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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner | Page: 1 2   |
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| Fingerpicks or Bare Fingers? - General Guitar - Guitar - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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GreasyStrings Approved 
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So, who plays with thumb pick and fingerpicks as opposed to playing with bare fingers. Furthermore, do you wear thumb picks for certain styles of fingerstyle music and not for others? Personally, I use fingerpicks 100% of the time when playing fingerstyle guitar. I love the feel and metallic sound of the fingerpicks. So, what do you prefer?
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SteveT Approved 
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Bare Fingers. The sound is more mellow. However, picks do give a lot more volume and save your nails.
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Richard Hefner Administrator 
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I play fingerpicking guitar using a thumbpick on my thumb but no picks on my index or middle fingers. For bluegrass banjo I use a thumbpick and two metal fingerpicks (index and middle) as most bluegrass players use. For ukulele, banjola, and clawhammer banjo no picks at all... just bare fingers.
____________________ Richard Hefner Webmaster, ezFolk.com MP3 Page: http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/richardhefner |
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Homer Approved 
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I use a plastic thumbpick and metal fingerpicks for guitar. I used to play with bare fingers ala Mississippi John Hurt, but I eventually got back to fingerpicks. It's obviously easier on the fingers and projects better. Homer.
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stratman Approved 
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I use my bare finger tips, not my nails . But I've been trying to get used to finger picks.
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CMac Approved 
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I use my bare fingers most of the time......but I have been using a plastic thumb pick occasionally. I find that some songs sound better with the bass notes nice and loud (with a thumbpick), and some songs sound better with the bass notes a bit more subdued (without a thumb pick). I should mention that I only play the guitar right now - but I will be learning the banjo soon - and depending on what music type I decide to learn - I might just have to learn how to use finger picks! I might also add that I don't use my fingernails at all when I finger pick - I just pick with the skin on the ends of my fingers (except my thumb - which I don't use the end of it so much as the corner of it).
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jerrymorgan Approved
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I play guitar using fingernails sometimes and sometimes fingerpicks and a thumbpick. It depends on the song, it depends on the strings used and it really depends on the guitar. I have a Tacoma mahogany jumbo with a really good setup that sounds wonderful amplified when I play with fingernails. Unamplified I use picks. I also have a late 1970s vintage Guild D-35 that I use fingerpicks and a thumbpick with because it doesn't have the volume otherwise. I always thought that fingerstyle blues sounded better played amplified with fingernails. Same goes for some of the old 40s standards like "Mr. Sandman." I think that some folk songs sound better with picks when you want the guitar to ring and have a lot of sustain, especially if you're playing in an open tuning. Also, there's this luthier and guitar player name of Wayne Henderson who makes fine guitars and plays in a flat pick style using a thumbpick and fingerpick(s)--downstroke with the thumb and upstroke with fingerpick. He plays lead like that and it sounds great. I tried playing "St. Anne's Reel" like that and I think it will be fun if I can ever get the hang of it. I always use picks when I play a banjo (Scruggs style). Strings are everyone's personal preference. I use Dean Markley Alchemy strings (11-52) mostly. I got a free set of La Bella phosphor bronze and like them too. I like DR strings also. Anyway, I ramble on.... I'll bet that whatever you try, you'll like in some way or another. If it sounds good to you, it is good. Happy pickin'. Jerry 
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irisnevins Approved
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Thumb pick and fingernails...I live in fear of breaking my index and middle finger nail...as do others!! I have seen John Renbourne "doing his nails" a few times before a gig....as in crazygluing a fake nail on! I keep mine at just long enough so they don't break if I hit them, but long enough to catch the strings. Can't use fingerpicks, need to feel the string, but am lost without a thumbpick. Don't even know what a flatpick is....! irisnevins
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Austonian Approved 
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i use occasionaly a thumbpick and two Alaskian fingerpicks.
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1four5 Approved 
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I got my first set of bluegrass banjo picks a few weeks ago, before then, I had never tried them. The finger picks are a no go for now, but the metel dunlop rolled edge thumb pick is wonderful. In a few minutes I had controll of it, and haven't played without it since. I use it for banjo and guitar. I also recently got some alaska finger picks, and really love them! They do however give me a little trouble when I'm trying to do stuff that takes a lot of speed. My last several jams and couple weeks of practice have been done with the metel thumb pick and bare finger nails. It is good to know though, that the alaskas are available if I bust up a nail. I couldn't get an alaska to sound right at all on my thumb. This all, of course, is part of the on going journey...
____________________ These are the good times! |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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Lets see - I use the fingernail of my middle finger and no thumb pick for the banjo - frail/clawhammer. Two finger style (in progress) is end of first finger, no thumb pick. Guitar is finger ends or nails depending on sound desired, no thumb pick (nylon-stringed). Uke is same as banjo. Haven't decided what to use on the fiddle, yet  . Keep on pickin'Brad Last edited on Fri Sep 30th, 2005 08:03 pm by banjo brad ____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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CMHansen Approved 
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Thumbpick but no fingerpicks. I always found fingerpicks to be to bright for my taste, so it's just finger nails for me. I use a three finger style 'cause I like the harp like effect I can get by rolling a arpege out of the thumb, index and middle fingers, and still hit the higher note of the melody with the ring finger. He, he. Yeah crazy glue works great when you crack a nail.
____________________ Chris. 'My Music' |
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Will Approved
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I use a thumb pick (Herco thumb-flat or regular Dunlop thumbpick), but no fingerpicks. One of these days, I'll get the hang of using a flatpick. For playing softer ballads, or for practice in the evening, I play without picks, but I use only my thumb.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ |
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1four5 Approved
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Update since mt last post. Over Christmas I broke two fingernails jamming hard. I went to get the alaskas out, and saw my old banjo finger picks, and decided to revisit them. I'm glad I did because I figured out a way to make them work better than anything I could ever hope for. Bent them up to touch my nail, and then about a 45 degree tip bend, placing the tip in the exact spot a healthy nail would be. Getting used to them took several seconds, and I haven't played without them since. Much faster and more accurate than my nails and skin, with plenty of volume when I want it, or pleasent chimey tone if I play softly...really makes my resos and banjo scream! Last edited on Mon Jul 24th, 2006 10:09 am by 1four5 ____________________ These are the good times! |
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c2wave2 Approved 
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I wonder if anybody noticed fingerpicks are sorta like riding a bike. Once you get used to playing with them, you can stop for awhile and doesn't take long to pick up where you left off, with them. At least this seems to be the way for me. I played without for alot of years, then played for a year straight, and now im back to playing without, most of time, Im rather fickle at this point... Both ways have their advantages... Im just glad its not taking as long to get used to them. Chuck
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ThirdRatePoet Approved 
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Err...plectrum... When I do finger-pick, bare fingers. But I'm that bad at it, it hardly matters! Dan
____________________ ezFolk My Website iTunes - 'The Folks Underground' |
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Tricone John Approved 
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I use metal thumb and 3 finger picks especially on the reso. OK, so it took a while to get the hang of it, and I've had scary moments when I've realised that a pick is working loose (can I make it to the end of the song????) but the advantage of the extra volume and clean bright notes make it worth while. I've also use picks on standard guitar songs when I need to get a clean bright sound, but move the mic away or else you pick up the clacks and scrapes that inevitably come with metal picks. I'd like to get some plastic picks for recording to reduce the pick noises. Any recommendations? TJ 
____________________ Old bluesmen never die, they just keep going from bar to bar. |
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1four5 Approved
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So far I've never met a plastic pic I like...by the time they stay in place they are so tight my fingers are numb...but...if they were the only thing left and I had to use them, the alaska plastics work pretty good. http://www.alaskapik.com/ Last edited on Mon Jul 24th, 2006 11:31 am by 1four5 ____________________ These are the good times! |
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Tricone John Approved
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Thanks 1four5. Numb fingers is not on my list of wants! I'll check out the UK suppliers for Alaska picks. Thanks for the info. TJ
____________________ Old bluesmen never die, they just keep going from bar to bar. |
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BD Approved 
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Hello, new member here. This topic interests me very much. I've played guitar for 35 years or so, using a pick between thumb and first finger and using all the other fingernails. I started playing banjo about ten years ago and naturally just used my fingernails, no picks. I really do like the sound and the various expressive things I've learned to do that way, but it sure does wear my nails down, and a broken nail is just terrible the day of a gig or at a long rehearsal (ripping flesh etc) Playing guitar with my nails is less wear and tear because I don't play that way 100% of the time, but I'm playing the banjo more and more lately so in order to save my nails for my guitar playing I finally started trying fingerpicks when I play banjo. It's only been two days so far, but it's promising! The tone certainly is different, not "better" or "worse", just very different, but if I can get a good feeling with the picks I'll stick with them. (Unless I can get permanent unbreakable fingernails!) Bob
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| ezFolk Forums > Guitar > General Guitar > Fingerpicks or Bare Fingers? | |
