Finger picking question

[srick]

Originally Posted by Lead Pipe

Most of the finger picking videos I watch show people with long fingernails. Is this a requirement to fingerpicking? I really like the sound and it’s quieter and more conducive to living in a condo. Having long fingernails is out of the question so I would rather know this isn’t going to work before I put a ton of time into this style. Thanks!

Adam Rafferty talks a lot about this in his tone lessons. He tells of one teacher who insisted that his students play bare fingered for their first year before attempting picks. I’m not sure if he has a YouTube video on the subject, but he’s a very approachable teacher.

To answer your question, it’s perfectly acceptable to play finger style guitar with bare fingers. You will have a different tone and less volume.

Rick

[BluesKing777]

I prefer no picks, bare back with a touch of nail from my index (leading finger ala Davis).....pretty impossible to keep the same length.....but it is the calluses that get the work mostly and it is daily callus maintenance in some ways or.....ouch....

I did teach myself fingerpicks years ago and I drag them out, for example, to belt into a new hardwood top a bit to help open it up. I have 2 of these projects currently, a Maton EBW808 Australian blackwood and a Martin OMC-15ME all mahogany. Fingerpicks in my music room is deafening!

Cancel that gig tonight, Boss - I have broken a finger nail...disaster!


BluesKing777.

[jojobean39]

I play about 50/50 fingerstyle/strumming. I have long nails (longer than most would recommend). I don’t like the way it sounds when I don’t have nails; there is a dull, thuddy sound to my ears. And I also can’t play properly.

However, I sometimes here some others play with flesh and it sounds warm and mellow, particularly with the darker sounding blues stuff.

So you can absolutely get away with no nails. It just depends on what sound you want. If you want to do harp harmonics like Doyle Dykes or big flamenco strums, you’re going to struggle. But basic fingerstyle, no worries!

[jim1960]

Flesh on strings is going to produce a very different tone than nails on strings.
The finger-picking in this song is entirely flesh on string. Compared to nail on string, the tone of flesh is going to be warmer and rounder which can be appealing, but it's also going to lack the attack you get from nails which is often desirable.

[TBman]

Oops, wrong thread. Senior moment

[Lead Pipe]

Thanks everyone.

[justonwo]

Listen to Kelly Joe Phelps. That's all bare flesh. That's how I started. I now use fingerpicks and a thumbpick. Many approaches.

[Big-E]

I've tried and tried for years to get used to finger and thumb picks. I found that for me I can't manage them for anything other than basic finger-style. Took the plunge and grew my nails about 1-2mm over the finger tips and it's a whole new ball game. Takes some getting used to but a noticeable all round improvement. (I also recently started resting the guitar on my left leg, but that's another story/thread)!

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by justonwo

Listen to Kelly Joe Phelps. That's all bare flesh. That's how I started.

I know everyone has their favorites but Kelly Joe Phelps is for me the ultimate practitioner of that style. I could listen to him all day (and frequently have). Just perfect tone, timing and feeling. And don't even get me started about his slide playing.

I now use fingerpicks and a thumbpick. Many approaches.

Then again, on other days I'm in the mood for the DADGAD fingerstyle artists who have an entirely different sound. Most of them use fingernails.

[musicman1951]

Count me as another with fairly short nails. I like just enough nail length to hit the string on the end of the finger stroke. Long doesn't actually work for me as I want mostly skin with a hint of nail at the end.

[donlyn]

Originally Posted by donlyn

Finger picking question

Finger picking question

Lead Pipe,

No picks, all fingerpicking. Nails at minimal length, just to lightly strike a string and move on.

About 1/16" nail on index, middle, and ring, and slightly more on thumb, say 3/32". All are shaped and cut closer near contact points so no nails catch on strings, but slide over them. Right-handed, so RH pinkie is cut to quick, as are all fingernails on left hand.

When/if I do any strumming, it is often three fingers together (no thumb) up or down in close enough sequence to sound almost simultaneously, but not quite.

And when I was learning fingerpicking, I just used my fingers, no nails. That came a short while later.

Don

Pardon for quoting myself, but wanted to add a new thought to this. I also play 12 string guitars, one of which is tuned to DADGAD, and I couldn't imagine playing one without fingernails. Actually I could, but that is another story, and not a pretty one.

Don (again)
.

[JonPR]

Just to add my $0.02...

I use fingernails, exclusively. Except on very rare occasions where I'll use a thumbpick.

I agree with whoever said they needn't be long - just enough beyond the fingertip to pick the string. The classical principle is that your fingertip touches the string first, then the nail picks it. So anything too long is really going to catch. Plus, the shorter the nail the stronger and firmer it is.

That applies to steel string as much as nylon string.

Back when I was first teaching myself I did try plastic fingerpicks (as well as a thumbpick). I liked the volume and fuller tone they gave, but they were too uncomfortable in the end. Either they were too tight, and got painful after a few minutes, or they were too loose and moved around.

More recently I discovered Tone Deaf picks:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tone-Deaf-M...dp/B000NGVQKO/
Despite being metal, they give quite a mellow tone (not scratchy). Their great advantage is that the ring fits around your fingertip, so you still feel the string. Plus the tip of the ring sits up exactly where your nail would be, so they feel quite natural to use. And thirdly, they're metal, meaning you can bend them to get the snuggest fit without being uncomfortably tight.
I use them whenever I break or chip a nail and have to cut it back too short to use. Otherwise, my nails are pretty good. My thumbnail is strong enough to still be usable even when quite long.

Of course, if your nails are thin or brittle, you do need some alternative.

And it is - of course! - quite OK to play without nails or picks, just the skin of your fingertip, if you (a) have no alternative, and/or (b) you like the sound. If it was good enough for Mississippi John Hurt...

[tbeltrans]

For me, it is a matter of not wanting to have to mess with a bunch of paraphernalia just to play the guitar. Having to strap on finger and thumb picks, worrying about losing them, or having longer nails that can break, all just seems such a hassle.

There are those who use all manner of stuff to glue on their nails as "fake" nails. These seem to require constant attention and I can't imagine putting such chemicals on your hands would do them any good healthwise.

I just want to be able to pick up a guitar and play. So for me, no nails.

Also, I don't use a flatpick (plectrum) either. Why limit myself to just one surface touching the strings when I can have 4 or even 5 at a time?

Keep it simple...

Tony

[GoPappy]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

For me, it is a matter of not wanting to have to mess with a bunch of paraphernalia just to play the guitar. Having to strap on finger and thumb picks, worrying about losing them, or having longer nails that can break, all just seems such a hassle.

There are those who use all manner of stuff to glue on their nails as "fake" nails. These seem to require constant attention and I can't imagine putting such chemicals on your hands would do them any good healthwise.

I just want to be able to pick up a guitar and play. So for me, no nails.

Also, I don't use a flatpick (plectrum) either. Why limit myself to just one surface touching the strings when I can have 4 or even 5 at a time?

Keep it simple...

Tony

This ^

I decided a long time ago that I wanted to be able to pick up a guitar and play it the same way regardless of where I was or whether or not I had picks on me, and regardless of the condition of my fingernails that day and hour.

I play with fleshy fingertips only. I'd probably feel differently if I was performing for audiences. But I'm not.