Fingerpicks or not... the eternal question

Terje · #1 August 4th, 2004

I've played without picks for a long time. And I've used my fingertips on the right hand for damping and muting unwanted strings.

The picks give me a little more speed, but more importantly, a lot less effort, so I think it's the right way to go. But now my damping is screwed cause I have picks on my fingertips and... well, it doesn't work.

So, I'm trying to teach my right hand to dampen in another way, using the heel of my hand and the ring finger to do it. Which I think in the long run is better, caused it will work without the picks as well.

Any thougthts on this?

Kirk Lorange · #2 August 4th, 2004

Throw the picks away!

Kirk

Terje · #3 August 5th, 2004

I can see the beauty in not using picks, as I haven't used them for years. But apart from that, do you have any specific reason for me not to use them?

The thing that's good I think is that I can play fretted phrases with more ease. And some of the slide stuff becomes clearer. The damping is getting there, faster than I thought it would.

I loose one particular sound, the soft touch of fingertips. I can always have that back by just taking the picks off now and then.

Kirk Lorange · #4 August 5th, 2004

No, no reason really, other than: the less you need to get your sound, the better off you are. One day, after you've got so used to those picks that you can't do without, you'll find yourself in a situation where you don't have them. Then you'll wish you could do without.

Or something ....

Kirk

Terje · #5 August 6th, 2004

Yeah, I know...

I used to be completely dependent on a particular kind of pick, this was before I started to slide. It wasa stone pick, and it wasa special shape, not just any stone pick. And do you know what, they can actually break... and yes, I forgot them from time to time... it was hopeless...

Now, since I'm completely dependent on a few things I solve the problem this way: I get more than one of each. Like my favorite slide, a Chrome Dome (and I'm sort of dependent on that), I have one at home, one in my pocket and one in the balalajka case (and one in the guitar case, you know, just in case... ).

The thing with the fingerpicks though... I can always go back to not using them. The damping that I'm slowly getting used to wroks fine without the picks as well.

Ricochet · #6 September 6th, 2004

It sure is easier playing without the picks!

I've made myself get more or less used to using them to play on my Tricone because I love the brilliant tone and volume they give. But I never feel quite natural using them. And they sure do get in the way of damping.

David Kampmann · #7 September 6th, 2004

Hello All, my first post here, and what a classic topic it is -

For resonator guitars, fingerpicks are IT - in my humble opinion. I felt like an idiot when I took 'em up, i could hardly play anything.

The sound is worth the startup difficulties if you ask me, my instruments came alive when I started to play with picks. Initially, I used four picks, thumbpick and three metal fingrpicks.

Found out by and by that the ring finger fingerpick wasn't really seeing that much action, and, in fact, was more or less in the way or adding to the general feeling of confusion: Which finger to employ at what time. Now, I use index and middle - and thumb, like most guys do.

Mind you, I love playing my Nationals barefingered to, real quiet and pretty, but for tonal variety and sheer torque, nothing beats having those claws on.

Takes some time to get used to them, but they will become second nature eventually, just like that thumb going back and forth - if you fingerpickers know what i mean.

pbradt · #8 September 6th, 2004

The main reason to get rid of your picks is that when you use a pick of any kind, you have no direct body contact between your flesh and the strings. I want that connection, and I believe flesh on steel is THE sound for slide guitar, whether you're using a Les Paul, A Strat, or a resonator.

Sonny Landreth and lee Roy Parnell both fingerpick without picks. Good enough for me.

Ricochet · #9 September 6th, 2004

Maybe so, but a resonator just sounds WAY better with picks. You can't get that sound out of them with flesh.

pbradt · #10 September 6th, 2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricochet

Maybe so, but a resonator just sounds WAY better with picks. You can't get that sound out of them with flesh.

To each their own. I like the sound of skin on steel. Lucky, it can be done both ways!

Ricochet · #11 September 6th, 2004

Terje · #12 September 24th, 2004

It's not so much the sound for me. I can still love the sound of bare fingers. But the feel, there is less friction when I use picks. It's not that I get faster but I get more relaxed in my right hand. That's a good thing.

manwithaplan · #13 January 6th, 2005

I personnaly only use bare fingers when I play, not even finger nails.