Finger Style, Thumb Pick, Plectrum or Hybrid? For Electric Guitar.

[Scoggs]

I have hard nails.... like sharpen for letter opener hard. I've always leaned toward a finger a thumb style while playing acoustic and easily adopt the thumb pick when needed. The comfort level is ingrained, but plectrums and thumb picks are not foreign to me, just a lesser practiced method.

Now entering the electric guitar world I find my leads too muted but my strumming/rhythmic playing right where I want it to be. This leads me into hybrid picking methods which I also pick up quite quickly on. The problem is two fold with hybrid picking for me. First, I lose the ability to use my pointer finger. I've grown accustomed to using all of my fingers aside from my pinky, and hybrid picking puts me down a finger (there has to be a pun with that statement, right?). Second, I can't get the **** plectrum tuck/switch down so I can switch freely between pick and thumb. I know, I know, practice and it will come to you. I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking a method that might bridge the gap in-between both styles.

To Recap

Pick Preference: Finger and thumb primarily, thumb pick is great for Chet Atkins but I can't rhythmically strum, plectrum... ok, but I might miss hit a note or two, hybrid... sure, I just lose my pointer and can't switch effectively. Speaking toward strumming with finger and thumb, my pointer does the work as a pick. I make a grip like I'm holding a plectrum and let the hard nail on my pointer do the rest. I think I once read that Paul McCartney does something similar and now uses a fake nail on his pointer.

Technique: Planted palm with a level to the bass line thumb. (Knopfler/Mayer). I use every finger on both hands for my playing with the exclusion of my picking hand with my pinky. Have a tendency to want to chicken pick, but rather use it in a blues.

Questions: What type of plectrums for hybrid picking to easily tuck for finger and thumb? Is a thumb pick viable for strumming/electric leads? Is there some technique out there i'm completely neglecting? Am I just procrastinating spending more time on learning to effectively hybrid pick, or are there people with similar gripes?



Thanks in advance,



Chris

[JeffreyAK]

If you're comfortable with a thumb pick, you might try something like this,


You could use it either as a normal flat pick (almost, you're locked into holding it only one way) or as a thumb pick, which frees up your index finger. Some people make their own thumb pick out of a flat pick and a holding strap that wraps around the thumb, which might allow you more flexibility in crafting something that's best for you.

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by Scoggs

Questions: What type of plectrums for hybrid picking to easily tuck for finger and thumb? Is a thumb pick viable for strumming/electric leads? Is there some technique out there i'm completely neglecting? Am I just procrastinating spending more time on learning to effectively hybrid pick, or are there people with similar gripes?



Thanks in advance,



Chris

I find a Jazz III the easiest to tuck into the bend of your index finger. Otherwise, I'd say a standard Fender 351 shape if you're tucking into other spots on your hand.

In my view, the simple answer is that you can use any of the methods to play practically anything you want. Good examples IMO are Eric Johnson for flatpick and fingers; Richie Kotzen who does pretty amazing stuff on electric with his fingers only (and , of course, Jeff Beck); and Steuart Smith (took Don Felder's spot in the Eagles) appears to do most of his playing with a thumbpick, and yes this includes some really intricate lead work.

Personally, I found (since I was already a flatpicker) that once I adjusted to hybrid picking, I could play almost anything I could play with fingers only (including slide), although perhaps not precisely as I would without it. So for me, I sort of developed Flatpick-and-Fingers as home base.

[Steel and wood]

I have forever used very thin Jimmy Dunlop's for strumming/combination flat picking on my Martin acoustic. (Experimented early on but found that I never really liked the feel and sound of heavy or large picks). However for fingerpicking (banjo roll and Travis styles) I use a Herco thumb pick and Dunlop metal fingerpicks on fingers one and two. (Don't use my ring finger). I've always used thumb picks for fingerpicking but the metal fingerpicks took some getting used to. (Using them though has since become second nature).

For my electrics, if I'm playing any sort of rhythm or slow lead then I will continue to use the thin Dunlop's but if I'm playing fast lead or country type lead then I will hybrid pick using a small Jazz pick and a Dunlop metal fingerpick on my middle finger for a bit of "snap". (I don't maintain any sort of nails on my fingers). I don't fingerpick on my electrics a la Chet Atkins (only on my acoustic) but if I was to then I would play my Samick Greg Bennett Royale semi and not Telecaster or Stratocaster.

[Scoggs]

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

I find a Jazz III the easiest to tuck into the bend of your index finger. Otherwise, I'd say a standard Fender 351 shape if you're tucking into other spots on your hand.

In my view, the simple answer is that you can use any of the methods to play practically anything you want. Good examples IMO are Eric Johnson for flatpick and fingers; Richie Kotzen who does pretty amazing stuff on electric with his fingers only (and , of course, Jeff Beck); and Steuart Smith (took Don Felder's spot in the Eagles) appears to do most of his playing with a thumbpick, and yes this includes some really intricate lead work.

Personally, I found (since I was already a flatpicker) that once I adjusted to hybrid picking, I could play almost anything I could play with fingers only (including slide), although perhaps not precisely as I would without it. So for me, I sort of developed Flatpick-and-Fingers as home base.

Definitely going to buy some Jazz III's and give them a try. Right now I can tuck the pick decently, but from there it just feels like I'm going to drop it. Also, It seems to restrict my hand movement a good. bit.

[jdmulli]

I came upon this same quandary as my electric technique developed past straight plectrum style. I tried all the techniques you mentioned and finally decided that I'd just use them all.
I play in a cover band that covers a lot of genres. I just pick the technique that fits the style/song or my current mood. I guess I hinder myself from truly excelling in one method, but, on the other hand, I'm more versatile.

[redir]

This is one of those things that seems to just be no solution for. I could never feel comfortable using a thumb pick so I had to either give up the plastic pick tone and use fingers or just use a flat pick. I've mostly settled on the flat. Those little Jazz pics have their advantages but because they are so little I find them hard to use. So again... Just no good compromise between anything.

[Hot Vibrato]

Originally Posted by JeffreyAK

If you're comfortable with a thumb pick, you might try something like this,


You could use it either as a normal flat pick (almost, you're locked into holding it only one way) or as a thumb pick, which frees up your index finger. Some people make their own thumb pick out of a flat pick and a holding strap that wraps around the thumb, which might allow you more flexibility in crafting something that's best for you.

Is that something you can buy, or did you just glue a flatpick to a thumbpick?

I use regular thumbpicks (slickpick or dunlop), and I wield it like a flatpick all the time. I strum and pick single note lines with it, and I can seamlessly go back to Chet-style fingerpicking. It really is the best of both worlds, and i'm constantly switching back and forth. Whether I choose to use a flatpicking or fingerstyle technique depends on the sound I'm going for. Single note lines definitely sound more aggressive when using it like a flatpick, but i can play just as fast (probably faster) using the alternating thumb/finger technique. The only drawback is that when practicing scales, arpeggios, etc., I have twice as many ways to practice them.

[JeffreyAK]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

Is that something you can buy....

Yes, it's here, http://fredkellypicks.com/product-category/bumble-bee/ I'm a hybrid picker, using a regular flat pick plus my other fingers, so I don't use this thumb pick, but some folks do.

[jonfields45]

I play exclusively with a Herco Extra Heavy Thumb/Flat pick combo:

http://www.elderly.com/herco-extra-h...-thumbpick.htm

I've been doing it for at least 20 years for both acoustic and electric playing. It allows me to put flat picked single note lines into my fingerstyle arrangements and it is nearly impossible to drop when used as a flat pick. It took me a few days to get used to it. I use a heat gun (be careful you can burn these picks) to warm them up and then put them on my thumb to cool off into a perfect fit. I do run through them pretty quickly (maybe one a month) and buy them from Elderly in quantity (if you call they have a better price if you buy the 24 count Herco bag).

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

I play exclusively with a Herco Extra Heavy Thumb/Flat pick combo:

http://www.elderly.com/herco-extra-h...-thumbpick.htm

I've been doing it for at least 20 years for both acoustic and electric playing. It allows me to put flat picked single note lines into my fingerstyle arrangements and it is nearly impossible to drop when used as a flat pick. It took me a few days to get used to it. I use a heat gun (be careful you can burn these picks) to warm them up and then put them on my thumb to cool off into a perfect fit. I do run through them pretty quickly (maybe one a month) and buy them from Elderly in quantity (if you call they have a better price if you buy the 24 count Herco bag).

I use the Herco thumb picks also. (However the light version). Shaped like a flat pick and fits seamlessly around your thumb. (Can be used as a thumb pick and a flat pick but I only use it as a thumb pick).

[jonfields45]

Here is an old video of mine played exclusively with a Herco Thumb/Flat pick. It includes fingerpicking, flatpicking and strumming if you can stand to listen to it until the end...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1vEVcBo3Is

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

Here is an old video of mine played exclusively with a Herco Thumb/Flat pick. It includes fingerpicking, flatpicking and strumming if you can stand to listen to it until the end...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1vEVcBo3Is

Great playing. (Love your Martin also).

Yes, you are right, Herco thumb picks are very versatile whilst being comfortable to wear. (Have long been my thumb pick of choice even if I use them when fingerpicking only).

[jaybones]

Been using a Jazz III exclusively since I started playing electric in 1994. Tried everything else out there (Fender 351, others), and kept coming back. I like the black ones, the reds seem to be made of softer material.

[Steel and wood]

I use red Jazz picks for hybrid picking on my Telecaster mainly. (Because of their size). However I don't use them for anything else.