So, after years of using the same pick, literally, the. same. one., I have discovered that I was quietly happy, enjoying a really good pick that I have not seen since. I had not thought about picks for years, it has great grip, and great string traction. Then fate brought me a Fender medium pick (found at my feet), so I checked it out, thinking it was meant to be, it did one thing, though, it pointed out to me just how great my now antique orange colored pick was. The plastic-y texture was not only difficult to grip, but it practically slipped off the strings... no traction! Recently I ran across the PickPlus, a pick manufacturer, that makes picks with an extended, grippy tab, in 3 sizes. I ordered one, to check them out. The material isn't the same as the orange pick, but it does have a texture that has much more traction than standard picks, and it has intentional traction surfacing in the grip area, AND the string traction! It translates from my hand to the instrument in a way I have not really felt before. I found myself paying attention to the strumming or picking in ways I had not before. I know it sounds like I am some way related to the site, (I'm not), but it's well worth a look. I was surprised, to be honest.

Combining hobbies. I have several hobbies to keep myself busy, once in a while, I can find a way to combine them. Consider my latest project, a painting of Mick Fleetwood hugging Peter Green's Gibson guitar "Greenie". The second I saw it, I HAD to paint it.

If you could magically acquire the ability of any guitarist—past or present—whose ability would you take? I'm thinking we might find some awesome guitarists we're not familiar with to check out. Even if they're famous, they may not play in a genre we don't listen to. I'm leaning toward Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Every guitarist has something that gives them trouble. Barre chords? Fingerpicking? Rhythm? Improvising? Playing and singing at the same time? For me, my little finger is practically useless. I could probably poke my eye with it before I could successfully use it. What's yours?

Not trying to start a pro- or anti-AI war here, but… Recent surveys suggest that somewhere between 48% and 87% of working/independent musicians are using AI in some part of their process, depending on who was surveyed. (Ditto Music 48%, LANDR 87%) I get why some musicians don't like fully AI-generated songs—lyrics, music, vocals, arrangement, etc. Simply writing a prompt doesn't make one a songwriter or musician. But there are a lot of ways to use AI without having it create the song for you. It can help with lyrics, ideas, learning, or even let a solo artist fill in instruments they don't play. What's harder for me to understand is the idea that any use of AI somehow makes the music less legitimate. So, whether you're a beginner or have been playing for decades: Do you use AI at all in your musical process? If so, what do you use it for? Not looking to change anybody's mind. I'm just curious where other guitar players draw the line.