Thumb pick or not

[JonnyBGood]

Originally Posted by Wooly

Which brings the question. Can one get used to fingerstyle with and without using one?

Yes, easily. Calum Graham for one is a great example of a player who moves effortlessly between using one and not.

I am mainly nail + flesh 90% of the time but I use a thumb pick for the reason already described above, on a few pieces where I am muting the bass strings with my palm edge and want those muted basses to really pop out - Don Ross and Tommy Emmanuel material for example.

[Wooly]

Thanks for the responses. I'll give it a go. Nothing to lose.

[Woolbury]

I'm a fingers only player. I've tried a thumbpick, but I lose sensitivity and dynamics. I went on a 2 week vacation 2 yrs back and made myself play with a thumbtack the entire time, but just couldn't make it stick. I wish I could use a thumb and finger picks, because I appreciate the extra volume they produce, but its a very difficult bridge for me to cross.