2,3 or 4 fingers for fingerpicking and fingerstyle?

[nicolajazz]

2, 3 or 4 fingers for fingerpicking and fingerstyle?
Some useful information you can found here:
http://guitarnickblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-many-fingers-are-needed-to-play.html

[rhythmstrummer1]

I like three, thumb plus index, middle, and ring.

[rattletrap]

It depends on what I'm playing. But i tend to use 3 most of the time, but can revert to true travis picking at any moment

[mmmaak]

Why not 5? The pinky may be shorter and weaker, but it improves substantially with training, just like the other fingers (I'm excluding pinky-planters here, of course ;))

It can be very useful in some situations, and there's certainly no disadvantage to being *able* to use as many fingers as possible. I guess it depends a lot on the type of music, but I often find the need to pluck 5 strings at once.

[paul84]

So here's an unusual use of the right hand pinky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIc25ik1Chs

I've done a couple of workshops with Stuart - great guy and one heck of a guitar player.

P

[OPATRIOT]

Good Topic for me .. Im 4 month's new and learning fingerstyle .. I have been working with four fingers thinking it will give me more flexability in the future .. but would it be simpler to play with just three ?? Davey

[JeremyG]

Ever hear Doc Watson play Deep River Blues? He's incredible!

I just got the DVD from Homespun last night and was sort of surprised to watch as he played with the thumb and only his index finger!!!

Now he readily addmitted in the interview that that's not necessarily THE way to go at it, aluding to using all three fingers to the 3 highest pitched strings but it obviously worked VERY WELL for him.

Your mileage may vary...

Jeremy. ...edit....Yo, Mak...THANK YOU again!!!

[rattletrap]

Good Topic for me .. Im 4 month's new and learning fingerstyle .. I have been working with four fingers thinking it will give me more flexability in the future .. but would it be simpler to play with just three ?? Davey


two works too. Merle Travis only used two. I am just learning too, but I find that using just two works for lots of things.

[Brian W.]

2, 3 or 4 fingers for fingerpicking and fingerstyle?

I’m a P.I.M.A player, although your post gives me an idea to try just P.I.M and exclude the ring finger for a one-off song. I bet it might lead to some new ground. I’ll probably have to tape the ring finger so as not to use it…

[CrawfordCentury]

I go with 2 fingers + thumb. Occasionally, the ring finger gets involved, but pretty rarely.

My middle finger is a good half inch longer than my index and ring fingers. I don't know if this has had anything to do with the evolution of my style of play.

I play mostly ragtime/blues and arrangements of pop standards (I'm putting togther versions of Eleanor Rigby and Somewhere over the Rainbow - both in C - and Yesterday in F).

[mud4feet]

Ever hear Doc Watson play Deep River Blues? He's incredible!

I just got the DVD from Homespun last night and was sort of surprised to watch as he played with the thumb and only his index finger!!!

Now he readily addmitted in the interview that that's not necessarily THE way to go at it, aluding to using all three fingers to the 3 highest pitched strings but it obviously worked VERY WELL for him.

Your mileage may vary...

Jeremy. ...edit....Yo, Mak...THANK YOU again!!!

Yeah, I watched a vid on youtube of him doing that song and was amazed that he uses just the thumb and the index!!!! That's TALENT (which I don't have yet!:D). I've noticed John Prine uses pretty much just the thumb, index, and middle and produces the unique "Prine" sound. My right hand pretty much naturally goes to 3 fingers and the thumb........but I'm flexible and always looking for new ways of doing things.

Interesting and informative thread!

[KingOf7thAve]

I exclude my pinky finger. Of the other four, my index gets the least amount of usage. Odd, I know.

[815C]

I use them all. Although the pinky finger is on the bench for most of the game, for specialty plays he gets on the field.