# Do You Play Electric Guitar With Your Fingers?



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

After reading a thread on another forum, I decided to post something similar here.

That thread talked about playing electric guitar with fingers instead of a pick, but not playing in a traditional style (ie. patterns, arpeggiating chords, alternating bass, etc.). Basically, the person was asking about just plucking notes with fingers instead of a pick.

Does anyone here do this?

I've never been fully comfortable with a pick. I also have some issues with my right wrist, which can make playing with a pick uncomfortable/painful. This is especially true after playing with a pick as the discomfort/pain can last a day or two. I keep trying to become comfortable with a pick but any level of comfort with them never lasts very long. I really need to just make the decision to ditch the picks and to stick to playing with my fingers instead of going back and forth as I _know_ that the constant switching is holding back progress.

I also like playing with just my fingers as I feel I am more musical when I do and I like the tactile connection you have with the guitar. I guess I feel more connected to it than I do when using a pick.

I basically use my thumb and first finger - thumb for downstrokes and index finger for upstrokes. And I do that for both strumming and single note playing. I try to alternate pick with my fingers but sometimes slip into economy picking, just because it makes some things easier just as it does when economy picking with a pick.

When using my fingers I pretty much play like the guy in the video below, minus the whammy bar wanking and his putting his fingers together as if he were holding a pick. Check out what he does at about the 0:19 second mark, that is what I do. But as I said, I really need to make the decision to switch completely and stop going back and forth. That will require an adjustment period, but I think it would be beneficial in the long run.

Sadly, the guy in the video drowned last summer so is no longer with us.









So does anyone else here play electric guitar (or acoustic) with just your fingers, but without using a traditional style as described above?


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

The only time I use a pick is when I need more bite on the strings.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

Pick exclusively.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Pick but by playing the bass with just fingers, I may go back a reattempt some fingerstyle.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I noodled and stumbled around on my Casino Coupe with fingers this morning.


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Can't use a pick...never have felt connected to the strings that way. Would explain however why my thumb looks like I've installed a Lee press on nail.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

80-90 percent flatpick but I have some songs that I do on acoustic in Travis style and sometimes use the back of my nails to get a fan downstroke like fleminco players do. I was finger picking on electric sometimes when I had 11s on it but I’ve recently switched to 10s on the electrics and they are too floppy to finger pick on when I’m used to doing that with 13s on my acoustic guitars.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Hybrid 100%.

So I guess, by definition, I use a pick for 50% and use my middle, ring and pinky for the other 50%. Although I doubt it's exactly 50/50.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

leftysg said:


> Can't use a pick...never have felt connected to the strings that way.



I know _exactly_ how you feel.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Mostly play with a pick, but some finger picking & hybrid picking--and sometimes use my finger nail like a guitar pick--


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I found playing with my fingers very awkward at first until I started playing Stairway to Heaven. I really started to enjoy playing with my fingers. Most of the time I do use a pick but there are times where I say, screw it and just play with what Mother Nature gave me.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Whatever is required, but I too understand the better "connection" with no pick. 

Can't stand fingerpicks. Variety of flatpicks as needed. 

Also, my nails are not what they used to be. Every black-nail work accident is now a nail that splits when grown out. I just finished gluing one fingernail on my right hand with nail hardener and tea bag (like fibreglassing).


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

I play almost exclusively finger style acoustic, so playing without a pick on electric works best for me.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Lola said:


> ... I say, screw it and just play with what Mother Nature gave me.


Why did my stomach turn, when I read this ?

I'd love to play without picks all the time. Working on it.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

BGood said:


> Why did my stomach turn, when I read this ?
> 
> I'd love to play without picks all the time. Working on it.


Why would your stomach turn anyways?

Sense??


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

I was taught a three finger picking technique that I use for single lines. Not thumb and two fingers, but rolling ring, middle, index, I guess bass players do this more commonly. Like the classical tremolo without the thumb.

[I can’t find a video like this on guitar]





I was also taught a little fingerstyle, which I don’t do very well, and a little of something like what Tuck Andress does.

I use a thumb strumming bass with something like triplet strumming most of the time.

Not too dissimilar to this, no pick, more funky.





Triplet strumming, I use thumb and index finger.





I did some Yamaha lessons when I was young and can do a bit of PIMA classical picking.

I don’t use a pick very often.

I’ve been fooling with a parlour trick off of that three finger technique, it sounds like a hockey card in the spokes, but I think it isn’t physically sustainable.

The toughest thing about three finger picking is keeping it even in volume, tone and rhythm, it can get sloppy and sound like a gallop.

I guess Flamenco players have a lot of control and can pick either with the fingernail only or with the pad of the finger and then the nail, but I hit that pad first every time.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I never don't use my fingers. It's either hybrid pick or thumb and fingers ala Knopfler style. 

Lately, I'm about 85-90 percent hybrid picking style.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I find fingerstyle more versatile and easier but I play with a pick 90% of the time as I just love the sound a Strat makes when it's plucked hard.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

I was going to mention about nails.

It's easy to stop biting them, it's hard to keep them in shape. Some people can't grow them, some guitarists use fake nails. Tuck Andress decided to cut his nails and play with just the finger, it works well for him.

It seems like it's easier to grow your nails as you get older.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Hammerhands said:


> It seems like it's easier to grow your nails as you get older.


You must still be pretty young to think that. My nails split, so no point trying to let them grow.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I've decided to put some real effort into playing with my fingers rather than using a pick. 

I had some stuff that I wanted to work on so a little while ago I started taking some lessons with an old friend from high school who is a great player, and a good teacher. I talked to him about it last night and his attitude was that, if I can play with my fingers and doing so significantly reduces pain in my wrist then who cares - just go for it.

So for the foreseeable future the picks are gone and we'll see how I develop using only my fingers.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I don't play my electric quite often. 
I don't remember using a pick... or even strumming ! Maybe on my teenage first guitar.

I use my thumb and three fingers as classical fingerstyle, but only thumb on bass side and index upstroking triplets like in traditional E blues.

I have seen players using thumb on bass side while beating highs downstroke with nails of flexed fingers akin spanish style. I like this style but never really tried since I don't strum.


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## ed2000 (Feb 16, 2007)

I've never had to stop playing and look for my fingers.


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## murdude (Jun 3, 2017)

I have recently adapted from years of flat picking to fingers and thumb pick. I found using Fred Kelly Slick Picks a big help in the transition especially when I play my Telecaster. I would keep tapping the body of the guitar with normal thumb picks. Didn't matter so much with my ES-335, but I like the Fred Kelly's.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I was just checking this guy out earlier today. I like the Hybrid technique but haven't practiced it enough. It's on my "to do" list. I love the sound of the Delta Blues style, so I figure this will help me out for basically a style I'm pretty ignorant about at this point. Basic concepts are solidly understood, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Taking the Classical guitar so early has really helped immensely in getting this down pretty quick. Hope this isn't too OT.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Dorian2 said:


> Taking the Classical guitar so early has really helped immensely in getting this down pretty quick.



Although I don't want to do anything like classical when playing with my fingers, I've been wondering if maybe I should take a few months of classical lessons to learn some proper right hand technique and to get control over my right hand.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

colchar said:


> Although I don't want to do anything like classical when playing with my fingers, I've been wondering if maybe I should take a few months of classical lessons to learn some proper right hand technique and to get control over my right hand.


From personal experience, I'd recommend it greatly. The process of running up and down scales with alternate right hand fingers (eg: index/middle, m/ring etc) and employing the basic strokes (free and rest) with your right hand helped me a lot and never left my playing. I can't see why it would apply to any other player, including yourself. You do have to be prepared to dedicate a portion of your time to the technique building and muscle memory of course.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Dorian2 said:


> From personal experience, I'd recommend it greatly. The process of running up and down scales with alternate right hand fingers (eg: index/middle, m/ring etc) and employing the basic strokes (free and rest) with your right hand helped me a lot and never left my playing. I can't see why it would apply to any other player, including yourself. You do have to be prepared to dedicate a portion of your time to the technique building and muscle memory of course.



I would certainly be willing to dedicate the time. I prefer to play with my thumb for downstrokes and my index finger for upstrokes, but learning to do classical style properly would probably be more efficient.

My teaching schedule for next term is currently being worked out. I just noticed that they have scheduled me for too many classes so it will have to be adjusted, but it looks like it will screw up my lesson schedule with an old friend from high school whom I started taking some lessons with a couple of months ago. If it does screw up our lessons due to scheduling conflicts, I can spend the next four months taking classical lessons before going back to working with him again.


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