Switching form fingerpicking to pick in the same song

[Cecil6243]

and back and forth

In Imagine by John Lennon I like finger picking the intro to sound like a piano, but strum the verse, back to fingerpicking the next verse, back to strumming, and so on to make it interesting.

I can easily strum with my fingers, but like the sound of a pick better. I have held my pick between my first and second finger while finger picking so it's there when I need it, but it feels awkward. Maybe it won't in time? I realize there is a thing called hybrid picking but haven't really tried that yet.

Or perhaps I can get a better sound strumming with my fingers if I work on it?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Cecil6243

and back and forth

In Imagine by John Lennon I like finger picking the intro to sound like a piano, but strum the verse, back to fingerpicking the next verse, back to strumming, and so on to make it interesting.

I can easily strum with my fingers, but like the sound of a pick better. I have held my pick between my first and second finger while finger picking so it's there when I need it, but it feels awkward. Maybe it won't in time?

Or perhaps I can get a better sound strumming with my fingers if I work on it?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like the answer for you is hybrid picking! Holding the pick between thumb and index all the time, and picking other notes with middle and ring.

Personally, I never got anywhere with hybrid, and prefer either the pick (strumming, flatpicking and single note lead) or fingerstyle with no pick.

Sometimes I do feel like changing in the middle of a song, and what I do then is hold the pick in my curled index finger, using thumb, middle and ring to fingerpick. I find that easy enough, because my primary picking fingers are middle and ring anyway, with index as spare. (Alternatively, I might pass the pick down to my palm and hold it with a curled pinky, or ring and pinky, using index and middle to pick.)

That might seem more awkward than hybrid style, but I find holding a pick between thumb and index inhibits the movements of middle and ring too much. (But that's only because I never practised it enough - which is, in turn, because I never needed to play in that way.)

I always try to avoid strumming with fingers only (ie, fingernails), because I find it quickly wears down the corner of the middle nail, creating a notch, so the nail then needs trimming down to get it the right shape again. Otherwise, I would probably use fingers (nails) all the time, and drop the pick entirely.

[Nymuso]

Although primarily a finger picker, for some songs I employ the Nashville studio technique of picking with a flat pick and the middle finger of the right hand to achieve the same effect.

If you can master this it would enable you to move smoothly between finger picked sections and strummed sections of any song you like.

[zuzu]

I switch back and forth all the time in the same song. I use a highly modified Fred Kelly Speed Pick on my thumb for strumming and, if you can develop the touch (it took me awhile) you can use a thumb pick along with your bare fingers and achieve an even volume and tone. Like I said, you have to work on it and I had to slow everything down and pay attention to each finger stroke to establish it, and still mess it up some, but it is slowly becoming second nature because I do it a lot. You already being comfortable with fingerpicking, I'm thinking you may take more quickly to this approach, though I have never tried hybrid picking...maybe it's not as tricky as it looks...

[difalkner]

We have a few songs at church that require my solo fingerpicking on the intro, first verse, and chorus and then the rest of the band joins in (I play with thumbpick and nails). At that point I switch to flat pick but on the final chorus and ending it's just me fingerpicking lightly so I do hybrid at that point since I already have the flat pick in my hand. It took a few times to get the feel of it but it is more seamless than putting the thumbpick back on.

I tried doing a hybrid to begin the songs but the fingerpicking is a fairly fixed style with each song being different and the picking is aggressive rather than being lighter style. Turns out that was harder for me with the hybrid so I just go with switching when the rest of the band joins.

[SCVJ]

I see videos of people strumming with thumbpicks. That, of course, allows you to finger pick or strum at will. I find it difficult to strum with a TP, but I haven't spent much time trying it. Strumming with the nail of my index finger sounds like a flat pick to me, and much better than strumming with the fleshy parts of thumb or fingers. When I do it I grip my index finger tip between my thumb and middle finger, sort of like I'm holding a flat pick. I've done this for many years without wear or damage to the nail, but I don't do it for long periods. If you only want to do it occasionally, for a few specific songs, it may work for you.

There are many variations in TPs beyond the most common really thick ones which could make strumming easier. Herco makes a selection of thumbpicks which have the same shape and thickness of flatpicks, and which can be gripped like a flatpick when you aren't finger picking to make the strumming part more like what you're used to. A cheap alternative to try.

I've been meaning to master hybrid picking with a thumbpick because it is so useful for old fashioned blues, which just sound better when there's more power in the bass notes compared to a bare thumb.

I also see videos of people "palming" a flat pick and moving it deftly back and forth, like a magician who has spent many hours learning to palm a coin to pull it from behind the ear of a ten year old kid. I figure if it takes hours of practice to do that I'm better off practicing actual guitar-playing skills.

[zuzu]

As I said, my thumb pick is highly modified (by me), and reversable, specifically for strumming on one side and picking on the other, but I am getting the hang of using it either way for picking. I played index fingernail strum for years but never mastered the knack of attaining an even volume and tone on the upstroke and downstroke, the upstroke always faded a bit.

[jseth]

I made the switch from flat picking and fingerpicking w/ a thumb pick to simply holding the flat pick between thumb and forefinger while using the remaining three fingers (short nails)... and I did it because I was tired of either dropping the flatpick while I switched to the thumbpick, or else forgetting the thumbpick entirely.

It did take a good while before it felt comfortable, but not that long. It was harder for me to achieve a balance between the volume of my fingerpicking and the volume produced by the flatpick... it was a process of fingerpicking more aggressively while lightening up with that flatpick.

I began making the transition in the late 70's, so it's automatic for me at this point in time... it is a very useful method, and I've gotten nearly as good with this style as I was without it, when fingerpicking songs... I always figured if I could do a credible job of "Angie", by Davey Graham, that I had "arrived"!

There are a few examples of my playing style on soundcloud - John Seth Sherman - if you're interested...

Keep after it; it is a worthwhile quest!

[Bob Womack]

Putting the pick between the lips only takes a beat. I do it all the time.

Bob

[SongwriterFan]

I don't know how she did it, but my friend would mostly finger-pick this song, then pull out the pick for just a few spots in the chorus. I think maybe she's holding it between the index and middle finger, or somehow palming it. It was like a magic trick. I never noticed this until after she died, while I was looking at the videos I took of her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6EaBSMn5UY

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by SongwriterFan

I don't know how she did it, but my friend would mostly finger-pick this song, then pull out the pick for just a few spots in the chorus. I think maybe she's holding it between the index and middle finger, or somehow palming it. It was like a magic trick. I never noticed this until after she died, while I was looking at the videos I took of her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6EaBSMn5UY

It looks to me as if she's doing another trick I use: holding my fingers as if I were holding a pick and strumming with the backs of the nails. I learned to do that when I was young and couldn't afford picks.

Bob

[Cecil6243]

Gentlemen,

I started looking at some hybrid picking tutorials and it appears hybrid picking may not be that difficult of a skill to develop at least for more basic songs. I originally started playing guitar as a fingerpicker so that helps.

[BillyH]

Google You tube Tom Bukovac. He uses the hybrid method extensively and at this point it is effortless for him. I would say practice it until it becomes second nature. You can get some nice closeups of exactly how he is doing it.


billy

[brad4d8]

Plus one on hybrid picking, just takes practice, but shouldn't be too hard if you're relatively accomplished in both flat picking and finger picking.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Most flatpickers either hybrid pick — holding the pick with thumb and forfinger while picking with the other fingers — or palm the pick while finger picking with thumb, forefinger, and middle finger.

I just play barefingered or with fingerpicks. Covers my waterfront with shoreline to spare.