Thumb pick question/advise

[PapaC]

So I’m trying to get finger picking down, and enjoying the journey. When I play with no thumb pick I do fine, and the note volume is even. When I use a thumb pick, the bass thump is overpowering. I don’t mind playing with no thumb pick, but I see a lot of players using one and it sounds great.

I have tried to go light with the thumb, but it seems to disrupt my rhythm.

Do I just keep trying? Have any of you veterans gone through this as well?

Did you finally even things out, or just go pickless?

I’ve tried Fred Kelly pick sanded down a bit, and a good ol Dunlop med so far.

[Joe Beamish]

Yes, it took me awhile to find my balance with a thumb pick. You'll get there if you keep at it. It all just falls into place after awhile. Or eventually you may decide you prefer a bare thumb, as I do, for some styles, and a thumb pick for other styles.

By the way, I'm a big fan of Fred Kelly speed picks, but I can use anything at this point. Don't be afraid to experiment with different brands and shapes.

[NevadaPic]

Keep after it. You'll be glad you did.

[musicman1951]

I usually just use my thumb, but I also find that I have to be a little careful with a thumb pick to balance the volume so the bass doesn't take over.

If you want to use a thumb pick you can certainly learn to go lighter with the thumb.

[macfawlty]

Originally Posted by PapaC

So I’m trying to get finger picking down, and enjoying the journey. When I play with no thumb pick I do fine, and the note volume is even. When I use a thumb pick, the bass thump is overpowering. I don’t mind playing with no thumb pick, but I see a lot of players using one and it sounds great.

I have tried to go light with the thumb, but it seems to disrupt my rhythm.

Do I just keep trying? Have any of you veterans gone through this as well?

Did you finally even things out, or just go pickless?

I’ve tried Fred Kelly pick sanded down a bit, and a good ol Dunlop med so far.

Don’t sweat it, you’ll get used to it soon enough. Frankly, it’s easier than growing a super long thumbnail. Sanding is a good idea. I always thought they were a bit long.

[Humbucker]

It's all about the feel for me. I like to feel the strings and I found that a thumb pick seemed to cause me to be a bit less precise in my picking. Like there was a buffer between my thumb and the string. But then again my bread and butter for 40+ years has been the bass guitar and I never used a pick - ever. I bought a steel thumb pick once and the sound of it across the strings was like fingernails on a chalkboard. I am barefoot and proud of it

[PapaC]

Thanks for all the responses all. I’ll keep at it. I might mention that I don’t mind being a little quieter as I’ll rarely play out etc. Possibly occasionally at church where it would be amplified.

I do sing as I play though, and that is where the added volume can come in handy.

[Gatorwampus]

Just saw your post. I've been a finger picker for 50 years or so, mostly play a dread with light strings, and I sing a bit. My all tiime favorite thumb pick is the Herco. Can't remember what they call it but it looks like a flat pick with a loop. I like the medium gauge.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by PapaC

I have tried to go light with the thumb, but it seems to disrupt my rhythm.

I absolutely know what you mean by disrupting our rhythm because of the less flex and more bass.

What will happen is we change our technique slightly when using a heavier thumb pick. And of course, that takes time.

**However, I believe there is another alternative for yourself. I had been cutting off the tip of a Thumbpick and inserting a regular flat pick since the Early 70's. Thankfully a company makes just such a pick and they are only 5 dollars. Lots of flex as they are .40 thick.

As you move up in gauge strings, or your technique changes, a regular heavy duty thumbpick does offer some advantages: such as easier-more accurately played baselines. But for heavy strumming there is nothing like flexibility.

Try this ProPik for a $5 dollar experiment. Experimenting is fun..and this one is not too expensive.

[acoustigoat]

I bought a selection of picks from String by Mail (they will let you buy just one of pretty much any pick). I found a D'Addario one that gives a nice balance of tone and feel and then gave the others away at my jam group. Trying out a bunch is what I would recommend. It's easier than doing the same with strings!

[Glennwillow]

Without seeing and hearing you play, PapaC, it's hard to know why the imbalance occurs in your finger picking.

If you are using bare fingers to pluck the strings, that might be part of the problem, because bare flesh on the strings do not generate as much volume as fingernails do. Tommy Emmanuel uses bare flesh, but he has developed calluses on his finger tips where he plucks the strings, and those calluses add volume. And it may be that you are really overpowering the bass strings with the thumb pick and you'll just learn to make adjustments over time.

I use a Fred Kelly Slick Pick, Extra heavy for my thumb pick, which is not all that heavy compared to something like the National or Fender thumb picks. And I use relatively short fingernails, about 1/16" (1.5mm) of white nail showing. My nails are fairly thick and strong so they work out very well for fingerpicking and generate good volume. I don't like the sound when my nails get longer -- too much treble edge in the tone.

When I finger pick without the use of a thumb pick, the bass is too light, and so the thumb pick for me, balances out the volume from my finger nails.

If you don't have good nails for finger picking, and many players don't, finger picks can help with that. A lot of people are using Alaska picks, but it seems no two people are alike in what they like in finger picks. I used to use finger picks, but with age and the advancement of my osteoarthritis, my right index finger, in particular, became too crooked to wear a finger pick. So at about age 45 I transitioned to bare fingers and the use of short nails. I think when I made that transition that my finger picking tone actually improved, though that was just a happy accident.

I don't know if seeing (and hearing) what I do would be helpful to you, but HERE is a recent instructional video I made on teaching the Travis pick.

Best of luck!

- Glenn

[JayBee1404]

Here’s my solution to that picking imbalance. My natural nails are thin and tear easily, so I use a Thumbpick and I used to have my fingernails reinforced at out local manicurist’s - acrylic gel and fibreglass wraps. However, after seven or eight years, my natural nails thinned and became painful, so the manicurist recommended a year to eighteen months with no reinforcement.

That was when I turned to Propik ‘Fingertone’ finger-picks. They have a hole in the blade so the pad of the finger makes contact with the string for a warm smooth tone, and the metal of the pick gives a nice ‘ping’ to the notes.

Took a day or two to get used to the Propiks, but I’ve never felt the need to go back to having my own bails reinforced.

My Thumbpicks...

589CAAE5-C8B5-4EE1-A42A-36B8C92C7159.jpg

And the ProPik Fingertone Fingertone-pick...

B1791D00-6E42-46A1-9D08-ED7A8B3D9373.jpg

D851DB57-33CC-4A3D-B735-D3AC3F351417.jpg

[MrErikJ]

The Thumbpick is more ergonomic than using your thumb and allows a more natural position for your thumb in relation to the strings. However, if you don't have fingernails or fingerpicks, it may overpower your finger volume. You can try to balance that out with dynamics but the thumbpick's strength allowing you to palm mute while maintaining a more natural thumb position. Most thumbpick users palm mute when they play and that's the only time I use one.

[Italuke]

As a former classical guitarist, the mere concept of a thumb pick is odd to me. Big, strange, bulky thing in between me and the string. And it either falls off or cuts the blood flow in my thumb.

So as devil's advocate, don't think you MUST use a thumb pick. It's not true.

Also you don't need a really long thumbnail. You need longer on the left corner, but not unsightly long.

[mawmow]

The pro picks (I did not know them, thanks !) look interesting to me as I dared file down a regular Dunlop thumbpick to shorten it.