I came up with the original foam gripped guitar pick, the SOFTgrip guitar pick, while I was at college in Grand Forks , North Dakota. I am a sweater, constantly sweating, and could not hold onto a guitar pick for the life of me. After searching the market for a guitar pick with grip, I only found picks with a cat tongue grip or picks with holes in them for "added grip", but these are not very comfortable to play with after playing with them for longer periods of time.
So, I decided to create my own. In 2007, I created my first few prototypes and received a prestigious internship at school to pursue my idea. I took that opportunity and created a business making handmade guitar picks with grip that I am still managing to this day.
Our picks are that light bulb moment for a lot of players that were struggling to hold onto a guitar pick. Traditional picks tend to twist and spin while you are playing, forcing you to hold on tighter, ultimately leading to arm and hand pain. Our picks solve this problem by allowing you to relax your hand whiling playing. Our picks will have you playing for longer periods of time, and increase your confidence as a musician.
Over time we realized that our picks are not just for people who struggle to hold onto a pick but for all categories of players.
-Beginners: We have found that new or players picking up their first guitar tend to gravitate to our products because they instantly increase your dexterity. Most people quit the guitar after roughly 60 days because of the struggle to find that hand positioning, strength and dexterity that comes with time. Our picks provide instant improvements that make playing the guitar easier.
-Professionals: Experienced and professional musicians who play hundreds of shows a year love our products because they add that extra comfort while playing for hours on end. Our picks also have a sharper point which gives you that extra attack that most picks lack.
-Arthritis: We have a developed a product that is one of the first on the market to alleviate pain for guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, and string players caused by rheumatoid arthritis, nephropathy, and other hand/arm aliments. We have received countless emails, and reviews stating our products helped with getting peoples instruments back in their hands.
Why picks? I created this company to solve a problem. I love music but needed a pick that got me playing again. My hope is that you find an instrument and learn to play because it's one of the best things we can do today. Music increases brain function and human behavior, including by reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis, which is the brain's ability to produce neurons (https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/)
From me to you, Happy Strumming!
-Alexander Hartinger
Owner: GuitarMoose, LLC.
Check out the original foam gripped guitar picks, StickyGrip guitar picks, our StickyDOTS, and other innovative and ergonomic accessories. We make guitar picks with grip, and products that make playing the guitar/stringed instruments easier, more fun, and help build your confidence as a musician.
Happy Strumming!