Taking off the finger picks

Bill McCloskey · Posted 22 Mar 2019 1:52 pm

I've played with finger picks all my life. But I've have reached a stage in my eharp journey where I have decided to go naked.

As I got more and more into the tuning, I am playing these wide grips: like Thumb, skip two strings, Index, stip two string, middle, skip one string Ring Finger. That is a 9 string stretch of 4 fingers.

Because of the distance, the angle of the finger picks were not allowing me a good attack, my ring finger would be too flat and parallel to the strings to get a good enough sound.

So, I started playing with no picks, and really love it. much more control, no plucking problems, and it really opens up some finger style experiments . You can really get some interesting sounds that I couldn't get other wise.

I don't recommend this to the beginner but any old timers move to buck naked full time?

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

I'm far from an old timer by the standard of this forum, but I've never been able to use finger picks. My fingers simply aren't able to move at the angles required, and no amount of practice has changed that. Using bare fingers has never impaired my ability to play, and frankly I prefer the tone this way - it's smoother and more compressed, without the sharp attack you get from picks. On acoustics and resonators, I have no trouble producing the same volume that other players get with picks.

If it works, it works.

Mike Harris · From: Texas, USA

I've never used finger picks for steel guitar or dobro. I learned to use my nails on classical guitar and they seem to work just fine for steel. I do use a thumb pick for steel and for steel string acoustic roundneck.

Eric Gross · From: Perkasie PA, USA

I stopped using flat pick on armpit guitar a long time ago, later when I transitioned to steel guitar I tried using thumb/finger picks but they just seemed to get in the way. I have been playing lap steel for 20 years now and can pluck a pretty nice harmonic, and get plenty of attack using my nails if I need to.

Bill Groner · From: QUAKERTOWN, PA

Francisco Castillo · From: Easter Island, Chile

No picks here too.
Every time i tried'em just felt strange n clumpsy. Been picking barefingers for 25 yrs on other instruments, metal n nylon strings. This should be the same.... thats what feels better for me, just for me.

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Mee too... threw away the plectrum 20 years ago, developed a muting style that worked great for slide guitar. Came time to try picks on steel, just couldnâ€™t get comfortable. I use all five fingers too... great for block chords. ... arpeggios are fun too.
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G Strout · From: Carabelle, Florida

Kicked my finger picks to the curb over 15 years ago. When I play with a "loud" blues type band...... I will put them on occasionally, but not often. Spent a few days with Bobby Seymour and he schooled me on not using them. Doubt that I will ever go back to full time use. When, on occasion, I do use them, I use Pro Picks. I do always use a thumb pick......
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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

I'm all over the place, depending on the instrument. On resonators, I prefer plastic fingerpicks & thumb pick. On Weiss, either metal or plastic fingerpicks and plastic thumb pick, but sometimes bare fingers. On pedal steel, always metal fingerpicks and plastic thumb pick. On lap steel, either metal fingerpicks and plastic thumb pick, or bare fingers. On electric guitar, flatpick, or bare fingers. On acoustic guitar, always bare fingers. Ukes: bare fingers. Mouth organ: bare fingers.

Matthew Walton · From: Fort Worth, Texas

I've been using my (reinforced) nails ever since I started, due to my classical and fingerstyle guitar history. I used to get acrylics in a salon, but lately I've been doing a dip myself, which gets you pretty close to acrylics but much more easily. It helps that I'm a lefty but play righty, so my more dexterous hand is the one controlling the brush.

The only downside is the maintenance involved, especially with shaping the nails since you have to keep it down to the proper length, but you get a feel for it after a while. Also the more often you play, the less of an issue it is; the steel strings will wear the nails down a little bit.
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Peter Jacobs · From: Northern Virginia

I was a banjo player for a long time before taking up steel,so I stuck with the picks. On electric guitar, though, I use bare fingers - Iâ€™ve never gotten comfortable with a flat pick.
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Paul Honeycutt · From: Colorado, USA

I use finger picks on anything that sits on my lap or is horizontal. I do hybrid picking (pick and two fingers) on underarm guitar. That's what feels most natural for me.

Jean-Paul Bataille · From: Montreal, Canada

When I came back to guitar 12 years ago, I choose to play without any picks, more a philosophical view than anything else (and you don't have to look for the lost picks as a bonus). I use a bit of nail, but I'm comfortable with flesh only. I like that tone actually.

When I began with the weissenborn two years ago, I choose bare fingers as usual.
But lately, I found the sound of the highest string wasn't to my liking, due to the attack angle of the ring finger, and I put a metal pick on that finger only (one of those ProPik that let the flesh come through).
And I like the sound difference between the bare fingers and the one with a pick, I got use for that.

No thumbpick whatsoever, because then I can't do my trademark brush.

On the banjo, clawhammer only for me, so no picks.

So, it depends.
As already said, if it works, it works

Michael Brebes · From: Northridge CA

I played classical guitar for a number of years so I found it difficult at best playing with picks. I play with nails, which are shorter than most people think. I can pick with a combination of skin and nail.
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