| Player Endorsements & Industry Partners |
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| Frencesco Lo Castro and Patrizio Buanne |
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| Italian guitarist and educator Francesco Lo Castro |
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| Ron Eschete at Steamers 2008 |
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| Bass Player Philip Bynoe on tour with virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai in South America |
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| USC Professor Steve Trovato |
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| Bruce Forman - USC Professor and leader of Cow Bop Band! |
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| Tim Thompson - 1st Place Winner at Winfield 2008 |
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| TIM THOMPSON WINS THE 2008 WINFIELD NATIONAL FINGERSTYLE GUITAR CHAMPIONSHIP!
Congratulations are in order for Tim Thompson! Tim Thompson placed first in fingerstyle guitar at the 2008 Walnut Valley Festival. This competition is the defacto standard for the National guitar title each year. Visit www.timthompsonguitar.com for more information or to book Tim for a concert.
HOT NEW VIDEO
View the new YouTube video, just uploaded, of Tim Thompson using the Kodiak Crossover Pick and playing a Batson Guitar. The featured Jorge Morel composition is expertly performed by Tim and his flawless fingerstyle jazz technique is very evident.
Tim's right hand technique is one of the most elegant Fingerstyle methods that you will see.
Check it out at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyG-bu_x-Hw
The Crossover Pick defines a new category in stringed instrument picks. Esteemed music teachers and performers worldwide agree on the Crossover Pick benefits.
Buy your own Kodiak Crossover Pick from www.batsonguitars.com!
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| Tim Thompson using the Kodiak Crossover Pick in concert at the Taylor Guitar venue (NAMM 2008) |
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| Guitarist Tim Thompson & his son Myles |
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Guitarist Tim Thompson and son Myles at NAMM 2008
Strum-N-Comfort® Picking Systems just completed another successful NAMM show where the revolutionary Crossover Picks? were demonstrated for music product dealers from around the world.
Shown in the photo to your right, and demonstrating the Kodiak Crossover Pick, is Tim Thompson -a first call Nashville studio guitarist- performing at the Strum-N-Comfort Picking Systems booth at NAMM 2008. Tim is joined by his virtuoso 14 year old son Myles on the fiddle and a friend who plays mandolin professionally. Tim and Myles also played the week end before at the Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists Festival in Santa Ana (www.afg.org).
Check out the new YouTube video, just uploaded, of Tim Thompson using the Kodiak Crossover Pick and playing a Batson Guitar. The Jorge Morel composition is expertly performed by Tim and his flawless fingerstyle technique is very evident. Check it out at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyG-bu_x-Hw
The Crossover Pick defines a new category in stringed instrument picks. Esteemed music teachers and performers worldwide agree on the Crossover Pick benefits.
Music dealers are invited to stock the picks today! Help us expand the distribution and be a part of music product history as the Crossover Pick is established.
In addition, dealers at NAMM were shown the expanded line of semi-precious stone heart shaped guitar picks from Strum-N-Comfort (now in 10 colors). The engraved stone picks offer low friction and a 1.0mm beveled picking tip. Teachers agree that they are a perfect flat picking development tool.
Display or wear your beautiful stone pick in the rhodium plated (silver colored) Pendant/Locket when not in use.
Strum-N-Comfort has also expanded the number of music theme jewelry offerings. The signature line of Brother John designed pin, clip, key chain & pendant look hand made and are very affordable.
Look for much more in the jewelry and art category of products under the www.ArtisanStudioWorks.com trade name now on the Internet.
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KEVIN BROWN USES THE SHARKTOOTH HYBRID MODEL CROSSOVER PICK!
See the You Tube video linked below featuring slack key guitar master Kevin Brown.
Kevin is seen using the SharkTooth "hybrid" model Crossover Pick in this video.
Kevin is playing the tune Mauna Loa during his performance at the George Kahumoku Jr's masters of the slack key guitar show in Hawaii.
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| Slack Key Guitar Master Kevin Brown |
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| SharkTooth Crossover Pick user Ric Ickard |
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WORLD CLASS GUITARIST RIC ICKARD IS AN EARLY ADOPTER OF THE SHARKTOOTH CROSSOVER PICK
See Ric using the Crossover Pick in a new "You Tube" video now on the web. Click on the following link for the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf1x8ogE-CM
"Ric is a delight to listen to and very talented. He made his playing look easy. He had everyone cheering and hollerin' with delight while he did such numbers as "Little Rock Getaway", "Drive In" and "Malaguena."
- Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists
Growing up in the Philippines, Richard Alcoy, who adopted the stage name Ric *Ickard, started playing guitar at the age of eight by studying the recordings of Andres Segovia, Laurindo Almeida, Charlie Byrd and Chet Atkins.
At seventeen, he began performing guitar concerts. Until he began formal studies at St. Paul College in Manila, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in music education, he was entirely self- taught. At graduation, his alma mater presented him a special award in musical performance. He won first prize in both classical and jazz guitar competitions in the 1980 Philippine Guitar Festival, and was the first guitarist to ever win both categories - all on the same day. Ric's talents blossomed as a young artist. The Philippine government granted him a scholarship to study classical guitar.
Ric have performed in many five-star hotels and cruise ships. Aside from performing around the world, Ric is a regularly featured artist at the annual Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, the Pasadena's Guitar Nights, as well as the Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists.
After moving to the United States, based in Los Angeles, Ric continued to pursue his musical career by performing solo recitals, at the same time, expanding to other activities such as playing master classes to such notables as Scott Tennant and David Grimes.
In 2006, Naxos took his talent into wider world attention by releasing a CD called "Popular Guitar Music Of The Philippines".
He currently has four CDs available, all of which contain wonderful guitar renditions of popular, jazz, classical, and contemporary music.
Learn More about Ric Ickard at www.ricickard.com.
REVIEWS:
"You got a great technique and your classical expertise is excellent!"
- Nato Lima of "Los Indios Tabajaras
"Ric excels in both Chet style and classical music. He is a professionally trained music educator who has traveled the world performing his music. He first brought his talents to Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in 1992 and has impressed us with his gentle and articulate guitar styles.
- Chet Atkins Appreciation Society
"Ric Ickard is now gaining an international reputation establishing a concert career in United States and abroad. He is a unique and passionate guitarist with ample technique and musicality"
- Douglas Back, concert artist
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Listen to what Strum-N-Comfort product users have said about the Crossover Pick.
Heitor Pereira - Grammy Award Winner
"As a film composer and guitarist, I become like the actors and together we convey the message and the feeling of the art form. The SharkTooth and Kodiak Crossover Pick from Strum-N-Comfort is a valuable tool that supports me in my musical role."
Film Credits as the Composer:
Curious George (2006), Ask the Dust (2006), Two Weeks (2005), Haven (2004), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), KI: Agent Candice Delong (2003), 11'09"01 - September 11 (2002), Dead in the Water (2002), Real Women Have Curves (2002), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001).
Additional Music:
Madagascar (2005), Spanglish (2004), Man on Fire (2004), Shrek 2 (2004), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Rundown (2003), Black Hawk Down (2001), The Pledge (2001), Mission: Impossible II (2000).
Song:
As Good as it Gets (1997) ("My Only")
Visit www.heitorpereira.com
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Andy Brauer - Guitar Guru & Tech to the Stars
"Strum-N-Comfort Picks are a key component to great guitar tone and they make me play with freedom & joy."
www.andybrauer.com
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Sal DiTroia
"I have used many different style picks through the years. I recently was introduced to the SharkTooth and Kodiak Crossover Picks. My personal favorite is the Kodiak.
It is the most comfortable and accessible pick design I have ever had the pleasure of using. I can easily switch from thumbpick to flat pick mode with this setup on the fly. Thank you guys for coming up with this very innovative Crossover Pick design. I can't imagine playing with anything else."
Sal DiTroia – Legendary Studio Musician & Solo Performer
SAL'S BIO:
Every time you hear “I’m a Believer” on the radio or watch the “Godfather” on television, Sal DiTroia collects a check. He’s the studio musician who played guitar on the Monkees’ peppy 1966 hit and worked on the score for the movie’s foreboding wedding scene. DiTroia performed on Billy Joel’s first album, on Simon & Garfunkel’s hits “The Boxer” and “Scarborough Fair,” and all of Dionne Warwick’s hits, Including “Alfie” and “Do you know the way to San Jose.” He’s worked with everyone from Grace Slick to Country Joe McDonald.
Sad News! - Guitar great Sal DiTroia passed away last June 2007. My prayers go out to his family and friends. He will be missed by all.
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| Jam This! at Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park |
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What does Gil Parris say about the SharkTooth & Kodiak Crossover Picks?
"Definitely an improvement over conventional thumb picks for easily moving between fingerstyle and pick technique."
Gil Parris can be seen consistently performing in NYC with some of the scene's best players. He's headlined at many prestigious venues, such as B.B. King's in Times Square, Town Hall, Metropolitan Cafe, and 55 Bar. When he's not performing or recording, he contributes instructional articles to guitar magazines, is part of the affiliate jazz faculty at SUNY Purchase College, and his first artist-driven Hot Licks video, "Modern Blues Guitar", has become a best-seller.Gil is also part of the national Hot Licks video, "Masters of the Stratocaster".
In addition, Gil was the lead guitarist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, playing to thousands, and he appears extensively on their Christmas album due out in 2003. Currently, Gil can be found on tour with rising sax star, David Mann (Tower of Power). They recently appeared together on NBC's The Today Show, and followed with sold out performances at Jack Rose in NYC and Catalina Island's Jazz Trax Festival.
Check out Gil's latest CD effort entitled "Jam This". www.gilparris.com
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| Player Comments!
Hi, Greg,
I'd like to thank you once again for this product you've developed. Sincerely, I've recently evaluated my playing style which I had adopted to combat my disability (Dystonia). My style is about 85-90% reliant on your Sharktooth pick.
I just thought to myself the other day, how truly blessed I was to stumble upon this product, that it was a blessing from God. When I had gotten back into my playing a few years ago with renewed fervor, and discovered that I had this disability, I was very discouraged. But wasn't about to give up. My passion to provide others with music would not be hindered by this. Out of the blue, I stumbled upon the Sharktooth pick via Michael Hewett's site. To wrap it up, the pick has enabled me to do things that I wouldn't have been doing, even if I hadn't developed Dystonia. Right now I can say I only have a slight disABILITY!
Thank you, Greg. God bless you.
Sincerely, John Tinger
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"Hi! I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with my newly purchased SharkTooth Crossover Pick. I think that the pick is a wonderfully innovative product. I am a "Newbie" at playing guitar (only a few months), but it has really helped me. No more dropping my flat pick in the sound hole and it enables me to fill in with finger picking too."
Thanks,
Jennifer Sareyka
Kentucky, USA
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Hi I'm Nico di Battista -Italian guitar player- and I use the SharkTooth Crossover Pick. It's fantastic feel and control means that I can play Jazz & Flamenco in one shot!!
Thanks
www.nicodibattista.com http://www.nicodibattista.com/
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Hi Greg-
We met down at the Welcome Café in Redondo Beach- and you so kindly gave me a traditional Crossover pick. I just wanted to write and say how much the SharkTooth Crossover pick is helping my playing.
I switched from bass to acoustic guitar a few years ago. As a finger player, the pick has always been really problematic. I just couldn't get comfortable with it and dropped it a lot, etc.
After playing with your pick for an hour, I realized all my problems could be solved by it. I told my husband how the pick had IMMEDIATELY improved my playing. I played him something and he said, "Wow, you really do sound better!"
My problem is, I tend to loose things, so I'm gonna to go right now and stock up on several of them.
Thanks again, and hope to see you soon- I'll let you know when I'm playing in town.
Best
Pi (say it like "pie") Jacobs
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| Makers of fine glass, ceramic & metal Slides. |
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| New Private label agreement with Big Heart Slide! Big Heart Slide Company is planning to create a private label product using the Traditional model of the SharkTooth Crossover Pick. Several gauges of a new asymetrical heart shaped flat pick will be included with two traditional sleeves and sold under the Big Heart Slide product name.
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Dava Pick Company enters into a co-marketing effort with Strum-N-Comfort Picking Systems! Dava Pick Company will supply one free Dava Control flat-pick for every SharkTooth Crossover pick sold through the 2005 Christmas season. The fact that a player can select their favorite flat-pick to use with the SharkTooth Crossover product is the focus of the co-marketing effort. The marketing agreement was entered into to demonstrate the unique benefits of the Dava Control flat-pick when combined with the SharkTooth thumb sleeve. The Dava Control pick normally offers the player a smooth strum capability and -at the same time- can be held in a way that produces solid lead playing ability. By combining the Dava pick with the SharkTooth thumb sleeve the player now has a powerful fingerstyle skill at the ready. True "Universal Picking Technique" is wonderfully enabled by the combination of the two products.
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| Makers of a creative line of Dava Control Picks. |
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| Awe-in-One... A highly functional design! |
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