Fingerpicking fun

Spent two hours fingerpicking my D-25M tonight, among others, I did Jim Croce "Age", Gordon Lightfoot "Cotton Jenny", "Sit Down Young Stranger" "Pussy Willows, Cattails", Moody Blues "Nights", John Prine "Sam Stone", "My Mexican Home", "Hello In There", Eric Burdon & The Animals, "When I Was Young", "Sky Pilot", PPL "Falling In And Out Of Love / Amie", Paul Simon "April Come She Will", "At The Zoo", Hank Jr, "Outlaw Women", "Ain't Misbehavin'."

I need to sing loud to match the volume of the D-25 with fingerpicks

You picked some nice ones :wink: Steffan

I've got a set of fingerpicks in there that I play around with from time to time Marc, just seems like I forget they're there. Then occasionally I stumble upon them and try them for a bit. I really should try and get good with them.

West

One of these days I'll figure out exactly what folks mean by "fingerpicking". As a kid I played banjo. After a 25-year rest, when I felt the irresistible need once more to mutilate music, I got a 12-string and started torturing it. Leadbelly used picks. Seeger used picks. Kottke used picks. To me, playing a 12-string without them is like playing a violin without a bow. Being a banjo refugee, I know that you play one of these things with a combination of plunks and strums. Sometimes you plunk more, strum less. Sometimes the reverse. I'm guessing that "fingerpicking" is plunking only, with absolutely no strumming. I can't imagine that, since there's almost always a place that calls for a little strum or two. Anyway, here's my bow:

Yeah, Westie, I tell people that fingerpicks are kinda like a one wood; if it stays in your bag you'll never learn to hit it well. :wink:

I also learned to use them while playing the banjo, then I transferred them to guitar. The biggest advantage on the acoustic guitar is volume.

I use the Pro-Piks as well, but I use the brass double-wrap style with an angle.





I like the Fred Kelly Speed Picks for the thumb.

Those Pro-Piks I use are the cobalt plated ones from Elderly. They make almost no scraping or screeching noises on the strings. Very quiet. The downside is they're so slick it's hard to keep them on. I coat the insides with epoxy paste. Makes a rough surface that lasts.

I'll have to check out those cobalt ones next time I'm there, Charlie.

I use Earl Scruggs' thumbpick treatment - use a sharp xacto knife to make cross-hatch cuts in the plastic, that'll make it stick to your thumb better.

I still have a Dobro thumb pick. Their large pretty well fit my thumb, and it had a really long 'nose'. I don't use it anymore. I have a tough time finding a big enough thumb pick these days. For a while, without the reach of the Dobo my pick was waving at the strings instead of hitting them. :lol: Steffan

I have a tough time finding a big enough thumb pick...

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I have huge hands, too (guys at work call me "Bananahands",) and for thumbpicks, found Recording King XL's fit me. They're made of celluloid.
They come really long, I assume meant to be cut down. At 'bout $1.25 a pop, I love 'em.

Count me in too.

I use a plastic thumb pick and two metal finger picks (National 0.013's).

RussD said:

I have a tough time finding a big enough thumb pick...

Click to expand...

I have huge hands, too (guys at work call me "Bananahands",) and for thumbpicks, found Recording King XL's fit me. They're made of celluloid.
They come really long, I assume meant to be cut down. At 'bout $1.25 a pop, I love 'em.

Click to expand...

I'll have to track some down Russ, or have you send me a few, I never fully forgave Dobro for going out of business. :? Steffan

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