Pick Vs Fingers

[Just1L]

As I was working on a new song I thought about this post. I played the tune with a pick and without the pick. Without the pick won by a long shot. Not 100% sure why it sounded so much better but it did hands down.

 

I will say though that I was playing by a window, and good god almighty I hope nobody saw me.

[Rudi]

Early days: I always used to want to use fingers exclusively. But, I used a Strat in those days, and for over 20 years too. The action was so heavy that I used a pick just in order to play it hard enough.

 

I sacked the strat a long while ago, but still like a firm-ish action.

 

I agree that using fingers give the control, feel and sound that cant be achieved with plectrums.

 

A good example is the 1st Dire Straits album (eponymously titled). Here is a track from it that demonstrates what I am talking about.

[Marcus Boyd]

What do you say?

What's easier to play with? What makes the best sound?

I usually use a pick, but I fingerpick a couple of songs in a live show.  I also hybrid pick a few.  Variety is cool!

[TapperMike]

If I remember where I left my pick I'll play hybrid. I had a teacher who was a fanatic that everything had to be flatpicked  Because he was inlove with the tone.  It was a short lived teaching experience.

[Prometheus]

Fingers with the acoustic and a pick with the SG35.  I can't play the electric with my fingers.  It sounds weedy and muddy when I do.

[Jim622]

Fingers with the acoustic and a pick with the SG35.  I can't play the electric with my fingers.  It sounds weedy and muddy when I do.

Robbie Krieger used his fingers on a SG.

[chased]

Have to be fingers but, oh so personal, this one!

[HumanCannonball]

It all depends on the song. It's a way to change up the whole sound of my guitar. 

[Rory Gallagher]

It's not a question of Pick Vs. Fingers to me,But a question of utilizing both well.

The music I play entails use for both but on seperate songs(For instance on Bert Jansch's Angie I would use fingers whereas on say Black Night by Deep Purple I would use a pick)

I couldn't imagine using a pick for the early country blues artists of the 20s and 30's for obvious  reasons that its though rhythm would frankly sound a bit weak and mellow with the pick and you can't really use flexibility to your advantage.
But then hard rock such as Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin it would be best to have a pick. 

So I really find both to be useful, I enjoy both musically.

[LayneGreene]

Well said Rory!

[Simon Jones]

I prefer finger picking or/and using my thumb to strum...I'm much more comfortable doing that until I'm playing at an open mic and then my fingers turn to jelly.

[Rudi]

Fingers with the acoustic and a pick with the SG35.  I can't play the electric with my fingers.  It sounds weedy and muddy when I do.

 

To fingerpick an electric you have to back off the gain / distortion massively (unless you confine yourself to playing one string at a time).

 

Only then can you hear 2 or more strings (played simultaneously) clearly and distinctly.

 

Also it helps to have a wider fretboard & string spaces.

 

 

 

Conversely, its for this same reason that heavy metal stylists rely on techniques that use one string at a time so much. ie: hammer on, pull off & tapping.

[Escape]

Like others have said, it really depends on the song and style I'm playing.  I definitely play more with a pick than with my fingers, but occasionally I will blend both or just fingerpick if the song calls for it.

 

Then again, my tone and comfort level isn't as developed with fingerpicking as it is with flatpicking, so that also has an influence.

[Alistair]

As I am a rubbish guitarist who is very imprecise I nearly always use a pick. I sometimes use my fingers when I am messign around at home but wouldn't have the confidence to do it in the live context.

[Rudi]

As I am a rubbish guitarist who is very imprecise I nearly always use a pick. I sometimes use my fingers when I am messign around at home but wouldn't have the confidence to do it in the live context.

Any limitations you may have with guitar dont impede your songwriting skills any Al.

I listen to Box of Goats about as frequently as I do God Street Wine, and I love God Street Wine!

 

Great to hear from you again.

[TapperMike]

I prefer finger picking or/and using my thumb to strum...I'm much more comfortable doing that until I'm playing at an open mic and then my fingers turn to jelly.

 

 

I used to play with 12's on my electrics and my fingers would stiffen up so I moved down to 09's which was fine at home but I'd break those things left and right when playing live.  I'd get nervous and want to hit the strings as hard as I could.  So then I moved back up to 10's  But I was doing some heavy gigging 4 hour shows every weekend 3 hour shows on the weekdays and session work.  I finally got more comfortable with playing where I could hit the strings "hard enough" with 09's and not break them.

 

For me it was honestly deep breathing and always starting with something simple and well rehearsed that helped the most.  With other guys it seems they have to kick off with something aggressive to work out the nervous energy then when that is released they can play more naturally.

[Kayleigh1998]

I always finger pick on slow songs. especially classics, because to me, it really brings out the true meaning of the song and makes it sound more majestic.

[shelter]

I always play hybrid picking cause I can't play in another way. I used to play with my fingers till they bleed and then I found out that there are two magnificent things that can make your life easier. The first is thumbpick and the second is hybrid picking with a flatpick!

 

Being a guitar hybrid picker in Greece before the Internet era was a hard thing. Now I feel like an idiot that reinvented the wheel or something like that because I never paied close attention to the Muddy Waters pictures....

[Rudi]

I dont know how you made your fingers bleed through picking.

 

Stefan Grossman had a very hard picking style, so did Bert Jansch. Bert would pull the strings so hard they would slap back onto the fingerboards with a thud.

 

Ry Cooder (on from the field CD) broke two strings in one song.

 

I'm pretty sure none of these pickers had this sort of problem. What sort of techniques did you use?

[shelter]

I used to play classical guitar technique. It doesn't work for me. By that time I used stainless strings and had a small amp. I used to break all my fingernails (which I still do on some fingers) trying to match with the bands cressendo. Maybe I've got soft skin. Btw I was pretty sure that Bert Jansch used a thumb pick. Also S.Grossman uses a thumb pick sometimes. When he doesn't he uses a very different fingerstyle technique (pulling strings as you said).

 

Maybe some guys can make it, and I'm pretty sure that some do it well. But not me. Ry does it. Mark Knopfler too. Maybe more that I can't remember know.