wildwood wrote:

I remember JL Hooker saying he could feel the music better playing with his thumb and Albert King did alright playing that way

I believe its what works for each individual that matters. There's enough rules and regulations in the world without us being told we're not supposed to use fingers to play the guitar.

Anything that's good enough for John Lee Hooker gets my vote.

My story is that I used to use a pick (probably because so many people said / assumed that a pick should be used with an electric guitar). When I finally opened my eyes and ears and soul to real blues, and my better half had the common sense to point it out, I realised what a lot of guitarists with real blues feel didn't / don't use a pick. I gave it a try and have developed more in creative tone and playing in the couple of years since then than in the previous 40!

Then again a lot of my favourite guitarists use a pick. Personal choice I think and no "correct" method.

http://www.12bar.de/finger.php
There's a pretty impressive list of talent on the list on this very site.

Last edited by VikingBlues (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:10:37)

I've got a drawer full of picks and thumbpicks and tried it more than once, but never ever got the right feeling for it. So I play fingerstyle, like many other Blues guitarists. Both ways have pros and cons, there's no "correct" or "wrong". Blues means freedom.

I think most of my fave guitarist USUALLY play with just fingers. But most of them don't always play without a pick.

I am like that too. I play with a pick when the TONE requires it. I sometimes play hybrid too (flatpick plus fingers), though I don't like playing with finger nails. But I don't like thumb pick and finger picks on the electric... I guess it's because the string are thinner (too much give) and nut maybe tighter (not enough space).

I like it how some people (Setzer, Ronnie Earl etc) tuck the pick in their hand. I don't really do that, because it's a variable that I don't usually consider while I am playing. If I have a pick in my hand, I'll play with a pick all the way through the tune.

I once for a while practiced playing with a thumbpick so that it's quite deep into my thumb, so that I was able to pick with my thumb not the pick, if I wanted. Didn't see much use for that genious technique.

Last edited by weelie (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:43:36)

I used to play the acoustic with my fingers and the electric with a pick (with occasional fingers), but have recently been playing electric mostly with thumb and three fingers. When I played my Strat almost exclusively, I wasn't comfortable fingerpicking on it. The strings were too close to the body or something. Now I usually play an Epi Casino, and it is great with fingers or a pick. When I switch between pick and fingers within a song, I usually stick the pick between my teeth. I don't sing much anyway.

I would be curious to know what is the preferred mothod of this forum.

As  you can read above - there is NONE!

I started out WAYYY back on acoustic steel string (mostly folk music) using a pick (that's how it was done then by MOST beginners) and in college I learned classical guitar, which is when I leaned to play finger style, but on nylon strings.  So, I stuck with finger style on a classical guitar but picks on a steel string guitar (acoustic or electric).  UNTIL a couple of years ago when I started learning Blues and watching other players.  Then I decided to try finger style on my electric - and I LOVED it.  Now I use both... but I'm terrible at "palming" a pick, so I usually do a full song (or at least a full section with a slow switch before another section) one way or the other - either with pick OR finger style.

But in general, I feel more in control and feel I can control the tone better finger style, and doing double or even triple stops is easy that way plus - because of my classical training - I find I'm MORE in control of hitting the right string and fret without looking at the fretboard and at any speed finger style, because my fingers are poised right on top of the strings and already "in place" to go where I expect and want them to.  With a pick, I'm always looking at the neck, to be sure I don't miss the string I want or fret I want (if there's a jump involved) so I can't take my mind off the technical aspects of the playing as well as I can finger style.

Plus some songs I've learned - like "Tears in Heaven" by EC < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIv6xamD3x8 >, really can ONLY be done finger style, using the thumb over the top to play the bass notes.  So, I've done both, but in general I like finger style better and I'm doing my playing more and more that way these days.  If I need LOUDNESS I may go to a pick to help get more of that, but I think finger-tone is a nicer sound!

DO WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU!! And thumb only, thumb and index finger, or other combinations are all OK - and you may find yourself switching between them for different songs and styles.

Find what works for you and use it, and don't care what anyone else thinks of your choice, IF IT WORKS FOR YOU!


Jim