Finger Picking

[Westerly Wood]

And it's the same here. I see so many people use a thumb pick with bare fingers otherwise, and I've tried that too. I can get the technique down without an issue, but the thumb pick always overpowers the fingers and all I get are bass strings. I'm just very comfortable with bare thumb/fingers.

West

I have tried to adopt a thumb pick but alas, every time, I failed.

 

[davidbeinct]

I have tried to adopt a thumb pick but alas, every time, I failed.

I can do okay with a thumbpick but I never can get on with fingerpicks. I like the feel of bare flesh on strings and have mini-calluses on my thumb and first two fingers.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I can do okay with a thumbpick but I never can get on with fingerpicks. I like the feel of bare flesh on strings and have mini-calluses on my thumb and first two fingers.

I think Leo Kottke ruined his hand using fingerpicks for so long so aggressively, and he had to take time off recovering. Then he started to play Taylors and dropped the fingerpicks.

 

[ReevesRd]

I have difficulty using a thumb pick and fingerpicks, too. It just doesn't feel right to me.

I would have to put in a lot of slow practice to learn the technique to incorporate the thumb pick and fingerpicks. And I'm just not willing to do that right now. I have other goals for my playing at this point.

 

[West R Lee]

I have difficulty using a thumb pick and fingerpicks, too. It just doesn't feel right to me.

I would have to put in a lot of slow practice to learn the technique to incorporate the thumb pick and fingerpicks. And I'm just not willing to do that right now. I have other goals for my playing at this point.

It's the spacing that gets you. I believe that when we pick bare fingered, we subconsciously get the spacing between the fingers and the strings down pat. Once we put picks on our fingers, that spacing changes dramatically. I have to make a lot of effort to hold my hand farther from the strings with picks.......it's just uncomfortable. I'm sure that had I learned with finger picks, the dilemma would be the same if going bare fingered, but in the opposite direction........I'd have to learn to hold my hand closer to the strings. That spacing just becomes so ingrained in your muscle memory.

West

 

[beecee]

I've been experimenting with thumb picks because I seem to be irritating the outboard section of my thumbnail recently. Maybe because I'm playing a lot more lately but it hurts.

But yes it overpowers the bare fingers, going to try a finger pick along with it next for fun.

I have been trying to flat pick with the thumbpick since making the"investment" in them.

It's ok but I get much better modulation with a flat pick.

 

[HeyMikey]

I also suffer from thin nails and can’t for the life of me use finger picks.

You need a good file to keep them trimmed and smooth. I use Wolfram’s. It is critical to keep them under control and remove any burrs or rough edges that can get caught and tear. I prefer the shorter Nano size because I broke the longer one when it dropped to the sink. I tried a couple other knock off brands but they were not as good - too rough.

I also use the Hard As Nails product just at the tips to help protect them from tearing. Finally I wear a glove any time I’m doing yard/house work because I’ve torn them too many times even with doing that other stuff.

I also found that the Fred Kelly orange thumb speed pick helps the thumb and doesn’t overpower too much.

I just started taking collagen pills but it is too early to tell.

Good luck!

https://wolframslides.com/precision_crystal.php

https://www.stringsbymail.com/fred-kelly-delrin-speed-pick-orange-98mm-med-thumbpick-regular-1-pick-7421.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwrJ-hBhB7EiwAuyBVXYsjVXsr4U37yvv2jP7X0y57zkyBwq1-oqs2otVeiVaol1M197qVXBoCDdwQAvD_BwE

 

[Russell Letson]

Managing finger/thumbpicks is as personal as choosing the most comfortable shoes. And, to drop the comparison, it can take as long to make your own adjustments as it does to learn any subtle skill. I've played with my fingers since I started back in the 1950s and discarded every style and size of fingerpicks I tried--they all changed the right-hand geometry too much, even when they didn't fly off my fingers. (I have a boxful of failed experiments somewhere.) But I still wanted the option of a strong bass line, especially for thumbpicking style, and I eventually discovered that the Herco plastic thumbpicks 1) don't strangle my thumb and 2) can be trimmed down to minimize how much I have to change my right-hand attack.

I shorten, round, and smooth the point of a Herco medium (nail clippers and an emery board) so that about a quarter-inch protrudes--it's just enough to engage the strings without having to change my right-hand angle a lot, and it sharpens the attack and increases the volume of an alternating bassline. I keep my fingernails just long enough for flesh-and-nails playing, and it's easy to revert to playing without the thumbpick as needed.

 

[roadbiker]

Ever since the pandemic, I have struggled with keeping my fingernails. What with alcohol wipes and the such, my fingernails have become brittle.

What do you do to keep your fingernails strong?

Do any of you use artificial nails?

I've read several articles and spoken to several finger-style players. But I wanted to throw out the topic here to see what some of you thought.
Thanks

Stop using so much hand sanitizer and wash your hands with soap and water.

 

[ReevesRd]

Stop using so much hand sanitizer

I'm not using it now. When I was teaching in 2020, teachers were expected to clean each desk between classes. That's when I started having problems with my nails.