How to Start a Fire with a Guitar Pick
Your wife's cousin talks you into going on a hike with "the whole gang." Then your wife says, "Why not bring your guitar for when we're sitting around the campfire?"
- You oblige. Hours later, just as your wife's cousin tries to start the campfire, he realizes he didn't bring matches—and no one knows how to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together.
- That's when you step up and exclaim, "Don't worry! I have a guitar pick!"
As Brad from Big Family Homestead shows you in the top video below, all you need is a pick and a fire steel to start a fire. Note that you'll need a pick made of celluloid or cellulose.
“Guitarists everywhere, rejoice!” Brad writes. “Now you, too, can stay warm in the coming zombie apocalypse.” Anyway, check out the video to see what we're talking about.
We've also thrown in slightly newer video by BlackScoutSurvival called "Start a Fire with a Guitar Pick: Black Scout Quick Tips" (bottom video). Choose one, watch them both—and start lighting fires with guitar picks!
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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