Thumb picks striking the head can be a problem with the conventional thumb picks. We have played with the standard thumb pick, plastic, metal, or combination, for so long that we have accepted its basic structure and geometry and adapted around it. Because the pick is cantilevered from the soft pad of the thumb there is a space created between the top of the pick and the pad of the thumb. This space provides a path for the string to advance into that space allowing the pick point to strike the banjo head before the thumb touches the string. When we look at the pick, from the nail side, we only see what extends out from the side yet the string passage is hidden right under our thumb. The SADDLE thumb pick is unique in that the pick extends from the side of the thumb with no hidden passage and the thumb will strike the strings before the pick point can reach the banjo head. (See diagrams)
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