to the
material or to the conical tip, the pick really glides over a string. Note,
though, that the tip has a "shoulder," and if you dig too deep with
the pick, it grabs the string after striking it. This can be used for a
funk-style attack, but unless you are careful, you'll get this effect too often
and the pick will actually slow you down. Once again, we're back to the
necessity for dedication; like finger picking or any other technique, you can't
get this under full control in mere hours or days. There is potential for the Stylus Pick in the speed-demon's
arsenal. It would probably also be a boon to mandolin and balalaika players who rely
on rapid-fire alternate picking. If you're into blinding speed, the Stylus Pick
is certainly worth a try. The price is just $9.95, which gets you two Stylus Picks and the
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