Strumming styles

[stephensmat]

I'm watching all those thousand odd people on Youtube you teach you how to play song you'll hear on the radio.

Of the ones that make sense, some of them use only thumb to play the note, others use a pick, one or two use all their fingers.

Any thoughts on which is preferred, or easier, to learn, etc...

[Ryler]

When I first started learning, I found that strumming with a pick was the easiest approach. It allowed me to concentrate on my fretting hand and learn to make chord changes while keeping the rhythm. After awhile, I needed to shake up my strumming rhythms (learn new ones) to avoid a monotonous sound, and then after that I embarked on fingerstyle which involved a lot of right hand (if you're right handed) concentration. Fingerstyle produces the sound I was hoping to achieve in my playing and is what I use most. But starting out with fingerstyle would have been too much for me. It was enough to really learn the chord fingerings and learn the ability to change a chord all at once with the left hand.

[Jhengsman]

I think that only using the thumb, Wes style, is easiest at first. However remember man developed a pick for a reason, and it wasn't guitarist had lost his thumb. Where you want to be as a player will determine if you begin to finger pick, use only your thumb, flat pick, use a thumb pick, hybrid pick etc.

[Herb Hunter]

If one learns to use all one's fingers from the beginning, adopting other styles that use fewer fingers or a single pick is easier than learning those other styles and then trying to learn to use all one's fingers. On the other hand, if one's only interest will forever be flat-pick music, then why waste time on developing all the fingers of the right hand?

[rhythmstrummer1]

I think its all about what style you want to play, for a majority, strumming with a pick is going to be best. More volume, and you wont tear your fingers up as much. But in the end it all comes down to what works for you.

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by stephensmat

I'm watching all those thousand odd people on Youtube you teach you how to play song you'll hear on the radio.

Of the ones that make sense, some of them use only thumb to play the note, others use a pick, one or two use all their fingers.

Any thoughts on which is preferred, or easier, to learn, etc...

I really think you'll do your self a favor by learning to play more than one style. Me, I flatpick and fingerpick both. Some only learn one or the other or prefer one or the other, but you increase the range of sounds and songs you can play.

As I've heard it said on songwriting forums, 'learn the craft so the craft can serve the inspiration'. The same is true for the guitar, imo.

Steve