[raysachs]

Wow, I’m more confused now than I was at the beginning of this thread. I mostly play with a pick, using some combination of strumming and picking out individual notes as accompaniment when I sing with it and picking leads during lead breaks. I don’t know what to call this - flatpicking or just playing with a pick (plectrum)?

But I always thought fingerpicking and fingerstyle were interchangeable terms for when I’m playing bass rhythms with my thumb on the low strings and picking out melody with my other fingers, generally on the higher strings. I don’t do a lot of this thumb and finger type playing and I’m not very goood at it, so I never bothered with using the “right” term for it. I play some pieces with a steady bass on just the root E or A or whatever the root of the chord I’m playing, and some with an alternating bass on two or three different notes / strings per chord. Now, earlier in this thread I’m told when I’m playing alternating bass I’m playing fingerstyle, and when I’m playing steady bass I’m fingerpicking? Who knew?!?!

It’s also suggested that when I don’t have fingerpicks on and just play with my bare fingers, that’s fingerstyle (or is it fingerpicking?) but when I play with fingerpicks and thumbpicks, that’s fingerpicking (or is it fingerstyle?). I do both, depending on the piece and whether I have fingerpicks handy. What about those who play with a thumbpick and bare fingers, which I don’t do but I’ve heard of people doing? What unholy combination of thumb picking / fingerstyle / thumb style / fingerpicking is THAT?!?!?!

But then later it’s suggested it’s all fingerstyle because fingerpicking is when it’s picking patterns with your fingers over chords as accompaniment to singing. Well, I’m not near good enough to pick with my fingers and sing at the same time, which would indicate I’m playing fingerstyle whenever I play with the digits instead of a plectrum. But sometimes I do sort of play patterns within the chords I’m playing with a plectrum as I sing, and I’m at a total loss as to what to call this? I’m pretty sure it’s not flatpicking, it’s not arpeggios strictly speaking - I think it may not have a name? Oh, horrors!

I’m just gonna keep playing my guitars in a variety of manners, and when y’all decide what we’re calling each of these things, let me know. Until I hear something firm, I’m just gonna call it playing with my fangers and playing with a pick (plectrum, as opposed to fingerpicks) and let God and St. Peter sort it out at the end of the journey (if they even exist and could care to give it a thought - I doubt any of this is gonna be the basis of any north / south directional decision making)! Oh, good heavens (or good hades) I hope not!!!

My head has commenced to hurt!

-Ray