When you ditch the pick and go fingerstyle

[highvibrational]

Hi all,
It's been about 10 weeks since I dropped the pick so I could see what else was possible using my right hand. So far, I feel as free as a bird and know this is the beginning of a fun journey. I already knew how to play some classical as well as Travis-style picking, so the transition wasn't as difficult as it could have been. I find that I still choose to strum for faster songs with my newly grown nails. Happily, all my guitars are suitable for this kind of play.

I'd love any thoughts about what kinds of techniques and skills to look into as I hop merrily down this road.

If you have any videos that show your techniques, please share!

Cheers,
HV

[abn556]

I routinely cup the pick in my “social” finger and switch back and forth from a pick to fingers. I find fingers have a nice warm sound and picks then start to sound loud and brash.

+

[mawmow]

Well, besides arpeggios, I guess you could be interested in adding
more sliding up and down as well as hammer on an pull off and bending.

[EZYPIKINS]

I learned to play with fingers, as I was always dropping my pick on stage.

Today, while playing solo, I will rarely use a pick.

But I still keep one handy. I think I've got one around here somewhere.

[mr. beaumont]

Definitely worth learning some classical picking hand technique. It's amazing what different tonal colors you can pull out of an instrument if you have decent technique.

Which reminds me, I should go practice

[Glennwillow]

It is liberating to play with just bare fingers. When I finger pick a steel-string guitar, I usually use a thumb pick to balance out the bass with the trebles better. On an electric guitar, there is usually so much bass that I just use a bare thumb; same with classical playing.

When I'm figuring out how to play a song off YouTube, I always just use bare fingers so that I am not messing with a thumb pick.

- Glenn

[TBman]

I played bare fingers for about 22 years, then at the end of last year I started to learn to play using a thumb pick and plastic (Kalena) finger picks. Good move on my part. My playing is much clearer now, especially with the nylon strings I have.

[b1j]

I’m a lifelong fingerpicker. Only recently have I used picks, but it’s no more than 10% of the rime, maybe less.

For a recent recording, I wanted an acoustic rhythm part with consistent strumming. I found the tone to be sweeter with less variation in the transients.

[Mandobart]

I'm apparently one of just a few here that thoroughly enjoy both flatpicking AND fingerstyle, often on the same guitars (all steel strings).

[rockabilly69]

I use picks about 20% of the time at my gigs, but I love finger-picking and it's when I'm at my best!

[Gryf]

Went all bare fingers probably about 15 years ago, now. I've tried fingerpicks a couple times, but never liked them. I much prefer the sound using just bare fingers (no real nails to speak of, here...)
Electric. Acoustic. No difference. All fingers.
Stick with it. My experience is that I could eventually play any style I could play before (yes, it takes some work), and I feel like my playing is more exprerssive now.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by highvibrational

Hi all,
It's been about 10 weeks since I dropped the pick so I could see what else was possible using my right hand. So far, I feel as free as a bird and know this is the beginning of a fun journey. I already knew how to play some classical as well as Travis-style picking, so the transition wasn't as difficult as it could have been. I find that I still choose to strum for faster songs with my newly grown nails. Happily, all my guitars are suitable for this kind of play.

I'd love any thoughts about what kinds of techniques and skills to look into as I hop merrily down this road.

Cheers,
HV

Hi hv-etc
Been playing pickless (all flesh fingerstyle) for over 60 years, acoustic and/or electric. Used a thumb-pick during my 17 years as a Martin D-28 fingerstyler, but when the Olson came to live with us, the thumbpick went away.

I've been tempted lately to learn a few flat-pick techniques for my electric backing and lead work. May get around to it this summer or fall.

Techniques to consider…

• Parallel thirds and sixths on alternating/adjacent strings (sometimes referred to as double stops).
• Partial three string major and minor chords all over the neck (called inversions in music theory)
• Alternating bass on every beat (Travis style thumb)
• Four note variants playing the inside four strings for plucking or arpeggiating chords with their alternate note one string lower (in pitch).
• Parallel octaves on strings 1&4 as well as strings 2&5 (the lower note is fretted upstream from the first string)
• Parallel octaves on strings 1&3 as well as 2&4 (the lower note is behind the upper note)

[wood&wire]

Lots of good technique info in this thread. Never took formal guitar lessons but did have a couple of mentors along the journey who would show me a thing or two. The guy who taught me barre chords also encouraged me to experiment with strumming with just my index finger. I kinda went off in my own direction and instead of focusing on strumming, I began spreading my fingers out and tried hitting individual notes with individual digits.

For many years I used a thumbpick and grown out nails. Then I started hack clawhammer playing the banjo and dropped the thumbpick and cut my nails. Now my pendulum is swinging me back to guitar. Lately I've been playing with my fingertips and no nails or thumbpick involved and I've gotten a sound I like.

[lpa53]

I began guitar lessons at the age of thirteen (back in the 60s) and my teenaged teacher had me learning Travis picking after only three weeks. Perhaps, both of use being Army Brats, he wanted to get me started in case one of our dads got orders to move at a moment's notice. Anyway, I never looked back and have been a fingerstylist ever since. I've always picked with my nails (acrylic now that the natural ones have weakened), and even use my index finger's nail, backed by my thumb, as a flat pick on the few tunes I play that call for it.

I've tried using a thumb pick but this old dog hasn't been able to adapt to that new trick. Perhaps that's due to the loss of feel through the skin coupled with the striking location shifting back from the thumb's tip. If I could find a short-tipped forward-sitting thumb pick that wouldn't fly off, I'd give it another go.

[birkenweg42]

Originally Posted by highvibrational

Hi all,
It's been about 10 weeks since I dropped the pick so I could see what else was possible using my right hand. So far, I feel as free as a bird and know this is the beginning of a fun journey. I already knew how to play some classical as well as Travis-style picking, so the transition wasn't as difficult as it could have been. I find that I still choose to strum for faster songs with my newly grown nails. Happily, all my guitars are suitable for this kind of play.

I'd love any thoughts about what kinds of techniques and skills to look into as I hop merrily down this road.

If you have any videos that show your techniques, please share!

Cheers,
HV

I have been playing fingerstyle for the last 25 years and use thumbpicks occasionally when I need the Travis boom chuck but 95% of it is bare-fingers for me. I play mostly in alternate tunings and prefer a mellow sound.
If you ever get tired of growing and maintaining your nails, as I did, I recommend watching Michael Watts's excellent video on nail care.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNKyOynL8o&t=518s
Enjoy the journey!