Finger picks or no finger picks?

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

I came to the lap steel from guitar, which I play with fingers only about 99% of the time. I've tried using finger picks with the steel, but I feel like a complete klutz and if the picks aren't digging into my cuticles they're slipping around on my finger tips. I also find myself hitting the fretboard with the tips of the picks. Judging from photos of used steels, I gather this is pretty common. Regardless, I don't want to mar the fretboard of my steels with pick gouges.

I'm just curious how many here use fingerpicks vs just fingers. I'm guessing a lot of you are pedal steel players, too, so you probably are used to finger picks. If that's the case, please say so.

Lastly, any recommendations for finger picks? I have metal ones that can be bent to fit a finger and a couple plastic ones for my thumb. The thumb picks are almost manageable for me, but those also twist around while playing and become an annoyance in pretty short order.

I do like the brighter sound and greater volume that fingerpicks impart, but prefer the sound of fingers-only tone.

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

This is an issue everybody has to deal with when approaching the instrument for the first time.
There is nothing natural about fingerpicks, they feel incredibly awkward and clumsy, and it can be hard to imagine ever getting used to them.
Well, the same could be said about contorting one’s fingers on a guitar fretboard!
In both cases, many, when faced with these unnatural difficulties, make concessions that hurt technique in the long run, or eventually give up completely.

There is nothing wrong with playing the instrument without picks, but that choice should ideally be an aesthetic one (as you say, you like the fingers only tone) and not because of technical concessions.

It is worth persevering, and you will get used to them, as picks have been a fundamental element of the instrument since its conception. And truthfully, using them just sounds right.

As far as fretboard wear is concerned, you could try plastic finger picks if you are really worried. They are interestingly different and worth a try IMO.

Frank James Pracher · From: Michigan, USA

I hated the feel of fingerpicks when I first started. Honestly, it took the better part of a year of playing regularly to get used to them.
What made me stick with it was All the players that drew me to the instrument used them. David Lindley, Santo Farina, Jerry Bryd, etc...

While you can certainly play without them, it's a different sound.

Now that I'm accustomed to them, I can't imagine playing without them.

My personal choice is a Fred Kelly thumbpick, and two brass Dunlop fingerpicks (.018). If you decide to give fingerpicks a try, I recommend getting a few. I takes some practice getting the fit right. Once you get a pair broke in it's so nice.
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Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

You have to fit the picks to each finger and for the way your right hand operates…this is completely individual experiment. You will find that players have a set of picks that work and they will use those religiously’ - ie I can t just sit down at your steel and borrow your picks - it won’t work…I’m not just referring to the size of the fingers here. The pick should hit the string dead on the flat part according to your hand/ finger movement.
I spent a lot of trial and error to get the right set and I have them individual marked for the index and middle. The index being bent almost 90 degrees.

If you are hitting the fretboard with your picks either your technique is really bad or your picks are sticking out way too far - they should imo be just enough part the finger to pick the string, not stick out like talons

As a side note - I have a completely different set that I have fitted for pedal steel and yet another for banjo. If I accidentally put the wrong set on - not likely but I have - I’ll know it immediately
I have an entire box and culled out maybe 2 sets from that I will use

You will find Steelers are adamant and protective about their particular picks

The best thumb pick imo are the thin ones like pedal steel players use not the huge banjo ones
The John Pearce vintage ones are what I’ve used for years - like everything the new ones aren’t quite the same I’ve recently found out
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Gerard Ventura · From: Texas, USA

I understand (and am/was) where you're coming from. Plastic thumbpicks aren't too troublesome, I like the Dunlop 9023 plastic thumbpicks.
The fingerpicks were a real challenge, and I went thru a bunch. However, I found these to be the best- very thin, don't cut into your cuticles, sound great-

Dunlop 37R Brass fingerpicks. only 0.0225 inch thick.

Both are low cost and readily available from Sweetwater, or likely other retailers too.
...and I'll go ahead and say it (since everyone assumes we all know), that the 'fingernail' part of the fingerpick goes Opposite the fingernail, not on top of it! Wink

Jeff Highland · From: New South Wales, Australia

Plastic thumbpick and gel nails for me. My natural fingernails are too soft and prone to splitting, but fingertips alone don't work for me.
I prefer the ergonomics of a thumbpick to a thumbnail.
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Bill McCloskey · Posted 14 Feb 2024 4:50 pm

I use National NP-2 gold finger picks and herco blue thumbpicks. Best I've used by far.

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

I've got National and Dunlop metal fingerpicks and a small assortment of thumb picks. I've bent the fingerpicks to my fingers as best I could, but they're far from comfortable. I'm thinking maybe I could try taping around my fingernails/cuticles before putting on the fingerpicks, just as a buffer between the pick and my fingers.

My fingertips are calloused from years of playing acoustic and electric guitars without a pick, but they're feeling it now from playing lap steel.

David DeLoach · From: Tennessee, USA

Yes and No.

For some tunes I use a thumb pick and 2 fingerpicks. For other tunes I use a thumb pick and 3 fingerpicks.
For still other tunes I use no picks at all.

If I have a bunch of 4 note block chords, I'll use a thumb pick and 3 fingerpicks.

On tunes that require special string dampening (e.g. using high gain), I won't use any picks. You can see my right hand/fingers muting unplayed strings in this video. --> https://youtu.be/9FmrfyzxoGw

I played 5 string banjo a bit when I was a teenager, so I'm pretty used to thumb & fingerpicks. Played a lot of classical guitar and fingerstyle guitar too, so I'm used to playing without picks as well.

This wear on my Clinesmith is from my fingernails on my 3rd & 4th fingers resting on the lap steel (blame my banjo technique for that - you can see this in the video I linked above). I keep all my nails long for fingerstyle/classical guitar.

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Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

I would try various brands of fingerpicks ... but would always come back to Dunlop 0.018s ...

Until I tried Ernie Ball "Picky Picks"" Mr. Green

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

The reduced pick-to-string contact area looks like it might solve one of my biggest problems with picks. I wonder if the pointy tip would scratch up the fretboard more easily, though.

I'm gonna look for some of these.

Fred · From: Amesbury, MA

Every couple of years I try them again but just never stick with it. Same with pedal steel.

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

Joseph, out of curiosity what steel are you playing?
I usually buy slightly beat up gear so I don't have to fret about dinging and scratching up a 50+ year old museum piece for the first time Laughing

It seems like the black on Fender fretboards wears eventually, but the black on the Clinesmiths, as above, seem to wear very often from pics I've seen.

Lloyd Graves · From: New York, USA

Thumb: https://www.elderly.com/products/acri-brass-thumbpick-with-delrin-blade-one-adjustable-size

The brass prevents rotation, and the delrin gives a less clackity tone (than brass). Really similar in feel to a Bluechip pick, but for a fraction of the cost. (I use a Bluechip thumb pick on my tenor guitar and banjo though, because the Acri catchers the strings on the upward strums.)

Fingers: https://pro-pik.com/products/propik%c2%ae-fingertone%c2%ae-fingerpicks

The open middle let's me feel the strings, but I get the actual pick volume and tone. And the split band is WAY more comfortable on my cuticle than the solid band.

That's what I've found works for me, anyhow.

Joseph Lazo · From: Wisconsin, USA

Joe, I have three and they all have differing types of plastic pickguard that can easily get scratched or gouged. All have wood bodies. I dunno, maybe I'm OCD about being careful with my stuff, but I've thought about putting some sort of adhesive plastic material over the area the picks are most likely to wreak havoc.

Bill Groner · From: QUAKERTOWN, PA

I guess I'm a shallow picker, cuz I have yet in 7 years of playing to touch a fretboard or the face of the lap steel with a pick!
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

I can do both, but fingerpicks when I need to sound conventional.

Since you’re used to playing guitar bare-fingered, fit the picks on so the blade just barely goes past your fingertips.That should keep the blade from dropping too far below the plane of the strings and gouging into the top of your guitar, and you won’t have to make a big adjustment in your technique.

Some players wear their picks with a lot of blade extending past their fingertips. I don’t see how they can stand it, but something tells me they don’t play any bare-fingered guitar either.

After you figure out whether your thumb is small, medium, or large, buy about 20 different thumb picks, or try a bunch on at a store. Try them on, see which one feels the best and makes the sound you want. I have found many of the ones mentioned here in this thread work pretty well. I settled on Fred Kelly thumb picks and Acri fingerpicks.

Or just play bare-fingered, if that’s what floats your boat.

Guy Cundell · From: More idle ramblings from South Australia

Both. I never liked fingerpicks but if you put yourself in a position where they are essential, you will work it out. That situation for me was playing dobro (6 & 8 string) for long periods of time at a volume that could mix it with a bunch of gypsy jazz guitarists.

On one hand, I find that articulation is more easily controlled without picks, particularly of over-driven electric. Eg Lowell George. Yes, it’s bottleneck but it may as well be on a lap. I’d call it pick blocking without the picks.

On the other hand, the tone differences are marked. I attempt jazzy PSG without picks but find that they are essential to get a clear ringing country sound.

The search for the right picks can be a long journey. I have eventually settled on D’Andrea plastic thumb picks. (That took a lot of experimentation.) And 2.25 Dunlop finger picks. However, I have found that in fitting the picks to my first & second fingers, they end up different sizes. So, I have a stainless steel (or chromed) one for the first finger and brass for the second so that I can instantly tell them apart by colour.

David M Brown · From: California, USA

Steel guitar is the only instrument I play with fingerpicks!

However, I don't get the right feel and sound with anything else, although in certain past situations I've had to use a flatpick and hybrid picking...but that was because I was mostly playing electric guitar and would add a steel part and have to go back to guitar for the rest of the song, and it took too long to drop the flatpick and put the fingerpicks on. I haven't had to do that for many years now, though.

Tom Breitenfeldt · From: Germany

For those who usually don’t like fingerpicks: Alaska Picks

Mike Harris · From: Texas, USA

I use fingernails (plus John Pearse thumbpick)

BJ Burbach · From: New York, USA

I generally hate finger picks, but when I played Pedal Steel, I always liked National picks and thumb picks. Later, plastic fingerpicks were a good compromise when the nails split, IMHO.
I always used National and cut the thumb picks really short. Alaska picks are not comfy, but there are picks that are just a twist of wire (on Amazon).

They work great and could be the silver bullet, but are almost impossible to adjust, stiff wire and it snaps when you try. Just use softer wire, guys! I will probably make some if I get the right wire.

Otherwise, I like to use fingernails on all guitars, even on lap steel, but then I listen to a little Eddie Rivers and it's National fingerpicks back on! (brass, now)
BJ

Steve Marinak · From: Man O War Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

You will get used to using picks and then won't be able to play with out them. I use Ron Landis custom picks now. They stay on and don't move, they are comfy, and the tone is very nice. https://www.landisstudios.net/finger-picks
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=397800

I used these a lot when I was working on jazz guitar styles.
They give your sound just a little more crisp tone but still lets you feel the string with your fingers.

For lap steel, I generally use finger picks but sometimes to get a grittier meatier sound sort of in the vein of Derek Trucks et al I won't use them. After all these years using finger picks, I still feel more control without them.

Probably need to adjust the amp settings differently for fingers v. picks too.

I don't see any reason one can't do both depending on the tune and the proper tone for it. I don't really think dropping the picks for a song or two hurts your technique either way.

I tune up on pedal steel lots of times without picks. Sometimes even play a song or two starting out. Most of the time no one can tell unless they happen to be watching.

John Viterito · From: New Jersey, USA

I don't play much, I'm just a "noodler". I have an Emerald Solace Weissenborn style acoustic and playing with bare fingers is what does it for me. When I play any of my Rukavina lap steels, I used to go bare because I hated the feel and performance of the 2,354 types of picks I used. However, I recently discovered the John Pearce "Hi Rider" picks and honestly speaking, they are the most comfortable and easy to get used to picks I've ever tried. But hey, if you can develop good calluses on your fingers, I'll always feel that playing bare fingered is the best way to go. Just my three cents.
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