Chords for Finger Picks and Melody

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_ _ _ _ _ _ Hi everyone, I'm Joanne Smith.
I play the auto harp and
I've had some questions here lately about
From different folks who are really wanting to know
What's the best way to get accuracy?
Out of your you're playing hitting those melody notes as precisely as possible
So I thought I'd kind of show you I'm kind of trying to learn a song here, and I thought I would gonna show you my
Method for getting the melody note to really stand out and of course I played diatonic auto harp
which helps because the the notes the strings are doubled a lot of the notes are
[Em] _ _ so you have
[B] Double the chance of hitting the right note
But yet at the same time the in order to be able to really punch that melody out you really have to have
A method for plucking the string and getting it to really sound out [N] so that it stands out
Above all the other stuff that you're gonna be hearing underneath
So what I thought I'd do is I'd start with the picks that I choose to use
I've tried a lot of different methods and this is what works for me, and it's what I've used for a long long time
What I use are
point o two five thickness Dunlop nickel
Finger picks the standard finger picks that you that Dunlop makes
And I think if I get it close enough
I don't know if you can read the writing on the back of them, but it
They're the ones with the little hole in the plectrum
they have
Two and that
holds in them you know on the right on on the sides they wrap around your fingers and
Because these are the point two five.
Oh two five thickness they are thicker than
Most they're the thickest in fact that they make I've heard them called Louisville sluggers before
But because they're thick and they're heavy they last a long time and they also give me a very precise sound I put a little
Dab of red fingernail polish on that middle one so that I know
What finger that one goes on?
In a pinch, but anyway, you'll notice too.
How I have them shaped
show you this one right here and
It really is curved see I curved the plectrum right up
Over the top of my finger and turn it around so you can see
But it comes right up over the top of that fingertip
So there's very little space the plectrum does not stick straight out like that
_ That works for me it works for me, so
What it allows me to do when your hand is on the strings and your hand is in a natural position
And your fingers are [B] in a curved under relaxed position
_ You can see I don't know if you can see from here, but the the tips of the finger picks are gonna point
straight down perpendicular to the strings and that gives you more accuracy so
Anyway, I was I heard a rendition of oh
down to the river to pray
by
Butch Baldessari who is a
Mandolin player, and I just love his particular arrangement of it, and so I've just been kind of messing around with that
so I thought I'd share with you while I'm learning that and
so
Let me show you kind of how the melody would go on this
[F#m] _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ so because of these are heavy and
They produce a louder sound that melody is gonna float out there
And it helps it to stand above everything else that I'm gonna put underneath it, so here's what I've been working on
little intro _ _ _
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_ [A] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [D] _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ [A] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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_ [A] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
[A] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
That's got some polishing yet to do, [Dm] but anyway that kind is my method for getting
[B] Accuracy and getting that melody to stand out _
Give it a try it might work for you and anyway in the meantime happy harping
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