in 1987, masakowski invented the switch pick to help when switching from fingers to plectrum. "i invented something i call a switch-pick, which is a sort of thumb pick...[made] in such a way that if i slide it up my finger, the support part doesn't come in contact with my thumb, so it feels like a normal pick. and then if i want to use it as a thumb pick, i just slide it up my finger, and i can play finger style with the thumb pick using all five fingers."