fingers or a pick??

[jmv]

Do any of you guys play with your fingers??

I used to be a strictly pick sort of fellow, although i'd fingerpick some stuff on an acoustic, but i find myself using my fingers more and more, unless i'm just doing straight chord work. You can get such a cool variety of sounds, just by varying your playing style, that are impossible with a pick.

 

[nuntius]

Re: fingers or a pick??

i use both for soloing (at the same time) i often use my middle finger for some snap on a note and some times use my middle, fourth and pinky to do a kind of sweep time arpeggio

 

[Mattt]

Re: fingers or a pick??

If i could shred with my fingers, i'd give up the pick.

 

[Lee]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I use all three equally. They all sound totally different from each other. Any guitarist that can't do all three isn't competent.


Lee

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I use pinkerfick technobabble style pucking!

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I use all three equally. They all sound totally different from each other. Any guitarist that can't do all three isn't competent.


Lee

I disagree with that statement. I think it doesn't matter what you play with, you may only be "competent" in one particular style, and that can make you a sensational guitarist. For example, Daron Malakian of System of a Down is a pick player as far as I can tell, and I'm not sure he's used his fingers much, if at all. I might be wrong, but there you have it. He's quite well respected and a skilled guitarist for sure.

Personally, I play mostly pick, but I do use my fingers occasionally, like for classical stuff, or just to add a degree of softness to the sound coming from my guitar. Also, hybrid picking (both pick and fingers) can be useful to add snap to the lower notes, while the fingers cut some brightness from the high notes.

 

[RACER X]

Re: fingers or a pick??

Both, electric and acoustic.

 

[Curly]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I gradually used my fingers more and more for acoustic, and adapted that to electric.

I like to combine picking styles, but on acoustic it really helps to be able to fingerpick, and it makes it more interesting.
SRV was one player, among many others, who varied his right hand technique a lot between pick and fingers.

I think if you listen to my current clips, for example, you might be hard pressed to tell I used my fingers, other than the lack of any picking noise.

 

[some_dude]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I mostly pick. I'm in the middle of teaching myself fingerstyle, so I'm not very good at it.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I enjoy using all three in different given situations. I'm not good enough to be playing rhythm bass notes and tapping lead at the same time, but I do both pick and use my fingers at the same time though. I like messing around with fingerpicking, especially when I'm writing something new or noodling around. With that said, most of the stuff I do is just plain picking (although I have one instrumental song that I'm really proud of that's all fingerpicking).

 

[spannyspan]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I'm also in the process of learning to fingerpick with a Christopher Parkening Guitar method book. I used to take lessons so the reading music isn't the problem, it's just coordinating my fingers to play the correct notes lol. But as far as not being competent, I don't know. My favorite guitarist is Daron Malakian(Hence the icon lol). He's not the best guitarist talent wise like let's say, Zakk Wylde. But his style and the music he creates just appeals to me more. The way he acts on stage is just awesome. He doesn't need to play a million notes in a solo to make it sound good or fingerpick an acoustic song to make it catchy. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I play with a pick between my thumb and first finger, then use the rest of my right hand fingers as "extra picks."

Most "competent" guitarists use whatever's necessary to execute their music, including the artificial harmonics someone here thinks is ridiculous.

 

[Shnook]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I was always a 'one or the other' depending on the song. Then I saw a video of Danny Gatton and realized that so much more ground could be covered using a pick and fingers at the same time. I've been working on it for about a year now, and it's getting there. It's a cool way to get a unique sound and expand the dynamics of what your doing.

 

[Mattt]

Re: fingers or a pick??

They all sound totally different from each other. Any guitarist that can't do all three isn't competent.


Lee

I disagree also...

Steve Vai uses a pick... he's competent.
Mark Knophler uses his fingers... he's competent.

I doubt anyone would disagree. In fact, saying that unless someone can use all three methods is like claiming that a person who can't tap is incompetent, or a person who can't use a whammy bar properly is incompetent, a person who can do sweeped arpegios is incompetent.

This thinking makes pretty much every player incompetent...

 

[Lee]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I play with a pick between my thumb and first finger, then use the rest of my right hand fingers as "extra picks."

Most "competent" guitarists use whatever's necessary to execute their music, including the artificial harmonics someone here thinks is ridiculous.

A clip is worth a thousand words.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I studied Jazz guitar, which is very pick-oriented; how you hold the pick, how you angle your arm, how your left hand is held: it's all analyzed, scrutinized, and criticized!!

I also studied Classical guitar, which is all finger-oriented. I rarely use classical right hand technique in the stuff I write and play now, but I still love the sound of fingers on nylon strings ... one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, IMO.

So, for me, it's 90% pick, 10% fingers, unless you count two-handed technique, like tapping, in which it goes to about 70/30.

 

[Dills]

Re: fingers or a pick??

I mainly pick to get more volume and a brighter sound for more crunch when your digging into those rock power chords. I like to hear the chords ring out and feel you guitar vibrating. I mainly use finger picking for a mellower type song which has the guitar as its dominant part ,or when more strings are needed for the rythm, its great for combing techniques. Also to me it sounds like your getting more from your acoustic guitar when you use a pick, especially wiith open chords.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: fingers or a pick??

If i could shred with my fingers, i'd give up the pick.

get a compression sustainer, and fingertap

you could use both hands & countermelody your own solo

 

[strat_master]

Re: fingers or a pick??

pick most of the time

 

[BornToShred]

Re: fingers or a pick??

Pick, most of the time.
But when i want a smoother tone (mostly when playing blues or jazzy stuff) i'll use my fingers.