Playing styles explained - ???

[Silly Moustache]

Building on another thread but not wanting to hijack it :
It occurred to me that just saying Fingerstyle or struming doesn't really hack it.
so what would?

How about these for a start :

To play with one's fingers one can:

1. play with thumb, and three fingers,
2. With thumb and two fingers
3. with thumb and just the index (or other?) finger (I can only do this)

also, one may do all these with "skin" , nails or finger/thumb picks.

Differing definitions?

To play with a pick one may:

1. Strum - i.e. scrub all strings up and down
2. Play "plectrum style" which I associate with the adaptation of plectrum banjo style adapted to guitar (expand?)
3. Flat picking - the style associated with old time and latterly bluegrass
4. Other ?

How about a discussion expansion on these?

[Ed66]

I started as a fingerpicker a little over 4 years ago. I picked up a guitar, started noodling/playing a few chords and decided I really liked the finger-picked sound as opposed to strumming or flat-picking. The earlier songs I learned (and continue to play) tend to be thumb +1. The songs that I have added over the past year tend to be thumb +3. If I go back and try to play one of the earlier songs I learned and "add" a finger my brain locks up. As I'm learning new songs now, I consciously try to make the most efficient use of all my fingers -- except the pinky finger, I just can't get it going -- plus and not to create a tangent, its supposed to be anchored

[ctvolfan]

Not sure if this contributes to what you are asking but I guess I play hybrid style. I would like to be better at fingerpicking but I have always used a pick so it is hard for me to pick it up because I am lazy and don't want to stay away from my comfort zone for long which is using a pick. I have developed my own style of holding my pick between my thumb and index finger when plucking my bass note or fatter strings with the pick and then I use my middle finger to pluck the treble or thinner strings quite a bit.

So I guess hybrid picking could have it's own category.

[DukeX]

Well, playing with one's fingers would also include a) strumming and picking with just the thumb, b) strumming and picking with just the index...

[zmf]

Originally Posted by ctvolfan

So I guess hybrid picking could have it's own category.

I Travis pick combined with flatpicking with index fingernail. Can I be a member of the hybrids too?

[mercy]

Yes there are lots of way of playing with fingers even frailing and each one has its distinctives. The Travis pick is the most widely used which is sort of a boom chuch with thumb. Chet Atkins modified that a bit and others, I dont know who but I think it was a lot of people, saw the potential to employ classical techniques with modern music. Usually this is on a steel string but sometimes a classical. I call this American Fingerstyle in contrast to the finger pickers and other variations of using fingers.

[rokdog49]

Wow, this is a tough one.
If you know the intro to "Homeward Bound" by Simon and Garfunkel, I play (pluck) that using my index and thumb for the first seven double stop notes and use the thumb only for the last note only which is a G fretted on the the third fret. Most of the time, I finger pick with my thumb and index finger. That represents about 10% of my total guitar playing. I don't play instrumentals, I'm a singer.
The other 90% is a variety of techniques using a pick. I even use a combination of pick and flesh on some rhythm stuff and sometimes just flesh.
Frankly, I'm too lazy to try and describe everything I do with a pick and it would be way too much information for most.

[Dustinfurlow]

Find it interesting the types of fingerstyle-playing from culture to culture as well. In North America there’s a lot of the “boom-chick” playing pattern or Travis picking for the folk and country artists but then if you listen to a lot of Japanese and korean fingerstylists they have more emphasis on free form and often use acrylic nails to achieve occasional strumming techniques and artificial harmonics. My opinion is that it’s good to delve into a little bit of everything!

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by mercy

Yes there are lots of way of playing with fingers even frailing and each one has its distinctives. The Travis pick is the most widely used which is sort of a boom chuch with thumb. Chet Atkins modified that a bit and others, I dont know who but I think it was a lot of people, saw the potential to employ classical techniques with modern music. Usually this is on a steel string but sometimes a classical. I call this American Fingerstyle in contrast to the finger pickers and other variations of using fingers.

In my mind, I see variations of two distinct fingerpicking styles. (Travis style where the thumb plays independently of the fingers and banjo style rolls). Either way I play with a thumb and two fingers but I'm put off somewhat because I'm yet to really find great fingerpicks.