I do use my fingers quite often. I just alter my style a bit and play slower. The tone becomes so dynamic when you use your fingers instead of a pick.
I'm looking into switching it up. I've used several types and weights of picks and am now considering doing the "hubert thing".
Anybody tried this? Any advice? I'm a little concerned with losing speed (what little I have!). Or do you gain or keep speed by using thumb and other fingers?
Bob
Guitars: Jimmie Vaughan Strat, 2001 Affinity Squier Strat with 70's Japanese pickups, Affinity Squier Tele
Amps: Fender Pro Junior w/ Ragin' Cajun speaker, Peavey Delta Blues 115
Pedals: Ibanez TS9DX w/ Humphrey mod, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Dano PB&J Delay, Arion Tubulator w/Indyguitarist mod, Boss CS-3, Dano Fish and Chips EQ, Boss CH-1, Dano TunaMelt Tremolo, Boss RV-3, Boss DS-1
Strings: Darco 10's
Website: www.bluesrow.com
I do use my fingers quite often. I just alter my style a bit and play slower. The tone becomes so dynamic when you use your fingers instead of a pick.
The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.
I do this from time to time but mostly around the house. It does change how you approach a few things but that's OK because then you become more self stylized.
I suggest the next time you play with others just don't use a pic and see what happens.
"No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi
Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.
I tend to play 90% finger style, I am self taught so it is a bit sloppy at times, but I enjoy the flexibility it provides me in my limited playing range.
It is fun to mix it up a bit, so give it a shot.
Growing your thumb nail long (to the tip of your thumb) will actually start to sound like a pick.
Looks sexy to
I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.
-- Jimi Hendrix
Musical Equipment
1993 USA Fender Strat Plus
200? Michael Kelly Hybrid
2002 Gretsch G3100 Historical Series
Crate BV60 Combo
Boss ME-20 Multi Effect Pedal
Recording Equipment
Mac G5 2.3 Duo Core
160 & 500 GB Drives
4.5 GB Ram
iControl (M-Audio)
Studiophile AV40 (M-Audio)
TonePort UX2
Logic Studio 8
I use thumb & fingers quite often too, you can make much more variations on your guit . like country stuff, blues , name it ..
It makes your sound quite different by a different attack ..It s also find for the jazz comping stuff ,i love it ..You can also find a way to hold your pick in beetwen fingers while youre plain in that style , then if you need speed , you grab the pick ..
Look at mr. Clutch_ master playin mostly with his fingers ..
s cuse my bad english , im Frogie from Quebec..
Blazes:
My SoundClick -- Rubber Band -- Jazz Trio
--Quebec made 1978 Norman B-30 , Martin Dc 15E , Suzuki Archtop
-- Fender Start Reissue 57 , Ibanez AR 300 , Peavy Falcon ,Xaviere Xv600,
-- Fender Telecaster , Charvel_Jackson , Framus Lapsteel
--Rc boost,Ts9 ,Coolcat-ToD,GGG Fuzz Face, Boss Ce2 , Rc Booster ,Tone driver , Boss dd2 , Boss Gt8 (effects _effects loop)
--Amp:Traynor Ycv40 wr -- Blackstar HT5-- Car :Toyota Tercel 1999..
/ `--'(
< [] []////////|:::-)
\_.--.(
i find the same thing happens when i play without a pick [which is about 25% of the time].Originally Posted by Robert
"I happen to have perfect situational awareness, Lana. Which cannot be taught, by the way. Like a poet's ... mind for ... to make the perfect words." - Sterling Archer
One of the things that happens fortunately when you age is that your hair and nails grow at a rapid rate. My nails are as hard as any Fender Medium. I use them all the time and I find that there is much more speed by using 5 fingers compared to one pick. A prime example is Derek Trucks. Man that guy can play and it is all fingers. I really think you can be way more expressive with the fingers, and finger nails, than any pick.
The Blues is alright!
Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde
Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD
Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.
It's something I see as a different technique entirely, and like anything else in music, it's totally discretionary. There are some awesome rhythmic techniques that I find translate really well onto electric guitar, Rasgueado being one of my faves (can really spice up some of your RG lines). Slap guitar is also pretty cool - I think Raul Midon uses it quite alot. Jeff Beck's hybrid picking is also immense, even if he does look like Zelda from the Terrahawks....
Nails are also totally optional - I tend to cut mine off entirely if I'm playing loads of fingerstyle on a steel strung guitar, as the treble strings have a nasty habit of cutting a really annoying groove into them and that just p***es me off.
Experiment with it and you'll find out what works best with the way you play.
I play with a pick between my thumb and index and use the rest of my fingers for picking simultaneously. I'm not a very fast picker so this technique helps me fake speed and still get the pick attack that isn't possible (to me) with nails.
Patrick
My woman made me tried a product she uses to get her nails grow fast & hard and it works really good..
It s call :
(Vaseline) ''healthy hand & nail conditioning''
Gee ! my nails are hard just like titanium..
Makes your nails grow pretty fast too, as long as you spread some evereday..
You can find it at your drugstore..
For those interested .
Cheers
Blazes
My SoundClick -- Rubber Band -- Jazz Trio
--Quebec made 1978 Norman B-30 , Martin Dc 15E , Suzuki Archtop
-- Fender Start Reissue 57 , Ibanez AR 300 , Peavy Falcon ,Xaviere Xv600,
-- Fender Telecaster , Charvel_Jackson , Framus Lapsteel
--Rc boost,Ts9 ,Coolcat-ToD,GGG Fuzz Face, Boss Ce2 , Rc Booster ,Tone driver , Boss dd2 , Boss Gt8 (effects _effects loop)
--Amp:Traynor Ycv40 wr -- Blackstar HT5-- Car :Toyota Tercel 1999..
/ `--'(
< [] []////////|:::-)
\_.--.(
yeah, for at least one of my lesson songs, i have to. and i like to play that way acoustically, when i don't have flat-picking to do.
i have always had long nails. when i decided to play guitar, i cut half off. i still have them on my right hand.
for long strong nails, get dairy and take vitamins. trust me.
they come in handy.
2006 Washburn WD55SW Augusta, 2006 Washburn J28S12DL, Washburn EA20SDL,
2008 American Standard Fender Telecaster
2008 Rondo Limited Edition SST, G&L ASAT Semi-Hollow, Gibson LP Ultra
Does it come in Pink with little sparkles?
The Blues is alright!
Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde
Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD
Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.
Thanks for all the replies, and especially for that Jeff Beck clip, Blazes. Man, what a musician.
And speaking of playing without a pick, how about this guy?
Guitars: Jimmie Vaughan Strat, 2001 Affinity Squier Strat with 70's Japanese pickups, Affinity Squier Tele
Amps: Fender Pro Junior w/ Ragin' Cajun speaker, Peavey Delta Blues 115
Pedals: Ibanez TS9DX w/ Humphrey mod, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Dano PB&J Delay, Arion Tubulator w/Indyguitarist mod, Boss CS-3, Dano Fish and Chips EQ, Boss CH-1, Dano TunaMelt Tremolo, Boss RV-3, Boss DS-1
Strings: Darco 10's
Website: www.bluesrow.com
Derek Trucks is amazing...
Guitars: 2002 Les Paul Studio Limited Color's Edition | 2004 Greg Bennett Avion Les Paul Copy | S101 Telecaster project | 2004 Washburn D46 Acoustic
Amplification: Epiphone Valve Jr. Head and Cabinet | VOX AD30VT
Effects: Rocktron Delay | BBE Free Fuzz | Big Muff Pi | Boss Flanger | Bad Monkey | Jekyll and Hyde | Cry Baby Wah | Boss EQ | Behrenger TU300 Tuner |
This guy has done just fine without a pick:
I was listening to some of his stuff more closely recently. I never really realized what a banjo-like quality his playing has to it. Part of it is from his picking technique, another part is from the hollow bridge-middle quack tone.
Since my hand injury, I can really only play with my thumb and pinky on my right hand. I can do some interesting hybrid double-stops but no real fingerstyle.
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
And there's Mark Knopfler with one of the great guitar solos of all time, with no pick:
Guitars: Jimmie Vaughan Strat, 2001 Affinity Squier Strat with 70's Japanese pickups, Affinity Squier Tele
Amps: Fender Pro Junior w/ Ragin' Cajun speaker, Peavey Delta Blues 115
Pedals: Ibanez TS9DX w/ Humphrey mod, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Dano PB&J Delay, Arion Tubulator w/Indyguitarist mod, Boss CS-3, Dano Fish and Chips EQ, Boss CH-1, Dano TunaMelt Tremolo, Boss RV-3, Boss DS-1
Strings: Darco 10's
Website: www.bluesrow.com
And another one! Albert King and Gary Moore. Albert plays a few notes with those fingers, as opposed to Moore and his gazillion notes a second. Albert wins.
Guitars: Jimmie Vaughan Strat, 2001 Affinity Squier Strat with 70's Japanese pickups, Affinity Squier Tele
Amps: Fender Pro Junior w/ Ragin' Cajun speaker, Peavey Delta Blues 115
Pedals: Ibanez TS9DX w/ Humphrey mod, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Dano PB&J Delay, Arion Tubulator w/Indyguitarist mod, Boss CS-3, Dano Fish and Chips EQ, Boss CH-1, Dano TunaMelt Tremolo, Boss RV-3, Boss DS-1
Strings: Darco 10's
Website: www.bluesrow.com
Here's one, where he "palms" the pick and plays with the fingers. Listen to how those notes pop. I really dig this tune by Joe Bonamassa.
I like playing bluesy stuff without a pick. I have no technique at all, but it's fun.
Guitars:
Fender 2006 MIM Fender Stratocaster HSS in 3TS
Ibanez RG 570 with a bridge Invader
ESP M II Deluxe with a Tune-o-Matic bridge
Eleanor, the magical, mystical Road Worn wonder Tele
Blackstar HT Club 40
That smokes!Originally Posted by Katastrophe
"No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi
Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.