# fingers only no pick



## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I've always used a pick and my fingers for picking. I've tried many times, mainly for electric play, to use my thumb and fingers in a "Mark Knopfler" style but it always seems awkward to me. I think I have to change my mind set on how I approach the technique. I use the pick for fast runs and this is where I seem to have the problem when I try that using my thumb. If I keep it simple I can sound good and I love the feel and tone of using fingers and thumb, no pick. With a pick I use an up\down flat picking to get those fast runs. How can I get that using thumb and fingers. Up\down with the thumb just doesn't work.
So does any one have any suggestions on how I can develop more proficiency and fast runs pick free.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

I think legato is your best/easiest option for fast runs. I watched a little clip from a clinic with Richie Kotzen. He says pretty much what this guy(covering Kotzen) says. Good clear video for watching his hands.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Depending on the nature of the run, alternating either the fingers or the thumb and index finger can work. Both take a bit of practice, but for me the thumb and index finger generally comes more naturally.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

do you alternate pick every note when you play fast or how much is hammered and pulled?

if you're good at alternate picking it's tough to match that speed with fingers on scale runs hitting each note separately

he's got unusual right hand but Chris Buck has A) an interesting accent to listen to and B) a camera position that doesn't involve the viewer looking directly at his nuts and C) he's very fast and precise on the right hand eve without using his index finger at all because of that crazy pick grip

j


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

bw66 said:


> Depending on the nature of the run, alternating either the fingers or the thumb and index finger can work. Both take a bit of practice, but for me the thumb and index finger generally comes more naturally.


Yes thats what comes naturally to me as well. Its actually not a lot different than when I use a pick. Except when I want to go really fast I use the pick alone. Thats what I can't seem to emulate with out the pick. I may have to just give it much more practice and realize that some things will be limited with out the pick.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> do you alternate pick every note when you play fast or how much is hammered and pulled?
> 
> if you're good at alternate picking it's tough to match that speed with fingers on scale runs hitting each note separately
> 
> ...


Yes alternate up\down picking, hitting every note, no pull offs hammerons, when I want maximum speed. And yes, I find that I can't match that speed with out the pick.


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## chickenpicken84 (Jan 29, 2021)

Try black mountain jazz thumbpicks. I've tried em all and these things are the real deal. I feel your pain cause I love using the thumb for slapping/plucking but the black mountain thumbpicks make alternate picking as natural as a real pick and it keeps your pointer finger open to pluck like a funk boss. I could never figure out alternate picking on any previous thumbpicks but the black mountain ones are incredible, especially the jazz tips.


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## Jim Soloway (Sep 27, 2013)

Try using the tip of your index finger. Support it with your thumb just like you would with a flat pick and then play as if you were holding a pick but using the end of the finger instead. You can even do alternate picking that way.


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## David Graves (Apr 5, 2017)

It's worth watching how Richie Kotzen does it. His ability to play modern rock and shredding, without using a pick, is phenomenal.
I'm sure the country fans are used to seeing people play like that all the time. But it's rare to see someone play his type of music that way.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

Jim Soloway said:


> Try using the tip of your index finger. Support it with your thumb just like you would with a flat pick and then play as if you were holding a pick but using the end of the finger instead. You can even do alternate picking that way.


I always love playing that way. I'll pick up a guitar and just noodle using my index finger. It feels like the most natural thing in the world. But I don't really grow my nails, so I don't get a useable sound once I'm plugged in.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Jim Soloway said:


> Try using the tip of your index finger. Support it with your thumb just like you would with a flat pick and then play as if you were holding a pick but using the end of the finger instead. You can even do alternate picking that way.


This works great for bass as well. Especially when playing with those who feel that you are morally corrupt if you play bass with a pick.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Jim Soloway said:


> Try using the tip of your index finger. Support it with your thumb just like you would with a flat pick and then play as if you were holding a pick but using the end of the finger instead. You can even do alternate picking that way.


This works for me altho some guys have envied it so I guess it's not for everyone. 

Back to the OP... 

It's not a rule but, I generally finger pick short scale guitars and flat pick long scale. Whatever the song requires (within my amateur abilities 😃).


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

jb welder said:


> This works great for bass as well. Especially when playing with those who feel that you are morally corrupt if you play bass with a pick.


I used a felt pick to play in a band because I was unwilling to cut my guitar nails. Now I just use a super heavy plastic triangle.


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## alphasports (Jul 14, 2008)

The Chet Atkins fingerstyle is pretty effective as a base technique, thumb alternating bass on 5-6 (or elsewhere) and 1st 2 fingers twiddling rhythm, once you master that it's a highly effective tool to have in the kit. I spent decades trying to bring in the 3rd finger but finally gave up, thumb and 2 fingers are more than enough to do the job IMO!


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## Ricktoberfest (Jun 22, 2014)

Jim Soloway said:


> Try using the tip of your index finger. Support it with your thumb just like you would with a flat pick and then play as if you were holding a pick but using the end of the finger instead. You can even do alternate picking that way.


An alternate to this is (or clarification if this is what you meant) is to hold your fingers just like holding a pick, use the back of your nail on your index finger for downpicking and the back of your nail of your thumb for up. Just don’t get too excited or you’ll shred your nail. Only issue is volume and that can be fixed with an amp. Then when you want straight finger picking there’s no pick to drop. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## big racket (Apr 2, 2021)

as a fingers only player I am always interested to hear how other finger pickers develop their technique. for me
it developed from learning to play 5 string banjo. I abandoned that long ago but transferred the technique to guitar minus the thumbpick. when I do try to use the flat pick it feels foreign to me. 
it's an organic thing.
when asked " why don't you use a pick " ry cooder replied " it interferes with the relationship my fingers have 
with the strings " that hit the nail right on the head for me.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I keep messing around with ditching the pick, and really need to make a concerted effort to do it because I have never really been comfortable with them, and far prefer the connection one feels with the guitar when playing with fingers.

I use the same technique as the guy in this video, except for the whammy bar wanking. Thumb for downstrokes and index finger for upstrokes. Sadly, the guy in this video (Mike Caswell) drowned a year or two ago.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

guitarman2 said:


> I've always used a pick and my fingers for picking. I've tried many times, mainly for electric play, to use my thumb and fingers in a "Mark Knopfler" style but it always seems awkward to me. I think I have to change my mind set on how I approach the technique. I use the pick for fast runs and this is where I seem to have the problem when I try that using my thumb. If I keep it simple I can sound good and I love the feel and tone of using fingers and thumb, no pick. With a pick I use an up\down flat picking to get those fast runs. How can I get that using thumb and fingers. Up\down with the thumb just doesn't work.
> So does any one have any suggestions on how I can develop more proficiency and fast runs pick free.


Ive been playing fingerstyle for 40 plus years, with the exception of when I was a rhythm guitarist in a rock band I never used a pick ( the tone of a pick is brighter than my thumb for rhythm), funny I am now trying to learn to play with a pick for some of the more modern tone and sweep picking techniques that you can never do with your fingers to speed without hammer-on and pull-offs with very strong left-hand technique. I think overall fingerstyle will take you places you can not go with a pick, but speed is generally easier with a pick for specific techniques that produce a specific style of sound. My left/right hand combo, is 5x faster than my picking, but I can see how the speed is generated with a pick in a way the would be hard for fingerstyle and I want to at least get decent at it .


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Stephenlouis said:


> Ive been playing fingerstyle for 40 plus years, with the exception of when I was a rhythm guitarist in a rock band I never used a pick ( the tone of a pick is brighter than my thumb for rhythm), funny I am now trying to learn to play with a pick for some of the more modern tone and sweep picking techniques that you can never do with your fingers to speed without hammer-on and pull-offs with very strong left-hand technique. I think overall fingerstyle will take you places you can not go with a pick, but speed is generally easier with a pick for specific techniques that produce a specific style of sound. My left/right hand combo, is 5x faster than my picking, but I can see how the speed is generated with a pick in a way the would be hard for fingerstyle and I want to at least get decent at it .


What I'm thinking is, when playing fingerstyle I have to approach it differently. Where I'm having trouble is thinking I can play exactly the same way or at least do the same licks that I can with a pick. Which I'm finding I can't.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

guitarman2 said:


> What I'm thinking is, when playing fingerstyle I have to approach it differently. Where I'm having trouble is thinking I can play exactly the same way or at least do the same licks that I can with a pick. Which I'm finding I can't.


There is a lot of overlap on the two techniques but definitely there are things you can do with fingerstyle that you cannot do with a pic and as far as I'm concerned there are things that you can do with a pic that you cannot do fingerstyle. In my opinion to have a really fast fingers using fingerstyle it involves left and the right hand working together whereas with a pick the picking hand truly is your speed. That said I'm a beginner with a pick.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I haven't used a pick in 25 years. I had a wrist injury that kind of forced me to rethink how I played because I was having a very hard time holding a pick and also my wrist would never have the mobility I'd need. I found that finger picking could give me everything I needed to play what I wanted. I spent a lot of time watching Knopfler and Lindsay Buckingham. Buckingham, especially, has a very unique playing style that suited the way I liked to play so my technique is likely closest to his.
This guy has impeccable finger picking technique. I wish


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## StringNavigator (May 15, 2021)

Wes Montgomery used his thumb. He said it hurt like hell in the beginning. Worked well for him. Joe pass preferred his fingers, but also used the plectrum for single-note soloing.

I'm just a lowly Dedicated Amateur Musician. I use my fingers mostly on guitar, but the sound of a plectrum can't be beat for certain jazz sounds. I use my fingers on bass guitar, but often use the plectrum on bass to get that "pick" sound.

Some people hide their pick in their mouth... but I was told by someone that he once swallowed his pick and he had to have it surgically removed as it was blocking his windpipe. It burned like hell on the way down, and then it stopped. A nightmare caused by something that was seemingly innocuous.

Too bad we can't just hook it onto a spring tied to a wrist band and pull it out when we need to. Maybe press a trigger and out it pops. I'm looking into that. Or tie it on the end of a string attached to the guitar or one's arm or wrist. Some train themselves to "tuck" it away into the folds of the hand somewhere, either between the fingers or a finger and the palm. Sounds difficult. Interferes with playing, too. Or stick it into the pickguard somewhere and tug it out to play. I used to stick a pick holder onto my guitar strap. Not so quick to remove or replace after using.

When I use fingers, I pick single notes with index-middle-ring. Three notes per string. It's not bad. Watch a movie while you practice 1-2-3, 1-2-3... I can do a lot on bass with just two finger pizzicato. Maybe just use your index-middle to start. Then eventually pull in the ring. Some Classical Guitar players use the pinky, also. (PIMAC thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky)

When you solve this one, let me know, too.


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## kelowna (Dec 22, 2010)

I remember reading that Leo Kottke said when he first started fingerpicking he used fingerpicks and started developing problems with his hands. He subsequently ditched the picks and only used his nails. 

Fingers sound better too, because the flesh hits the string first and softens the tone. By modulating how much nail and how much flesh is used you can also control dynamics to some degree. 

Using just fingers on an electric guitar is also very effective, because, again because you can control the dynamics. 

May not work for heavy metal.


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