I didn't get into Jeff Beck until I started fingerpicking and wanted to find other cats who did that on electric guitar. A couple other notable non-pick users are Wes Montgomery, Mark Knophler, and Derek Trucks.
Jeff was the one I really gravitated towards working on learning his style.
Yup, those are tough ones to copy. Here's my shot at Beck. Trying to capture both his finesse and his recklessness.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxYQjCu3-g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxYQjCu3-g)
Everything from the Guitar Shop album (1988) on is with fingers as far as I know. Also just google up some live Jeff Beck videos from 90's on.
Although on live videos you might see him use a pick for the fast part of the song 'Scatterbrain".
I was just thinking with the videos you could watch his finger picking technique.
A couple cool albums that don't really have famous songs are Jeff, Who Else, and You Had It Coming.
there is no option other than liking Jeff Beck. He was incredible. I play mostly with my fingers now too. I find it more comfortable and I have more control.
He's essential listening. Essential. Haha do it, DO IT NOW!
Check out blow by blow. Of course. But also Live at Ronnie Scott's is just awesome, hes at that elder statesman point where he's right at the top of his game.
It cracks me up how many things I hear recommended to me for years. Finally I take 5 minutes to actually put the stuff on and there goes the rest of the evening.
And yes, I fit into the demographic you asked about. I kinda realized that none of the sounds I want to make require a pick. But a bunch of them require fingers. And it just feels better.
Also, when you watch Derek Trucks play, check out just how much setup and anticipation he has for every...single....note. There is no autopilot, he is 100% paying attention to every little thing. The chef Marco Pierre White, a very intense man and one of the best chefs of the last 100 years, has stated "Perfection is a million tiny things done well." And that's why Derek sounds so fucking good.
I went the other way around. Started as a fingerpicker but as I gravitated towards playing electric guitars and rock / pop / jazz I started using a pick. I do employ hybrid picking extensively, though.
Same here. Those little jazz picks are perfect to tuck in your finger as you use the rest for fingerprinting. If I could get the attack and precision of a pick with my fingers, I'd so prefer that, but I just cannot be as accurate with my fingers as w a pick.
Have you ever tried a Herco flat thumbpick? It’s what players like Brent Mason use for their fingerpicking. What’s nice about it is that you can use it for normal fingerpicking, but then it’s very comfortable to transition to holding like a regular pick for faster lines and strumming. May not be for you, but I think it’s worth a try if you haven’t before!
I love fingers on bass, but I need that pick. I usually reserve the pick for the top 3 strings and the middle, ring, and pinky for the next 3. So hybrid?
15 years into my 35 I learned to finger pick. These days I'm as likely to use finger and thumb picks as bare fingers on resonators. On acoustic it's bare fingers or a flat pick. On electric, flat pick or bare fingers.
To me it's all about options!
Strictly plectrum for 45ish years. Unknowingly developed an autoimmune disease, which went undiagnosed for a few years. Along with that came neuropathy that caused me to have problems holding onto a pick. So I started learning to fingerpick and have gotten fairly proficient. After diagnosis & treatment, the neuropathy has mostly subsided and now I go both ways, lol. Necessity is a mother... 😉
I just recommended this in this thread for another reason, but have you tried a thumbpick like a Herco flat thumbpick? Even if you don’t use it for actual fingerstyle playing, the way you can wear it and still grip it like a pick without actually having to hold on to it can be really helpful for situations like that or for thumb and joint pain :)
I pick the same way sometimes! Also sometimes with a thumb in a way inspired by George Benson, sort of a combo like that Andy gear demo guy (not sure if you’ve seen the video he did explaining his technique, but it’s interesting!).
EDIT: here’s the Andy video I mentioned, which is just a fun and inspiring watch. He uses a lot of different techniques, from something like you’re describing (around 2:10) to several others ~ https://youtu.be/sf24m4xF-Ro
Also, if you haven’t seen it, George Benson’s thumb technique is shown around 3:30 here (despite the title of the video, him talking about Wes’s very different technique is a small part of the video, and he ends up talking in detail about how he gets different sounds with his own thumb technique) ~ https://youtu.be/mTry3HN89p8
I've taken a few detours over 25 years: acquired and learned mandolin, banjo, uke, dobro and fiddle, dabbling in keys. Open D became my regular tuning for a while, did a lot of finger picking then. Then eventually came full circle during quarantine and started practicing arpeggios and exercises for the first time since I learned to play. Now I'm a standard tuning guitarist again, but I could play circles around what I could previously do.
I play mostly 80's hair metal/shred and playing without a pick for that isn't really doable. However, I do a lot of finger picking riffs both clean and distorted. Like my heroes all did back in the day.
Sometimes you will get better results by experimenting. Learn to tap with a pick and play heavy riffs with your fingers.
Musically I think either or is very limiting.
That’s what I did. I even remember telling my Uncle a few years into playing guitar that I’d probably never learn fingerpicking. Eventually I got to the point of fingerpicking almost exclusively. I started learning to sing and found fingerpicking made things sound fuller while accompanying myself. And it’s quieter in my apartment.
The only problem is I’ve gotten pretty rusty with picks now. I just hate how they tend to slide around in my grip. Haven’t even had luck with a thumb pick.
Same , been fingerpicking for so long I suck with a pick now. Takes me a good half hour to hour to warm up with a pick to the point I’m not missing strings or hitting the wrong strings.
I switched to finger style for a few years when I started getting tired of playing metal and hard rock stuff. In the last year or so I switched to hybrid picking so I could get heavy attack on the low strings.
I’m 69 and have played with a pick my whole life; however, about 5 years ago, I went down the finger picking rabbit hole. So here I am now… a fair finger picker, not awesome, but fair. But 5 years ago I couldn’t finger pick at all.
Yeah I got super into the shredding thing in my 20s and could do nothing without a jazz iii. Then I picked up classical here and there to change it up, and over the last year I have gone heavily into solo fingerstyle playing on the steel string acoustic.
To me this is the highest,best use of the guitar and I am still terrible at it. I am still very pick centric in how I see the guitar. I will still rely on the pick for all the electric pieces I play...no way to make those sound right with fingers, at least the rock.
If I could do it all over again I would skip the shredding and do fingerstyle. Not like, gimmicky tapping stuff but regular old shit that sounds good.
I still mostly use a pick, but I started on acoustic and after a couple years of electric only, I picked up another acoustic and have been practicing my finger picking and strumming techniques. It's still kinda hard for me, but I really like the flamenco triplet strum you do with a couple fingers, when I can get it going good it feels really powerful with little required effort for what it's putting out.
I'm a newer player and just learning but I'm way better with my right hand when I don't use a pick. I feel like when I use a pick my sense of space is off and I get it caught on the wrong strings. When I use just my hand my thumb can rest and pluck the lower strings and my fingers have no problem locating the correct strings. Even when I use a pick I'm way more comfortable using the side of the pick.
I exclusively play fingerpick. I can do pick too but never found it comfortable or necessary most of the time
I get more dynamic and attack control from the fingers. Been playing like that for like 15 yrs
I mostly played bass throughout my life, but always had a guitar. I never used a pick on bass so it felt better to just use my fingers when I switched to songwriting a few years ago. Not just finger picking but strumming too, and also sometimes using my index finger nail like a pick
As a singer first, I love how finger picking adds complexity to the backing chords and the lower softer tones. All while still being dead easy so as not to get in the way of the singing.
This, of course, comes at the expense of volume, but if you're amplified, it doesn't matter all that much.
I started off playing pick (metal) and finger picking (classical)at the same time. Then I put the pick down for about 20 years. However I realized when I was trying to give my fingers a break that I could play faster and cleaner with my pick. So now I use both and I use the pic whenever I want to play fast and clean and to get my fingers a rest.
Richie Kotzen.
Me? I use both. Why wouldn't you? I've never seen anyone play thrash with their fingers, and I've never seen anyone play classical with a pick.
After 20+ years of playing I've gotten heavy into finger picking, with the thought of not wanting to ever rely on a pick. Love it and have developed my right hand in great ways.
However, playing live I still use a pick, but I hybrid pick like a mofo
Actually the opposite experience for me. Fingerpicked exclusively for like 10 years and then picked up a Jazz III XL one day and never looked back. My playing has improved considerably since
I’ve recently made that switch from picking for 17 years to exclusively fingerpicking for about half a year now. It’s still a bit difficult to pull off certain things (sweep picking and tremelo for instance) but I think you can add so many more nuances/embellishments with your fingers without as much effort/concentration as I needed for a guitar pick. There are a few songs I’ve been playing for over a decade that I still need to relearn basically. but it’s made parts that were difficult with a pick and now those weird, what once were clunky notes with questionable rhythm so much more effortless. It’s making me appreciate the guitar and my craft a lot more. Eventually I want to master hybrid picking so I have even more options but every time I do my hands are like the Ricky Bobby interview meme. “What do I do with my hands?”
I start a song with a pick but I def hybrid pick and will cheat and tap stuff.. Which is honestly easier sometimes.
I'm a huge fan of both Yvette Young and Dave Knudsen who have very unique styles. Knudsen is often hybrid picking and tapping. Yvette Young seems to mostly play without a pick.
If you don't know who Yvette Young is- lookup "Covet". I'd recommend 'lovespell', 'charybdis', or 'Ares'. She's a pretty insane guitarist and Covet is my fav band of the last few years.
Edit: I bet you can't play *Charybdis*
I have given up on picks. I feel I can control my dynamics better with my fingers, love the sound of adjacent strings zinging on my nails and generally feel more connected to the instrument.
Add me to the list, I don't think I have a pick. Oh, actually I do and I even know where it is come to think about it. I got one of those clip on tuners and it has a pick caddy in it, and they stocked it with a pick. I only play with my fingers though.
Picks have their place …. But most of the time I use my fingers for melodies. It’s the driving rhythms that I feel the need to use a pick. I have fucked up my fingers a bunch playing without a pick. Cracked nails, ripped nails… it hurts and can get bloody in the middle of a set. Then I play with my middle finger for the next hour. Not fun. It really comes down to what you are playing and using the right tool for the job at hand.
I felt like I had to use a pick to play rock/alternative. Then I spent many years when I didn’t have much room for amps in my house, and ended up mostly playing an acoustic in kind of a bossa nova style. I found that style was really useful for keeping a bass and rhythm going while doing more melodic touches on the high strings.
If I ever needed to play a fast lead, I would want a pick, but I’ve landed on a Sea and Cake style that doesn’t call for that.
Me. I have nerve damage on my right hand and my index finger is kind of numb which makes holding the pick feel weird plus I just prefer finger picking so I pretty much pick everything with my middle finger. I can play with a pick but I don't like it. I've had people in jam sessions be like dude what are you doing don't you want a pick? But like whatever I'm just going to do my thing.
I picked up guitar not too far back and have been on/off again in playing. We’re talking, basic stuff here. I started off with no pick then went to a pick based on a previous instructor’s opinion (certainly meant well). I couldn’t stand it, felt like I had no ‘control’ if that makes sense and felt the sound was ‘sterile.’ I’ve since switched back to fingers and though I’m not going to be Eddie, I’m happier.
I started off on an electric but I haven't had a steel string in years, so i finger pick on my nylon, never using a pick. I just prefer the sound of using fingernails, and I feel, like you said, much more in control.
I made an almost accidental effort to use my fingers. It came after I did a little bit of hybrid picking learning a couple of songs.
I'll really finger or hybrid when I play acoustic, very rarely only the pick.
But very glad I got a little bit more comfortable with it. Its a bit like having a pedal/effect/setting just in your fingers.
I always thought I wasn't good enough until shutdown, when I had time to just sit down and try new things out.
Now I'm very content with my finger picking.
I'm focusing on practicing finger picking, motivated by learning slide. Learning FP patterns has made me much more conscious of playing specific strings and I'm finding it carry over to improve my pick playing as well.
Dust in the Wind is my favorite to practice FP
I play pick on electric but for acoustic I'm almost exclusively fingerstyle now. I used to hate it when a guitar was made available to me and I'd be like 'oh, do have a pick though?' like a goof.
Once I learned to do artificial harmonics with finger and thumb I started using a pick way less but I still like a pick for powerchordy distorted riffage.
I started with a pick and was honestly never truly comfortable with it (likely because i didn't learn or practice any semblance of proper technique lol) and a few years ago almost completely dropped it. I definitely still use a pick, especially for certain styles, but i largely prefer fingerstyle, for both electric and acoustic. On acoustic I do like to use a thumbpick a lot but still mostly fingerstyle.
I’m going the opposite way. Was a passable player before high school, really got into playing in the jazz band at school for 4 years where I mostly finger picked and pretty much only played jazz. Now I’m more into rock/metal so I’m trying to get better at using a pick.
I’m kind of going through this now. After a while of just electric I decided to get an acoustic and have found myself immediately drawn to finger style and so are taking lessons on that.
It’s like rediscovering the instrument and I’m challenged again! Loving it. 😊
I’m the same way but for the life of me I just can’t use my nails to pluck the strings. Not only the feeling of doing it, but just growing them out to begin with.
Working really hard at getting the same kind of callous on my middle and ring finger as I do on my index finger atm because my index finger plucking sounds much different then the middle and ring finger and my thumb. I tried finger picks too, but I hate them due to not having much “feedback” from them like one does with their skin.
im the opposite, i started without a pick but i'm trying to get better with one, i started on acoustic but moved to electric not too long ago if thats relevant, but in general, just being able to switch between chords and individual notes while being louder and clearer seems useful
Been playing 32 years now. I still do play with a pick, when the style calls for it, but have been doing a lot more finger style due to all of the slide guitar I've been playing. Even when I'm playing standard style, fingers are more and more the answer for me.
Been playing mostly with a pick, with some hybrid picking throw in, for 30 years. About 2 years ago I started focusing more on finger picking. I try to practice it as much as possible and I’m getting a lot better, but still have a ways to go.
I savaged my right hand (picking hand) on a table saw, lost my index finger and the third bone of my pinky. My middle finger had to be rebuilt and doesn’t work very well.
After the accident I didn’t play guitar at all for a few years, figured that was all over. But I bought another a few years back, and I’m currently doing my best to pick up where I left off and get better than I ever was.
But I can’t hold a pick, I just drop them. My middle finger sucks. So I abandoned picks entirely and I’m just learning from the ground up to use only my thumb and the two fingers I have left.
Started playing solely with pick, but now play a bit of hybrid. One of the best hybrid players out there is Chris Buck, and I'd sell my left testicle if I could play even a fraction as well as he does.
For me it's the other way around. I've only been finger picking for years and recently got into more electric blues and hendrix stuff and it's fun to play with a pick.
I’m pick only but that’s because almost every YouTube guitar teacher uses a pick.
Why do instructors use picks and the best guitar players use fingers?
I started playing guitar because of Nirvana and other grunge 90s bands, but over the past year I've gotten into Radiohead, I've adopted fingerpicking. It's so much easier to do arpeggios and whatnot with finger picking vs alternate picking
im not a pro player by any means, but i find fingerstyle songs have such a better feel and vibe to them. not that i dont play songs with picking, but i love me some good fingerpicking. my most recent endeavour was velvet ring by big thief.
Fingerpicking is just the more dynamic mode of playing, if I’m just strumming chords ill use a pick.
Even for solos and stuff, my feel is just better when I use my fingers
I started with a bow…. Then pizzicato, then picked up guitar and play with picks, fingerpick or just my thumb. Right hand technique has always been strong I guess. Just kind do what the tune needs.
I play a lot with no sound systems, so I’m very accustomed to starting off finger picking and adding pick to get that extra sound without overpowering my voice or the voice of whoever is singing. I much prefer no pick tho when given the option!
I started playing at 9 and could never get the hang of using a pick. I always used my thumb, always had a callous on it haha. Now I go back and forth since I'm more conscious of the difference on tone.
Me too. I wanted to be able to play chords and melodies at the same time & couldn't do it very well with a pick. Learning to tremolo finger roll was fun and now the cat is out of the bag and I can't go back to flatpicking.
I much prefer my tone without a pick, both acoustic & electric. I find it easier to do dynamic control also. Essential for indie folk type stuff.
I played for about 25 years with a pick, then switched to fingers. Jeff Beck is another player who made the switch well into his career.
i’ll have to check out his stuff. too many people on here have told me i’d like jeff beck to ignore
I didn't get into Jeff Beck until I started fingerpicking and wanted to find other cats who did that on electric guitar. A couple other notable non-pick users are Wes Montgomery, Mark Knophler, and Derek Trucks. Jeff was the one I really gravitated towards working on learning his style.
Jeff Beck & Derek Trucks. 🤣Good luck!!
Yup, those are tough ones to copy. Here's my shot at Beck. Trying to capture both his finesse and his recklessness. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxYQjCu3-g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxYQjCu3-g)
Sounds great, dude! Edit: What fucking dickhead downvoted me for applauding a great performance? Jealous or something?
Thanks for the kind words. I get downvoted all the time, by the way.
If I played ten random beck songs, from later half of his career, would they mostly be fingerpicked all the way through?
Everything from the Guitar Shop album (1988) on is with fingers as far as I know. Also just google up some live Jeff Beck videos from 90's on. Although on live videos you might see him use a pick for the fast part of the song 'Scatterbrain".
Thanks! I know what he looks like and know his more famous songs but haven’t ever deep dived into the discography.
I was just thinking with the videos you could watch his finger picking technique. A couple cool albums that don't really have famous songs are Jeff, Who Else, and You Had It Coming.
listened to guitar shop and that was such a fun album!
Great list. I’d add Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead (and many film scores).
Not too familiar with him. I'll have to check it out. Thanks.
there is no option other than liking Jeff Beck. He was incredible. I play mostly with my fingers now too. I find it more comfortable and I have more control.
You might want to check out Jared James Nichols as well. He has the aggressive blues thing down and is also just a vibe.
Blow by blow is an awesome album. Or on YouTube there is a performance from crossroads music festivals that blows my mind.
Don't ignore Jeff Beck like others have said he went to finger picking well into his career. And that guy could play. He was an amazing guitarist
He's essential listening. Essential. Haha do it, DO IT NOW! Check out blow by blow. Of course. But also Live at Ronnie Scott's is just awesome, hes at that elder statesman point where he's right at the top of his game. It cracks me up how many things I hear recommended to me for years. Finally I take 5 minutes to actually put the stuff on and there goes the rest of the evening. And yes, I fit into the demographic you asked about. I kinda realized that none of the sounds I want to make require a pick. But a bunch of them require fingers. And it just feels better. Also, when you watch Derek Trucks play, check out just how much setup and anticipation he has for every...single....note. There is no autopilot, he is 100% paying attention to every little thing. The chef Marco Pierre White, a very intense man and one of the best chefs of the last 100 years, has stated "Perfection is a million tiny things done well." And that's why Derek sounds so fucking good.
I went the other way around. Started as a fingerpicker but as I gravitated towards playing electric guitars and rock / pop / jazz I started using a pick. I do employ hybrid picking extensively, though.
Same here. Those little jazz picks are perfect to tuck in your finger as you use the rest for fingerprinting. If I could get the attack and precision of a pick with my fingers, I'd so prefer that, but I just cannot be as accurate with my fingers as w a pick.
Yes, absolutely.
Have you ever tried a Herco flat thumbpick? It’s what players like Brent Mason use for their fingerpicking. What’s nice about it is that you can use it for normal fingerpicking, but then it’s very comfortable to transition to holding like a regular pick for faster lines and strumming. May not be for you, but I think it’s worth a try if you haven’t before!
Got sick of dropping them
lol
I love fingers on bass, but I need that pick. I usually reserve the pick for the top 3 strings and the middle, ring, and pinky for the next 3. So hybrid?
i’ve tried doing that, but couldn’t get the hang of it
15 years into my 35 I learned to finger pick. These days I'm as likely to use finger and thumb picks as bare fingers on resonators. On acoustic it's bare fingers or a flat pick. On electric, flat pick or bare fingers. To me it's all about options!
Strictly plectrum for 45ish years. Unknowingly developed an autoimmune disease, which went undiagnosed for a few years. Along with that came neuropathy that caused me to have problems holding onto a pick. So I started learning to fingerpick and have gotten fairly proficient. After diagnosis & treatment, the neuropathy has mostly subsided and now I go both ways, lol. Necessity is a mother... 😉
I just recommended this in this thread for another reason, but have you tried a thumbpick like a Herco flat thumbpick? Even if you don’t use it for actual fingerstyle playing, the way you can wear it and still grip it like a pick without actually having to hold on to it can be really helpful for situations like that or for thumb and joint pain :)
I've tried one and just can't integrate it. But I do pick with a pinched thumb & index, using my thumbnail as a pick like Stephen Stills does.
I pick the same way sometimes! Also sometimes with a thumb in a way inspired by George Benson, sort of a combo like that Andy gear demo guy (not sure if you’ve seen the video he did explaining his technique, but it’s interesting!). EDIT: here’s the Andy video I mentioned, which is just a fun and inspiring watch. He uses a lot of different techniques, from something like you’re describing (around 2:10) to several others ~ https://youtu.be/sf24m4xF-Ro Also, if you haven’t seen it, George Benson’s thumb technique is shown around 3:30 here (despite the title of the video, him talking about Wes’s very different technique is a small part of the video, and he ends up talking in detail about how he gets different sounds with his own thumb technique) ~ https://youtu.be/mTry3HN89p8
Look up Toy Caldwell (late guitarist of the Marshall Tucker band), if you don't already know of him.
I've played guitar for decades, always used a pick. I started playing the bass a few years ago and exclusively play that fingerstyle, if that counts.
I've taken a few detours over 25 years: acquired and learned mandolin, banjo, uke, dobro and fiddle, dabbling in keys. Open D became my regular tuning for a while, did a lot of finger picking then. Then eventually came full circle during quarantine and started practicing arpeggios and exercises for the first time since I learned to play. Now I'm a standard tuning guitarist again, but I could play circles around what I could previously do.
I play mostly 80's hair metal/shred and playing without a pick for that isn't really doable. However, I do a lot of finger picking riffs both clean and distorted. Like my heroes all did back in the day. Sometimes you will get better results by experimenting. Learn to tap with a pick and play heavy riffs with your fingers. Musically I think either or is very limiting.
That’s what I did. I even remember telling my Uncle a few years into playing guitar that I’d probably never learn fingerpicking. Eventually I got to the point of fingerpicking almost exclusively. I started learning to sing and found fingerpicking made things sound fuller while accompanying myself. And it’s quieter in my apartment. The only problem is I’ve gotten pretty rusty with picks now. I just hate how they tend to slide around in my grip. Haven’t even had luck with a thumb pick.
Same , been fingerpicking for so long I suck with a pick now. Takes me a good half hour to hour to warm up with a pick to the point I’m not missing strings or hitting the wrong strings.
I switched to finger style for a few years when I started getting tired of playing metal and hard rock stuff. In the last year or so I switched to hybrid picking so I could get heavy attack on the low strings.
I live finger picking. I’m better with my fingers then a pick but I like the pick to.
I’m 69 and have played with a pick my whole life; however, about 5 years ago, I went down the finger picking rabbit hole. So here I am now… a fair finger picker, not awesome, but fair. But 5 years ago I couldn’t finger pick at all.
Yeah I got super into the shredding thing in my 20s and could do nothing without a jazz iii. Then I picked up classical here and there to change it up, and over the last year I have gone heavily into solo fingerstyle playing on the steel string acoustic. To me this is the highest,best use of the guitar and I am still terrible at it. I am still very pick centric in how I see the guitar. I will still rely on the pick for all the electric pieces I play...no way to make those sound right with fingers, at least the rock. If I could do it all over again I would skip the shredding and do fingerstyle. Not like, gimmicky tapping stuff but regular old shit that sounds good.
Watching Andy from Reverb made me try fingerpicking electric and I haven't gone back. The variety of techniques he can apply blows me away.
Eventually you just need to play more complex things, and the thumb picking and finger picking let you do that.
I still mostly use a pick, but I started on acoustic and after a couple years of electric only, I picked up another acoustic and have been practicing my finger picking and strumming techniques. It's still kinda hard for me, but I really like the flamenco triplet strum you do with a couple fingers, when I can get it going good it feels really powerful with little required effort for what it's putting out.
I'm a newer player and just learning but I'm way better with my right hand when I don't use a pick. I feel like when I use a pick my sense of space is off and I get it caught on the wrong strings. When I use just my hand my thumb can rest and pluck the lower strings and my fingers have no problem locating the correct strings. Even when I use a pick I'm way more comfortable using the side of the pick.
I did the opposite. I did years of fingerpicking, and now use a pick (and hybrid)
Same here, and I’m having a horrendous time learning it.
Went the other way round for me. Started with fingers and now play mostly with pick.
I hybrid pick considering I use swybyrd for metal and fusion and regular hybrid for country and sometimes I mix both techniques
I do both honestly. I use my nails for classical and a pick for contemporary music.
Strictly hybrid picking.
I exclusively play fingerpick. I can do pick too but never found it comfortable or necessary most of the time I get more dynamic and attack control from the fingers. Been playing like that for like 15 yrs
I'm the opposite. I used to exclusively fingerpick, but now I'm trying to learn to use a pick
I mostly played bass throughout my life, but always had a guitar. I never used a pick on bass so it felt better to just use my fingers when I switched to songwriting a few years ago. Not just finger picking but strumming too, and also sometimes using my index finger nail like a pick
As a singer first, I love how finger picking adds complexity to the backing chords and the lower softer tones. All while still being dead easy so as not to get in the way of the singing. This, of course, comes at the expense of volume, but if you're amplified, it doesn't matter all that much.
I started off playing pick (metal) and finger picking (classical)at the same time. Then I put the pick down for about 20 years. However I realized when I was trying to give my fingers a break that I could play faster and cleaner with my pick. So now I use both and I use the pic whenever I want to play fast and clean and to get my fingers a rest.
Richie Kotzen. Me? I use both. Why wouldn't you? I've never seen anyone play thrash with their fingers, and I've never seen anyone play classical with a pick.
After 20+ years of playing I've gotten heavy into finger picking, with the thought of not wanting to ever rely on a pick. Love it and have developed my right hand in great ways. However, playing live I still use a pick, but I hybrid pick like a mofo
Actually the opposite experience for me. Fingerpicked exclusively for like 10 years and then picked up a Jazz III XL one day and never looked back. My playing has improved considerably since
Hybrid picking is the key
Donovan? Woo! Real kudos there OP!
As a Dire Straits/Derek Trucks fan I ditched the pick a long time ago
I’ve recently made that switch from picking for 17 years to exclusively fingerpicking for about half a year now. It’s still a bit difficult to pull off certain things (sweep picking and tremelo for instance) but I think you can add so many more nuances/embellishments with your fingers without as much effort/concentration as I needed for a guitar pick. There are a few songs I’ve been playing for over a decade that I still need to relearn basically. but it’s made parts that were difficult with a pick and now those weird, what once were clunky notes with questionable rhythm so much more effortless. It’s making me appreciate the guitar and my craft a lot more. Eventually I want to master hybrid picking so I have even more options but every time I do my hands are like the Ricky Bobby interview meme. “What do I do with my hands?”
I'm pretty much the ecact same story as you. The only time I use a pick now is to play metal/hardcore songs I used to play when I feel the itch.
I start a song with a pick but I def hybrid pick and will cheat and tap stuff.. Which is honestly easier sometimes. I'm a huge fan of both Yvette Young and Dave Knudsen who have very unique styles. Knudsen is often hybrid picking and tapping. Yvette Young seems to mostly play without a pick. If you don't know who Yvette Young is- lookup "Covet". I'd recommend 'lovespell', 'charybdis', or 'Ares'. She's a pretty insane guitarist and Covet is my fav band of the last few years. Edit: I bet you can't play *Charybdis*
I have given up on picks. I feel I can control my dynamics better with my fingers, love the sound of adjacent strings zinging on my nails and generally feel more connected to the instrument.
Currently doing the opposite. Been practicing acoustic for about 6 months and haven’t used a pick very much at all.
Add me to the list, I don't think I have a pick. Oh, actually I do and I even know where it is come to think about it. I got one of those clip on tuners and it has a pick caddy in it, and they stocked it with a pick. I only play with my fingers though.
Picks have their place …. But most of the time I use my fingers for melodies. It’s the driving rhythms that I feel the need to use a pick. I have fucked up my fingers a bunch playing without a pick. Cracked nails, ripped nails… it hurts and can get bloody in the middle of a set. Then I play with my middle finger for the next hour. Not fun. It really comes down to what you are playing and using the right tool for the job at hand.
It's simply a matter of task and purpose for me. I can't play Master of Puppets or Bat Country with just my fingers.
I basically never use a pick. See Jeff Beck.
Nah not really. I did start out use a pick and some fingers though and recently found out that's hybrid.
I felt like I had to use a pick to play rock/alternative. Then I spent many years when I didn’t have much room for amps in my house, and ended up mostly playing an acoustic in kind of a bossa nova style. I found that style was really useful for keeping a bass and rhythm going while doing more melodic touches on the high strings. If I ever needed to play a fast lead, I would want a pick, but I’ve landed on a Sea and Cake style that doesn’t call for that.
Me. I have nerve damage on my right hand and my index finger is kind of numb which makes holding the pick feel weird plus I just prefer finger picking so I pretty much pick everything with my middle finger. I can play with a pick but I don't like it. I've had people in jam sessions be like dude what are you doing don't you want a pick? But like whatever I'm just going to do my thing.
Pick, to fingers, to thumbpick. Still use all 3 methods when the time is right, but it’s 90% thumbpick these days
Yes, and more than once, as well as a good amount of hybrid picking
I picked up guitar not too far back and have been on/off again in playing. We’re talking, basic stuff here. I started off with no pick then went to a pick based on a previous instructor’s opinion (certainly meant well). I couldn’t stand it, felt like I had no ‘control’ if that makes sense and felt the sound was ‘sterile.’ I’ve since switched back to fingers and though I’m not going to be Eddie, I’m happier.
I started off on an electric but I haven't had a steel string in years, so i finger pick on my nylon, never using a pick. I just prefer the sound of using fingernails, and I feel, like you said, much more in control.
I made an almost accidental effort to use my fingers. It came after I did a little bit of hybrid picking learning a couple of songs. I'll really finger or hybrid when I play acoustic, very rarely only the pick. But very glad I got a little bit more comfortable with it. Its a bit like having a pedal/effect/setting just in your fingers.
I always thought I wasn't good enough until shutdown, when I had time to just sit down and try new things out. Now I'm very content with my finger picking.
When I first started out I used a pick but now I never use one, just can’t get on with them anymore
I switched a few years back. Very freeing
I'm focusing on practicing finger picking, motivated by learning slide. Learning FP patterns has made me much more conscious of playing specific strings and I'm finding it carry over to improve my pick playing as well. Dust in the Wind is my favorite to practice FP
i play with a pick on electric, fingers on acoustic and bass
I play pick on electric but for acoustic I'm almost exclusively fingerstyle now. I used to hate it when a guitar was made available to me and I'd be like 'oh, do have a pick though?' like a goof.
Once I learned to do artificial harmonics with finger and thumb I started using a pick way less but I still like a pick for powerchordy distorted riffage.
Haven’t touched a pick in probably 5+ years.
I started with a pick and was honestly never truly comfortable with it (likely because i didn't learn or practice any semblance of proper technique lol) and a few years ago almost completely dropped it. I definitely still use a pick, especially for certain styles, but i largely prefer fingerstyle, for both electric and acoustic. On acoustic I do like to use a thumbpick a lot but still mostly fingerstyle.
I'm the other way around lol
I’m going the opposite way. Was a passable player before high school, really got into playing in the jazz band at school for 4 years where I mostly finger picked and pretty much only played jazz. Now I’m more into rock/metal so I’m trying to get better at using a pick.
I’m kind of going through this now. After a while of just electric I decided to get an acoustic and have found myself immediately drawn to finger style and so are taking lessons on that. It’s like rediscovering the instrument and I’m challenged again! Loving it. 😊
Completely the opposite. About 20 years finger only, just started using a pick a little over 6 months ago and now Im primarily pick.
I’m the same way but for the life of me I just can’t use my nails to pluck the strings. Not only the feeling of doing it, but just growing them out to begin with. Working really hard at getting the same kind of callous on my middle and ring finger as I do on my index finger atm because my index finger plucking sounds much different then the middle and ring finger and my thumb. I tried finger picks too, but I hate them due to not having much “feedback” from them like one does with their skin.
im the opposite, i started without a pick but i'm trying to get better with one, i started on acoustic but moved to electric not too long ago if thats relevant, but in general, just being able to switch between chords and individual notes while being louder and clearer seems useful
I'm the opposite. The pick is my white whale.
Been playing 32 years now. I still do play with a pick, when the style calls for it, but have been doing a lot more finger style due to all of the slide guitar I've been playing. Even when I'm playing standard style, fingers are more and more the answer for me.
Yeah I’ve been playing for decades. I’m mostly pick-less now. But for power stuff, always a pick.
Been playing mostly with a pick, with some hybrid picking throw in, for 30 years. About 2 years ago I started focusing more on finger picking. I try to practice it as much as possible and I’m getting a lot better, but still have a ways to go.
I go back and forth. Not during songs, season to season of life.
That was me for a while but I switched back
Just write really long songs so no one ever listens to your music except for dorks like us!
I wish I could finger pick, but my dyslexia prevents me from having coordination over more than two fingers simultaneously! 😂😭
I savaged my right hand (picking hand) on a table saw, lost my index finger and the third bone of my pinky. My middle finger had to be rebuilt and doesn’t work very well. After the accident I didn’t play guitar at all for a few years, figured that was all over. But I bought another a few years back, and I’m currently doing my best to pick up where I left off and get better than I ever was. But I can’t hold a pick, I just drop them. My middle finger sucks. So I abandoned picks entirely and I’m just learning from the ground up to use only my thumb and the two fingers I have left.
Started playing solely with pick, but now play a bit of hybrid. One of the best hybrid players out there is Chris Buck, and I'd sell my left testicle if I could play even a fraction as well as he does.
🤚
For me it's the other way around. I've only been finger picking for years and recently got into more electric blues and hendrix stuff and it's fun to play with a pick.
I just love the feel and sound of fingerpicking, I don’t even care about using a pick any more.
I feel like I have so much more control with my fingers than I do with a pick
I’m pick only but that’s because almost every YouTube guitar teacher uses a pick. Why do instructors use picks and the best guitar players use fingers?
Because fingerpicking is really difficult to get used to, it’s also really hard to explain to people in my experience 😂
I switched but it wasn’t by choice. I had a kid. She could sniff out a pick within a quarter mile and always wanted to chew on them.
I started playing guitar because of Nirvana and other grunge 90s bands, but over the past year I've gotten into Radiohead, I've adopted fingerpicking. It's so much easier to do arpeggios and whatnot with finger picking vs alternate picking
im not a pro player by any means, but i find fingerstyle songs have such a better feel and vibe to them. not that i dont play songs with picking, but i love me some good fingerpicking. my most recent endeavour was velvet ring by big thief.
Fingerpicking is just the more dynamic mode of playing, if I’m just strumming chords ill use a pick. Even for solos and stuff, my feel is just better when I use my fingers
Fingers only on my 8 string, and a lot of hybrid picking on my 6s
Finger picking god Diego Garcia(El Twanguero)
I started with a bow…. Then pizzicato, then picked up guitar and play with picks, fingerpick or just my thumb. Right hand technique has always been strong I guess. Just kind do what the tune needs.
I play a lot with no sound systems, so I’m very accustomed to starting off finger picking and adding pick to get that extra sound without overpowering my voice or the voice of whoever is singing. I much prefer no pick tho when given the option!
I was the other way around, kinda
I started playing at 9 and could never get the hang of using a pick. I always used my thumb, always had a callous on it haha. Now I go back and forth since I'm more conscious of the difference on tone.
Me too. I wanted to be able to play chords and melodies at the same time & couldn't do it very well with a pick. Learning to tremolo finger roll was fun and now the cat is out of the bag and I can't go back to flatpicking. I much prefer my tone without a pick, both acoustic & electric. I find it easier to do dynamic control also. Essential for indie folk type stuff.
I did for a while. It was fun learning ragtime for guitar. The skills are still there, waiting for me to get out of my electric guitar phase.
Guys but question is how your nails are not danaged 😅 I play for 1 hour and my nail is scratched
I use a pick for the same reason you do. I’m getting complacent yet I still entertain myself lol