Ditching the fingerpicks

dreadnut

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I've been working on this, and I've finally gotten to the point where I've built up enough callouses on my picking thumb and fingers that I don't need the fingerpicks any more. Sounds pretty good through my Fishman Loudbox Mini.

I use my thumb and first two fingers to fingerpick the strings, and use my fingernail(s) to downstroke. You can't do this with fingerpicks on, they get all bollixed up.

I still do a lot of flatpicking as well.
 

killdeer43

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I could never get used to fingerpicks, as hard as I tried.
I'm pleased with the comfort of my well-trained/calloused thumb and two fingers. The nails on my index and middle fingers are trimmed and quite suitable as 'picks' for my use.
Also good that I don't have to worry about losing/misplacing them! :triumphant:

Joe
 

dreadnut

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I originally started using fingerpicks on my banjo, then I started using them on guitar. All was well until a few years ago when I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand, after which I never could get that middle-finger-pick to work for diddly. I thought it would come back, but it never did.

Interestingly, my bare middle finger works great for fingerpicking as long as I don't have a pick wrapped around it.

And I must say, my fingerpicking has improved all around with the bare finger approach.

I do a lot of "Doc" style picking, just the thumb and first two fingers. Works great on a whole lotta Prine songs too.
 
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Rayk

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Good deal , I never got used to finger picks . Love to hear you play a tune :)

I could never do finger nails either though many of my favorite guitarist have the pick shaped fingers well manicured of coarse . All I see is a bloody and painful accident lol
 
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killdeer43

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I originally started using fingerpicks on my banjo, then I started using them on guitar. All was well until a few years ago when I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand, after which I never could get that middle-finger-pick to work for diddly. I thought it would come back, but it never did.

Interestingly, my bare middle finger works great for fingerpicking as long as I don't have a pick wrapped around it.

And I must say, my fingerpicking has improved all around with the bare finger approach.

I do a lot of "Doc" style picking, just the thumb and first two fingers. Works great on a whole lotta Prine songs too.
I play claw hammer style on banjo and my thumb and longer nails work just fine.

I also play lots of Doc and JP and, I believe Doc used only his thumb and forefinger, just like Merle Travis. Both pretty decent fingerpickers. :wink-new:
*Lots of you tube videos of both.

Joe
 

dreadnut

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I've watched many of those videos. There are also people who play a combination of flatpicking and fingerpicking simultaneously, I never could do that either.
 

JohnW63

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I do some "hybrid picking" but I never knew it was called that. I learned to use my fingers first, then use a flat pick. So, holding the flat pick and using the left over fingers seemed elementary.
 

CosmicArkie

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I do some "hybrid picking" but I never knew it was called that. I learned to use my fingers first, then use a flat pick. So, holding the flat pick and using the left over fingers seemed elementary.

Those who can are particularly irritating to those of us who can't.....:wink-new:
 

F312

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I've been working on this, and I've finally gotten to the point where I've built up enough callouses on my picking thumb and fingers that I don't need the fingerpicks any more. Sounds pretty good through my Fishman Loudbox Mini.

I use my thumb and first two fingers to fingerpick the strings, and use my fingernail(s) to downstroke. You can't do this with fingerpicks on, they get all bollixed up.

I still do a lot of flatpicking as well.

"Ditching", now that's a word I haven't heard or used in a long time. Thanks for jogging my mind.

Ralph
 

Westerly Wood

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yeah, i have tried several times with finger picks. even just a thumb pick. but never took. kind of like smoking cigarettes, i really gave it the ole college try but failed miserably. :)
 

richardp69

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Never have been much of a finger picker. I just beat the hell out of the strings with my thin pick(s), that tend to break quite often.
 

Westerly Wood

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Never have been much of a finger picker. I just beat the hell out of the strings with my thin pick(s), that tend to break quite often.

the 2.0 mm Dunlop picks never break.
it takes me months to even need to use a new one
i like their picks so much I have started to buy their strings :)
 

Rayk

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F312

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Try the Claton Frost-Bite Nylon .53mm, I used the Dunlop nylon .46mm for 20 years and found this to be just a little bit more responsive.

Ralph
 

Rayk

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That looks interesting. I'm a picker with over half gallon jug of picks, so I'll check it out.

Ralph
Cool lol let me know if you like them .
 
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I weaned myself off fingerpicks several years ago and never looked back. It opens up a new world of all kinds of combined picking/down strumming with your fingers that simply doesn't work with fingerpicks.

Back in the day before decent acoustic guitar amplification, you really needed finger/thumb picks as well as flat picks to be heard in an amplified situation - especially if you were in any kind of band situation and had to rely on a mic for your acoustic guitar to be heard.

Of course we have all kinds of pickups and such today, and even in a loud venue, you can be heard playing true finger style.

I do however, keep my National finger picks and plastic thumb picks for playing my Rickenbacker 360 12 string. I need the string attack given by picks, and the strings are too close together to get my fat fingers in between the strings!
 

walrus

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I do some "hybrid picking" but I never knew it was called that. I learned to use my fingers first, then use a flat pick. So, holding the flat pick and using the left over fingers seemed elementary.

Me, too. It just sort of came naturally to me, I don't know why.

Never learned to use the pinky when hybrid-picking though, just the middle and ring fingers.

walrus
 

walrus

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Never have been much of a finger picker. I just beat the hell out of the strings with my thin pick(s), that tend to break quite often.

As mentioned, try some different materials. Ultex or Tortex thin picks (and other materials) will definitely hold up better than regular celluloid picks.

I've been using Dunlop Ultex .6 gauge (triangle size) for a long time now. Don't know if .6 is thin enough for you, but I use them on both acoustic and electric.

walrus
 
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