I’m Dick Lewis, a retired professional gardener with a streak for invention.  I am a holder of a U.S. patent for a long-handled garden tool prop, with four more inventions in the patent pipeline.  I took up guitar in the early 1980s, as a way to stay sane during grad school in archaeology and anthropology, and I’ve been playing ever since. These days, I don’t claim to be more than an intermediate player, but I love being able to accompany myself while singing self-penned songs. I noodle on my Guild six-string cutaway nearly every day—it’s a key coping strategy.

Little did I know that day long ago, walking out of a Buffalo, NY music store with my used guitar in hand, that my ensuing decades-long guitar habit would one day lead me to invent the 6ePick—a new kind of plectrum.

The idea for the 6ePick came about quite by accident, while I was exploring ways to make my own conventional flat picks. It all started when I bought one of those pick punches—giant paper-punch-style tools that let you cut picks from thin plastic materials like old credit cards. That was fun, and before long, I had hundreds more picks than I’d ever need. But it got me thinking: could I make picks from other materials—like bone?

Some background: I’m a lifelong, avid hunter of the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus. In fact, the only thing I’ve owned longer than my beloved Guild is the 12-gauge shotgun I got for my 16th birthday—a gift meant for deer hunting. Influenced by my academic training and environmentalist values, I’ve always tried to make full use of the animals I harvest. I butcher my own meat, tan the hides, and find uses for other parts of the carcass, including bones. So when the idea of making picks from bone struck me, I already had a stash of deer bones on hand.

The scapula immediately stood out for its flat surface. Sure enough, with a bit of marking and cutting—a Dremel tool and the pick punch worked wonders—I could shape conventional-style picks from the flatter areas, both from the bone itself and from the dried band of cartilage along the top edge. These handmade picks offered an intriguing feel and sound. But I didn’t stop there.

Later came the second “aha!” moment. I’d accidentally grabbed the pick with the “wrong” end—the coronoid process—facing forward, and was just fiddling around with it when I  happened to place it between my index and middle fingers. Voilà! It fit like it was made to be there. I was stunned.

I tried picking notes in this position, using the aptly shaped coronoid process as the playing tip, and discovered that I could pick easily. But, to my amazement, I soon realized that I could also quickly switch to fingerpicking while still holding the pick—since it  was being squeezed and held by the central sections of the index and middle fingers, leaving all four fingertips and my thumb free for fingerpicking!

It felt revolutionary. No pick I knew of had been designed to be held between the index and middle fingers, let alone one that allowed for a seamless hybrid picking style, one with swift, unencumbered transitions, greater control, and more expressive possibilities.

 And, of course, at any time the pick could be flipped 180 degrees back to the original gripping position, held there by the different combination of fingers (the thumb and index finger), and used like a conventional flat pick.  The plectrum I was holding was quickly showing itself to be something altogether unique.

The original Jawbone was already far more grippable than a conventional flat pick.  Much of that gripability came from the condyle, which naturally nestled into the interphalangeal creases of the relevant fingers in both gripping positions.

But it soon became clear to me that the grip could be enhanced even further. I wondered: what if the condyle’s shape could be mirrored—created on the other side of the pick and fused with the original?

A little experimentation with air-dry clay led to the next prototype: a version of the Jawbone with two conjoined “finger grips.” The improvement was immediately noticeable: in the original grip position, the thumb was better stabilized.  And, in the second grip position,  with that mirrored form in place, the pick now rested snugly against the undersides of both the index and the middle finger, resulting in a more stable and confident hold.  

Eventually, I decided the Jawbone had commercial potential—but it needed to be manufactured in plastic. That kicked off a long journey of self-taught CAD design using Fusion 360, along with countless rounds of prototyping and 3D printing (see accompanying diagram). Over time, the pick underwent significant evolution, becoming a customizable, modular system made up of a Main Body, Playing Tips, and an innovative Sound Rail—all detailed in the menu above.

It also got a new name. “Jawbone” felt a little too somber—maybe even a bit morbid—and didn’t quite capture the pick’s purpose. So, the 6ePick was born (see “What’s With the Name?” in the site menu).

I believe the current version of the 6ePick is both innovative and highly functional—though I’ll admit, I’m a bit biased. From a deer jawbone to a finely tuned ergonomic prototype, the 6ePick has been a true labor of love, keeping me up many nights over the past several years. Now, I’m eager to hear what others think of this unique pick with its one-of-a-kind origin story.

The next step in its journey begins with the current testing program. I’d love for you to be a part of that. Feel free to explore the site, and if you're interested in becoming a volunteer tester, click the I Wanna Try link in the site menu to learn how you can possibly get involved—and help shape the future of the 6ePick.