Natural plectrums (musical picks)

I have been making bone plectrums recently from rib bones scavenged from someone else's dinner (I am vegetarian but not afraid to work with animal parts! They'd have gone to waste anyway...)

I am finding them much better than the plastic picks that people tend to use these days. I think that the thickness and rigidity make it much better for what I would use them for, and they seem to be more dextrous as well.

Mostly I split the bones by batonning a knife and then file it down to the appropriate size.

Wooden plectrums I have made in the past, but giving it to a family member who does a lot more flatpicking than I do, and he found that it abraded too much at the strings. It was willow wood, so maybe a finer grained wood would have worked better...

Apparently antler & bone picks have been used in many parts of the world since ancient times, long before plastic was invented!

Someone told me recently, horn is useful as it has similar flexibility to plastic and can be shaped with heat so it conforms to the hand with long use.

I haven't tried it yet.

I use Tortex 1.14mm Jazz III picks. I like their rigidity and size, but have found they lose their points after a while. I'd switch to a bone pick if it held up better than plastic.

Could a bone pick be easily dyed a neon color so it's harder to lose?

Oh! I forgot to mention, quills have been used too...

One thing about the bone is that it can be filed back into shape... plastic would just create plastic dust. So even if it doesn't keep its point after a while, it could be restored.

Looking through wikipedia, more historically used plectra include, coconut shell and mesrab, which is made of metal wire. There are all sorts of plectra made from various gemstones too: https://elmntpicks.com/ I suppose the major qualification is that they are a hard and polishable enough material that they will not abrade at the strings, but will pluck. Harpsichords have been made with leather plectra, and I've used little pieces of birch bark too (but not with too much success--it was quite quiet).

Also I put all picks, capos, etc. into a special bowl. Anything small and musical goes there, and it is a good system of organization for me.

Jean Ritchie used a goose feather quill:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Ritchie#The_dulcimer_revival

I have a bluejay quill right here beside me and thinking I'll try cutting it into a proper shape. Strumming with just the natural tip, it seems to catch a bit.



(source: https://www.dulcimercrossing.com/blog/95313-mountain-born-the-jean-ritchie-story)