How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

[Silence Kid]

It almost comes up like a punchline: listen to a YouTube video of someone shredding it up, and they don't use a pick. I'm useless without a pick.

I get fingerstyle but... How do you play rock and solo or riff without using a pick? For those who use only your fingers: Do you strum/pluck with your thumb? The most natural thing to me would be to use my index finger positioned as if I was holding a pick (seems easier than a bulky thumb.) Even then it's not easy and I just about rip my nail off. Notes sound off like mud.

So how do you do it? (Also 'why,' but first 'how.')

 

[Mincer]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

Many people who do that use a thumb/index & middle approach, and do really well with it. I don't ever play with just my fingers, so I don't have years of practice with it. But you can get some serious speed that way.

 

[Jacew]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

I cut my right hand nails in a soft v shape, so I can play without a pick when I feel like it. I'm not very good at it though, and don't do much "shredding" anyway. More blues/hard rock stuff. I never use my thumb either. Can't make the notes play nice with it.

I use fingers often with pick too. Big chords sound much better when you can strike them simultaneously instead of with a pick only.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

As much as I love picks and collecting them, I play without one a lot. I think I do what you're describing and strike downward with my index fingernail. Can't say I do much shredding, but I bet I could learn to sweep pick with my thumb or index nail. Check out Jared James Nichols sometime. He's a crazy hard rock player and always plays with his fingers. You'd never know from hearing him, though.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

I play exclusively finger-style on bass, but can't imagine using bass technique for guitar in a plausible way.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

I play bass with my fingers, also, but don’t use the anchored thumb style for guitar. I don’t really know what I’d call the style I use with guitar... playing, I guess.

Jeff Beck uses his thumb primarily, adds the index when needed, holds the whammy bar with his middle & ring fingers, and uses his pinky for volume swells. Point being, do whatever works for you.

 

[vinnie vincent]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

double pick them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hammer on hammer off pull off

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

Two the the things that I am actually formally trained on are bass guitar and classical guitar...so needless to say, it ain't hard to play leads or melodies with fingers. All it takes is practice. In fact, it's often easier than with a pick. I don't anchor my thumb to do it; I anchor my forearm. It's typical rhythm strumming, or other things that best suited to picks, that are harder to do with fingers.

FWIW, some of my favorite electric guitar work of all time, that of Robbie Krieger, was largely (and maybe even entirely) played with fingers.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: How Do You Shred With Your Fingers?

I use one of these:

or I use a pick.