Fingerpicking

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Author	Comment
Madisonian		#21	[-]
(06/02/09 10:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Ugh!! Just got bumped when posting, losing my entire message. It does this about once a month, just to torture me, I guess. Here it is again: Absolutely - the FK Speed Picks are the bees knees! I like the yellow (thin). My recent search for a compatible plastic finger pick led me to the unexpected revelation that I really do feel the strings through my metal picks. The Nationals and Propiks fit close to my finger pads and there is a slight compression and release as the string is plucked which I had never really noticed before. I found that I cannot get comfortable with picks that take that away, such as the thicker, more rigid Acri or Freedom picks. Old Dobro and modified Dunlop plastic picks (the blade filed to more of a V shape as suggested by Jon Garon, and flattened slightly) have that "feel" and work fine. I also definitely prefer a wider bridge string spacing. Evan 1974 D-28S, 1999 Larrivee L-02, 2005 000-28VS, 2005 Larrivee 000-50, 2006 0MC Fingerstyle 1, 2005 000C-16SRNE, 2006 000-18GE, 2003 OM-18GE, 2008 M-38 Custom, 2008 175th LXM
hogwldfltr		#22	[-]
(06/03/09 12:24 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I've tried different approaches but bare fingered seems to work the best. That and amplification. -Lee *********** I've been known to play with the following: '71 D-18 (restored): '06 D-18GE : Backpacker : '82 D-41 : '66 D-35 (restored): '30 2-17 (restored) : '67 00-18C : '44 00-18 : '44 00-17 (restored) : LX-175th : '30s 0 Uke: '20s 2-M Uke (restored): '82 MC-28 : Gibson C-0 Classic : '98 Martin D12-1 : '08 DSM : '80 D-37K : '70 Guild F-112 (restored) : and a '98 Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide. Forum intro #992, DON'T TRASH THEM; RESTORE THEM! *********** "What do you all look like?" Post #206
NoSkils		#23	[-]
(06/03/09 1:08 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I use the yellow and sand them down to be a little thinner. I don't quite have the hang of muting with my palm and need to tone down the base line a bit when my thumb gets over excited.
Shawneekots		#24	[-]
(06/03/09 4:31 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I have always used my bare fingers, as I could never master using a thump pick and metal fingerpicks. Nothing like the feel of cold steel on bare fingers!
MartinBigot		#25	[-]
(06/05/09 7:06 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I'm WAY too much of a rookie to be chiming in on this thread (although it's evident that that's not stopping me..!).... =) I've only been playing fingerstyle for 6 weeks and have only made it through Happy T's intro DVD, but I use a thumbpick and just my fingers. Volume's not an issue for me because I only play for my own enjoyment or my family's, or sometimes over friends' houses. I've been playing guitar for years (chording etc with a flatpick) and long ago in my teens and twenties when I played publicly for $$ in places where I was just background noise, I lost my desire to play when people don't really want to listen (hence just the fingers). I do get that lots of guys/gals need picks though if they're playing in a group....just don't like playing when other people are talking over me. Bare fingers for me.... 1939 00021 1969 D18 1990 HD28P 2001 D41 2002 000028H 2002 D42K2 2003 D17
Ted Hutson		#26	[-]
(06/05/09 9:58 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I usually use a large, extra thick Golden Gate thumb pick, and usually nails on my fingers. But sometimes I use the Pro Piks with the large holes that expose your fingertips, and sometimes I use finger picks which cover the backs of my nails, that I made from the necks of 50ml liquor bottles found as urban flotsam. I tried plastic Alaska Piks, but they did not hold up for my rather aggressive touch, and The Music Emporium did not have the metal ones the last time I checked. I use my thumb pick in both directions, so it is critical that it fit well and be rigid. '56 000-21, quarter. Willi's bridge repair thread. My '27 00-28 repair thread. My '31 OM-18 thread.
Fingerstyle2		#27	[-]
(06/06/09 6:58 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	After years of going with bare thumb and fingers with medium nails, I'm giving a shot at adding a thumb pick to the equation. My nails are strong enough that I can dig in pretty hard and get the volume, but I've never been able to get my thumbnail to the right shape and length to use it except for the occasional "special effect." The challenge I'm working on now is getting a good volume balance between the thumbpick and fingers (the thumb is still a bit too loud), in addition to developing a good "feel" for the strings when using the thumbpick. Surprisingly, I'm getting OK at doing the Blind Blake "thumb roll" using the thumbpick. To select a thumbpick, I did a mega-buy from Elderly (Elderly thumbpick department)--bought about eight or nine different brands/gauges. It's surprisingly inexpensive. I'm zeroing in on the John Pearse or one of the Fred Kelly Slick Picks (not sure which gauge yet, but one of the Delrins). Pearse pitches their thumbpick as recreating the vintage National picks, but it appears to me that the tip of the Pearse is much smaller (and works better for me) than the longer and thicker tips of the old National picks that I've got around. The Kelly Speed Picks seem fine and I may come back to them, but the narrow strip that contacts the strings is feeling too flimsy for my style. It seems to work better for me to have a wider picking surface the harder I dig in (i.e., a pick that is narrow at the tip and gets wider). For folks who have a hard time getting the flat surface of the thumb pick to hit the strings straight on without scraping, check out the Dunlop Zookies, which have an angled tip in three different angles. David
IainDearg		#28	[-]
(06/07/09 3:59 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Flesh and nails. I used fingerpicks for a while when I was younger and gigging most nights mostly because they saved the nails. But for me there was no "feel" and dynamics were hard to control and they were "slower" so I stopped. Dave OM-18V & OM-28V www.dave-keir.com
elmcmeen		#29	[-]
(06/17/09 4:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Wire and Wood wrote: Bare fingers will never get the volume attainable with picks/nails. After gentle prodding by El McMeen, I've settled on a thumbpick with nails and my tone/volume was never better.. ... Good luck, Marshall This really made my day, Marshall. I just ran across it. Hope all is well. El El McMeen Wife '71 Guitars - Various www.elmcmeen.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_McMeen
RevGeo		#30	[-]
(06/18/09 11:07 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	It depends on what I'm playing. When I play country blues on my old Stella, which has nickel strings and a cool thump in the bass, I use a blue Herco thumbpick and nails. I keep my first two nails just about 1/16" longer than the others and that is enough to grab the strings. When I play classic ragtime on the old Lyon&Healy with .011 PBs I play without the thumbpick because I like the tone better for that kind of music. I hate metal fingerpicks with a passion. Hate the tone, hate the feel, hate everything about them. Sorry if I sugar-coated my feelings a bit. When I play fingerstyle with a group I use the thumbpick for volume. Playing solo or duo with my wife I amplify with a mic but with a group I use a sound-hole pup. Rev George

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