Finger Picks - how necessary are they?

Matthew Kresge · From: Pennsylvania, USA

I know most, if not all of you are going to tell me they are essential and you of course know more than I do (I only began playing earlier this year) but what is the downfall of not using them? I know of and have seen players who do double duty live, switching between guitar and pedal steel and don't bother with finger picks in this setting. Never seem to notice any real difference. As a guitar player of 30+ years who never used finger picks, I'm having the hardest time playing the pedal steel with them...which I know is common with beginners but I feel I'm progressing with my understanding and capabilities with the instrument quicker than my ability to play with finger picks is allowing me to do and hence find me progressing at a nice clip without using them currently.

There are of course countless guitar players who have succeeded at playing guitar without the aid of a pick, be it plectrum or finger picks. What is it about the pedal steel that makes it so different that not using finger picks is generally frowned upon?

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

Expect some long answers, but if you want to play in a band and produce the sound that they and the audience are expecting, persevere with the picks!
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K Maul · From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL

At least use a thumb pick.
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Andrew Goulet · Posted 22 Jul 2022 4:30 am

This seems to be an oft-discussed topic on the forum. If you haven't already, search for past threads for exhaustive discussion.

Do what works for you. However, consider this: it might take you a year or so to fully adjust to picks, and then you'll have easy access to clean notes and sharp attacks. Proceed without picks, and it might take much, much longer to get the accuracy, speed, and attack you (and bands) desire.

IMO, it's better to view picks as a tool in the toolbox. Not using them should be a stylistic choice, rather than something you're forced into.
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Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Sit at the guitar for hours, and hours WITH FINGER PICKS picking the four triad string groups. Over and over and over again. Do this for two weeks until you feel naked without the finger picks. There is no wiping out. The pedal steel is the hardest instrument and routinely makes mince meat out of guitar players
Whole different world.

chuck lemasters · From: Jacksonburg, WV

There are many examples of guys who, at least at times, played without picks…Bobby Seymour comes to mind…for a hack like me, there’s no way I could play as well without picks….getting used to picks is one of the many hurdles that must be addressed with this frustrating instrument…like hand position, blocking, bar control, tuning issues, seating position, etc.

Tom Keller · From: Greeneville, TN, USA

If you want to play like your heroes and the best in the business finger picks are a must, but hey who knows, maybe you will be the next trend setter.

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

I tried using just a thumbpick onstage once. What I got was muddy sound and chewed-up fingers. Winking

Barry Yasika · From: Bethlehem, Pa.

I play a lot of acoustic guitar and I've gone back and forth with finger picks. I finally just did without them altogether. The good part of doing that is that I seem to have alot more control of the strings when I can feel them. I also get a much more mellow tone.

Using finger picks brightens up my sound and I get more volume and sustain which is why I like using them when I'm playing steel. I get that classic "clang like a bell" tone once the string slides of the end of the finger pick. It takes time but you learn different ways to attack the strings which can help vary the notes tone that your playing. You also get a much better staccato effect if your playing something faster and are able to develop either pick or palm blocking.

I guess the best thing to do is don't fight comes natural to you. Your sound comes from the way you play your guitar. How you touch the strings, with or without picks and how you use your other hand to control the bar. Once you've found a comfortable touch you'll begin to sound about the same on most any guitar you play, along with any amp or effects you use. It's kinda like using different styles of pens or pencils to sign your name, your signature is usually pretty consistent regardless of the apparatus you use.

Pat Chong · From: New Mexico, USA

Hi Matt,

This answer may be simplistic, but had not been mentioned. When you wear the picks, they cover the finger tip, not the finger nail. I don't know if you are wearing them wrong, or not, but wearing them correctly speeds things up, plus all the other issues brought up.

Full speed ahead....Engage!........Pat

K Maul · From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL

Andrew Goulet · Posted 22 Jul 2022 11:54 am

Good point by K Maul, here. Wear them when you're not playing! Sounds weird but it definitely helps your mind adjust to them as well as toughens the skin to make them more comfortable.

One thing I forgot to ask: what type of metal and thickness are you using for the fingerpicks? What size for the thumb pick? Things got way better for me when I switched from thick stainless steel to thin brass. Likewise, my standard thumbpick is a large National, but a "large" Dunlop is torturously small. It's worth the money to get an assortment of materials, sizes, and brands when you're first starting out.
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Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

I was always a thumbpick user from way back, then I started on banjo and 6 string guitar with a thumbpick and one fingerpick on index to get used to basic motions like crossovers, after that, ease into it

and yes, lots of old threads about getting right fit and right picks, bending the bands and blades w/needlenose pliers wrapped in duct tape, just search "without fingerpicks" and "adjust fingerpick"

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=2493569

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=3012799
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Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

Matthew, do you use a pick when you play guitar? If so, then perhaps thinking about why, and what advantages a plectrum offers on the guitar, will offer a parallel insight into the advantages of using picks on steel guitar... Good luck. Lots of great music to be made either way.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

If you picked the best 10, best 25, or even the best 100 players of all time, you'd find that they all used picks. That speaks volumes! But...I'm kind of sitting on the fence here, and I personally don't really care if you play with a fork and a spoon. Laughing

What will count, in the end, is how good you sound and how happy you are with your own playing. So go right ahead and do whatever you like. I am, and always have been, a firm believer in "It's not what you use, it's what you can do with what you use"! Mr. Green

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I recorded this a few days ago without picks. It's a softer sound, but it doesn't have to be. There are some rock guitar icons who play without picks. Lindsey Buckingham, Derek Trucks, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler, to name a few.

I've never been strong enough at it to play without picks in a band context on stage. Plus, it's not sound that people expect to hear. It's a softer, more sensitive tone with greater dynamic range. I find that I don't use or need my volume pedal as much when playing without picks. I play a different style.

You will have more sustain using picks and good volume pedal technique. As others have said, that's the sound that bandleaders and audiences expect from our instrument.
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Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Whether you use picks or not is your choice.

But if you want to use picks, Make sure they fit you exact and comfortable. Most picks have holes in the bands, They will act as hinges and make a sort of hexagon form. Those kinks will stick out and one pick will catch on the other and 1 of the picks will go flying.

I actually form picks with a small hammer around a 3/8" drill shank or steel rod in a padded vice. If you have small fingers you may have to cut the wrappers shorter so they do not overlap.

A new set of picks, One fitted 1 to go.

If a set of picks does not fit your fingers comfortable, You have lost the battle before you start.

Once you get a set of picks fitted, Don't let someone use your picks to show you a lick or grip. They will bend them and you will have to refit them.

In my seat I have what I call "Go Fish Bag". Several picks I have collected over the years. My picks go in my pocket.
Good Luck and Happy Steelin

Matthew Kresge · From: Pennsylvania, USA

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

My nails have become too brittle to play pick-less any more. I like the tone of fingers and nails on the strings, but it's just not an option for me now.

I played pick-less on guitar for years, but used picks on banjo and steel. Getting used to using picks for playing thumb style guitar took some getting used to, but it's working fine now.

Dave

David Dorwart · From: Orlando, Florida, USA

Is there a reason not to wear picks?

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I'm not exactly sure why, but this subject comes up very often. There is a treasure trove of forum threads on the subject, some of which I link here -

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=372561

There are a lot more if you do the search yourself.

I think there are very legitimate musical reasons to sometimes play with thumb pick and no finger picks. On slide guitar, I often switch between finger picks on and off, and honestly prefer without. Not so on steel, either with or without pedals.

A big issue is string tension - stock pedal strings have pretty high tension and are a serious challenge on the nails or fingers/calluses. For tonal reasons, I generally prefer pretty stout strings without pedals.

Another issue is volume and tone. I guess if you have kryptonite nails, it might not be such a big issue. But it is for me. On gigs with a band, I sometimes find even slide guitar can get lost in the ozone without finger picks. For pedal steel on a gig with a typically loud band, no finger picks is a non-starter for me.

So if the question you're asking is, "Are finger picks always necessary for playing pedal steel?", I'd say no. But if the real question you're asking is, "Should I just skip going to the effort to learn how to use finger picks to play pedal steel?", I'd also say no. I think you're limiting yourself too much to just be lazy and not learn to use finger picks. Been there, done that, I don't think it's a good idea. IMO, much better to have multiple technique options and pick the one that fits the music best than to just have one option. I said more about this here - https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=326147&&start=25

Before someone chimes in that Bobbe Seymour played without picks - well, sometimes he used picks and sometimes he didn't. There's a old thread where he discusses that specifically. I do not believe he would have ever told someone not to bother to learn to use finger picks. In fact, he was the one that told me that I should use three fingerpicks (index, middle, ring). I heeded that advice, for which I have always been grateful.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

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