# Finger-Picking: Nails? Flesh? Both?



## david henman

...recently i began playing without a pick, and discovered a whole new world of tone and dynamics.

one of the first things i found was that it seemed, to me at least, that i got more satisfaction out of using the flesh of my fingertips, rather than my fingernails.

which leads to some interesting questions, not the least of which is: is this how jeff beck and mark knopfler do it?

anyway, i thought i'd post a poll, to find out how you guys play.

-dh


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## Guest

Both, but my right hand nails are rarely long enough to do fingernail dig ins justice.


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## dwagar

Fingerpicking can give you an amazing array of tones, from the snap of the nails to the smoothness of the pads on your fingertips. Or strumming with the top of your nails.

It may just be an illusion, but I always felt a bit of a closer connection to the guitar fingerpicking than I did with a pick.

I rarely fingerpick anymore, I remember practicing like crazy back in the old days to give me the option if I broke a pick, lol.


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## Starbuck

I fingerpick ALOT. Use the pads of my fingers due to really thin nails that break therefore are short. Mostly I fingerpick as I play alone and that's quieter and where my interests lie I like tapping the top as well. Flatpicking is hard for me as I've never really used one and now it feels akward. Have any of you tried finger picks? How the heck do you get used to those things?


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## droptop88

Great poll question! 

I used a pick only for years, until I became more involved with the instrument. At some point, I realized that most of the really good players I wanted to emulate used all the fingers on their right hand, or a combination of pick and fingers (hybrid picking). Trouble is, it frickin hurts when you first start out down this road on a steel stringed instrument. First, I tried nail hardener on my nails. Didn't stay on very long, always chipping off the edges where I needed it most. Then I tried thumb and finger picks. However, I'd used a pick for so long, I couldn't get comfortable with these - clumsy feeling and awkward. Then I tried glueing fake fingernails to my middle and ring finger nails, to start. Brent Mason does this to great effect, although he uses all four fingers and a thumbpick. I've spoken to Jack Semple on numerous occasions - he does the same thing. I found it to be a big hassle and as your nail grows underneath, it can ache and pull - at least that was my experience. Finally, I just went with bare fingers. Now, I let the nail grow out just a bit - just enough to skiff the sting as I strike it - most of it is flesh though. There's no noticeable volume differential anymore between pick and fingers nowadays - wish I'd started hybrid picking earlier on. I encourage all my students, if they prefer a pick, to not forget the other three fingers!


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## Mooh

Been fingerpicking as long as flatpicking. I use a thumbpick (Fred Kelly these days) and nails, though flesh kicks in if I've got bass gigs, or a broken nail. A little nail hardener helps once in a while, but mostly I let nature take its course with my nails. 

I got started with classical _*pima*_, and never changed except for the thumbpick. Even play banjo that way.

Peace, Mooh.


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## david henman

...one question i wanted to ask is regarding callouses.

i would think this would be inherent, although i am barely starting to develop some on the tips of the first finger and thumb.

do the callouses get too big or intrusive, or affect the tone negatively, or is this a non-issue?

-dh


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## Kenmac

From the time I started playing guitar (late 70's) I used a pick but I started fingerpicking back in 1993 and haven't used a pick since. I agree with what Dwagar said about feeling a closer connection to your guitar when you're fingerpicking. I started off learning how to fingerpick from a book and at first it felt very foreign but as always, it's something you get used to.


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## Luke98

I use the pads of my fingers, I find the nails can be kind of uncomfortable to use, and the tone too sharp. I like a mellow tone.



david henman said:


> ...one question i wanted to ask is regarding callouses.
> 
> i would think this would be inherent, although i am barely starting to develop some on the tips of the first finger and thumb.
> 
> do the callouses get too big or intrusive, or affect the tone negatively, or is this a non-issue?
> 
> -dh


To me it's a non issue really, they don't seem to matter and I barely feel them compared to my fretting hand and picking hand thumb.


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## fraser

i pick mostly with bare fingers- thumb and index finger, as my middle finger is damaged. i never thought of them as calloused, but the fingerprints are completely worn off in some places, so they must be hardened, but its not something i notice. i have to figure that a callous could only be advantageous. when i first started doing it my thumb would get awful sore lol. definately not intrusive, or at all obvious- mine are completely unnoticeable excepting for the prints worn off- 
as for nails, i use the flat front surface of my index finger nail, using it to strike strings, almost like a hammer- kinda flicking it out to hit strings- the ends of the nails i dont use. because im limited to a thumb and one finger, ill throw these strikes in adjacent to notes picked with the rear of the fingertip- hard to explain, but basically i use both the front and back of the finger almost simultaneously- it adds up to a pretty "busy" sound for only 1 finger and my thumb.



> I fingerpick ALOT. Use the pads of my fingers due to really thin nails that break therefore are short. Mostly I fingerpick as I play alone and that's quieter and where my interests lie I like tapping the top as well. Flatpicking is hard for me as I've never really used one and now it feels akward. Have any of you tried finger picks? How the heck do you get used to those things?


i only recently started getting comfortable with them myself- i sometimes wear a thumb pick and a fingerpick on my index. for me the secret was finding a way to wear them that works for me. lot of experimentation. i use metal ones so that i can bend them to a perfect fit. plastick ones can be heated in a cup of water in the microwave, and then bent to fit- or just throw them in boiling water.
i found eventually that if i wear the fingerpick high up on the finger, so that the pick portion extends just barely past the fingertip(on the fleshy side, not the nail side), and cocked slightly off the center of the finger, its best for me.
its taken years to get to this point lol, but since my fingerpicking is hampered by injury, and i too play alone mostly, every little bit helps:smile:


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## zontar

I started with my thumb, and then went with classical lessons--so fingers & thumb are kind of natural to me, but over the years I've used a pick more.
Sometimes I used hybrid (pick & fingers.) But I can't get used to thumb & finger picks--I even own a thumb pick, but it's awkward for me.

Over the last year or so I've been playing with my fingers & thumb more again.

And the classical lessons way back when paid off-(As did the practicing.)

So now I play with pick, thumb & fingers, or both depending on the song.

If I'm strumming full chords-probably a pick.
Single notes-could be any of the combinations--depending what else I'm doing.
Playing slide-probably thumb & fingers.
I'll try songs a variety of ways to see what I think works best.


When I started I got huge blisters on the thumb--but that went away after about 3 months. Since then-very little problem with callouses.


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## larvaboy

Started with fingers on acoustics.

Moved on to flat picks on electrics (Frank Gambale style sweep picking for playing arpeggios).

Then moved on to Brett Garsed style, which adds pinky.

Now digging Tommy Emmanuel: flat pick with fingers and thumb pick with fingers...


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## Key_of_Off

I never use a pick on acoustic and certainly never on classical. I change it up a bit on the electric depending on the song.

I mostly use the flesh of my fingers, but use the top of the nail if I want to strike the strings harder for a big sound. I like the variance in the sound of a chord I can get by using my fingernail or my thumb for a big strum, it's the difference between a punchy treble-y sound and a warm booming bass sort of vibe. Fantastic stuff.

Still kicking myself for giving up classical lessons as a kid. Kept the books and the guitar, but I fail at self-teaching.


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## bagpipe

For fingerstyle (Chet Atkins/Merle Travis style) or lap steel, I use a plastic thumbpick and fingernails. Now that I've gotten into using a thumb pick, I find it difficult to play any fingerstyle without one. It puts my thumb in a more natural position.

For electric playing, or general "campfire strumming" stuff, I still use a regular flatpick.


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## Guest

I use a regular pick and my middle finger to fingerpick.


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## zontar

Key_of_Off said:


> Still kicking myself for giving up classical lessons as a kid. Kept the books and the guitar, but I fail at self-teaching.


I went back and took a couple of years of classical lessons as an adult when I was teaching myself. It helped a lot, although I don't play classical a lot, and I'm sure I've forgotten a lot--but I still enjoy playing classical now & then, and the right hand technique helped with some other stuff as well.


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## eric_b

I flat pick or finger pick, with or without thumb and finger picks, depending on the instrument and/or sound or style I'm trying to play.


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## pdks

One fairly unique style that I've tried to copy, but have never really got the hang of, is Richard Thompsons. Rolling Stone put him in the top 20 of their top 100 guitarists of all time.

He uses a pick for the low three strings, and his three fingers (incl pinky) for the three high strings.


Quite the player....


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## montreal

i've been playing almost exclusively with my fingers since i saw jeff beck in 1974. the other players who led me down this path include stephen stills, lindsay buckingham and pete townshend. i never have to worry about not having a pick........although i have to pull out my vintage jazzIII pick for those occaisonal moments when i feel like shredding.............


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## Key_of_Off

pdks said:


> One fairly unique style that I've tried to copy, but have never really got the hang of, is Richard Thompsons ... Quite the player


Amen to that.

Mark Knopfler's another guitarist who's got me trying more fingerwork on the electric as opposed to just the acoustic.


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## breakfast

I use my fingertips seeing as how I have little to no extruding nail. I rarely fingerpick, though.


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## bw66

Lately, I'm fingerpicking about 95% of the time. Years ago, when my instructor first introduced me to fingerpicking I used fingerpicks, but I found it was always hard to keep track of 4 separate picks when I was switching back & forth between fingerpicking and flatpicking. For a long time I went with just a thumbpick and would hold it like a flatpick when I was flatpicking - Herco used to make thumbpicks that did double duty. Now I just use bare fingers. I keep the nails on my fingers just long enough to get a bit of bite on the string, but most of my tone comes from the pads of the fingers. The thumb is all flesh - I've tried to grow my thumbnail long enough to use it but I find that I'm always catching it on things and I've given up.


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## mrmatt1972

Thanks to a minor table saw accident, my thumbnail is essentially another pick, so it's always doing the alternating bass Travis thing during my "pickless" times. The next three fingers are both pad and nail depending on the tine and how long ago I cut my nails.


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## keeperofthegood

Im finger picking on my re-set-up-to-be-a-uke little guitaralelle @[email protected] LOL pulled off the 6 strings put on new uke strings and went. The trouble with my nails is that my psoriasis mutilates them frequently, and my tips simply sound better. I do have some felt picks on their way from the UK though. From http://myworld.ebay.ca/feltrums/ the item "Ukulele Ukelele Banjo Bass Plectrum Sample Pack Of 5"


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## Gazoo

A great question and one that made me remember why I like it here so much.

I have found while playing acoustic guitar I really prefer flesh on strings for two reasons. First I prefer the tone I can achieve this way with little or no effort. Picks of any kind on my acoustic tend to have a harsh or shrill sort of a sound where as fingers have a really mellow sound but without being muddy or too thick. Second it allows me much better control when playing. My playing hand is in a better position to grab the strings and snap them or gently glance off them, I can slide my hand forward ever so slightly to mute or slide it back if I want to tighten everything up. For some odd reason its just much more comfortable and effortless this way.


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## OldSoulBluesMan

I gave up on using picks years ago. The constant search for a pick on stage when ones were dropped wasnt as much fun as you'd think.

I've grown to really appreciate the intricacies you can implement when using fingers. So many subtlties to tone it's unreal. I find myself limited when using a flat pick because there are so many different rhythm variations to be done with fingers that a flatpick just cannot emmulate.

But when strumming chords, I hold my thumb and index as if I'm holding a flat pick. This lets my fingernails strike the strings instead of my fingertips resulting in a crisper tone.

So I suppose I use a mix of both.

On fingerpicks - I can't stand them things. Just don't feel right.
Ironically my three fav players right now are Tommy Emmanuel, Adam Rafferty and Smokin Joe Robinson and they all swear by thumb picks.

To each their own. As long as you're happy with the sound


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## zontar

I've been using fingers a lot more these days, but I doubt I'll ever give up using picks.
I won't give up buying them, as I like trying out new ones, and have several more as souvenirs than to actually use.


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## mrmatt1972

I saw Steve earle using this nifty thumbpick that has more of a conventional pick attached. I got 2 a few days ago and now I don't have to choose between pick and fingers, it's always both. Love it. Here's a site with an image:

Nantel Music Store - Picks / Herco HE113


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## Brigham

I'm a very serious fingerstyle guitarist, and I use only fingernail. I started out in classical guitar, so I guess it's only natural. I think it gives way better tone than fingerpicks or flesh.

I considered fingerpicks for a while, but then I read and interview of Leo Kottke saying years of using fingerpicks gave him severe joint pain in his fingers, and he eventually switched to using the nails on his fingers and the flesh/nail on his thumb, which is pretty much what I do now.


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## Robert1950

I only recently tried it again with my living room guitar, but only because I couldn't find a pick and I was feeling too lazy to go downstairs. Of course, I'm trying to play just about the same stuff I would do with a pick and I am not near a good as I am with a pick.


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## Morkolo

Brigham said:


> I'm a very serious fingerstyle guitarist, and I use only fingernail. I started out in classical guitar, so I guess it's only natural. I think it gives way better tone than fingerpicks or flesh.
> 
> I considered fingerpicks for a while, but then I read and interview of Leo Kottke saying years of using fingerpicks gave him severe joint pain in his fingers, and *he eventually switched to using the nails on his fingers and the flesh/nail on his thumb, which is pretty much what I do now.*


I love the sound of the bare thumb but when I play with my father who is a heavy strummer it gets hard to have any volume without the thumbpick. I've tried fingerpicks and could never get used to them, I could only liken it to someone putting huge rings around the ends of my fingers and then attempt to play something intricit. It's just not going to happen with me haha.


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## Andy Fake

I am absolutely terrible at finger-picking these years.

I use to be somewhat ok at it once....it was a HUGE hurdle for me to cross; way back when.
Both a phsychological(sp?) and physical hurdle.

Back then i ended up contacting the strings with both flesh and nail.....i sound like Vincent Price.....though i first started off with nail only....then went to flesh only...to end with the combo....almost sounds like the combo # 5, with mustard and some ketchup with no mayo buy yet pickles and onions yet no bacon but still yet called a bacon burger with tomatoes and stuff yet.

Ha.
Fancy that. 

But!!!

A guitar player should also practice holding the pick with the index and thumb(as normal?) while using the other left-over three fingers to finger pick.

It becomes easy with practice.....like almost most things. Ha.


...most chords require finger-picking....it doesn't seem like this is true because *we intelligently avoid *using those chords....Ha.




Fake with The Early Settlers


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## Jim DaddyO

Just getting into finger picking....man it's hard! Just using my fingertips as my nails are short because, well, I have worked all my life with my hands and pretty nails just don't cut it in that world.


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## Andy Fake

But this is what worked for me!

Very short nails(i.e. trim/file them all the way down...);
Yet still use the fleshed padded part of the finger too/simultaneously!!!!!!!!!!...sometimes the fleshy pad alone...sometimes in conjunction with the nail(even though its filed as low as you can file it).


But this obviously won't be to everyone's fancy....this is a matter of *STYLE*!





Andy CrampWrist Fake


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## 3vz180

After seeing some great finger stylist using fake nails,I tried them and they work great! You might get a few looks and questions about what's wrong with your nails.I use 3 on 2nd 3rd and 4th fingers as i can use both flat pick and thumb pick. Trim them with clippers and file fairly short.Great for acoustic and electric.I can 't get the attack without them.


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## Bevo

Intersting topic!

I have been spending some time trying to learn and have just been using fingers no nails.
Its coming along as I am teaching myself using classical music.


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## Moosehead

I dont play with my fingers as much as i used to when i was just learning to play ('94) but im playing a lot more electric guitar these days. 
I owe any fingerpicking technique to my guitar teacher (big ups Jeff Bond!) who was big into classical guitar. So I still have the ability but it needs some polishing to say the least. 

I use both flesh and nails but i never grew my nails out too long or they would get in the way. My thumb nail was probably the only one that I let get longer than the rest.
As was said before I too feel a connection between me and the guitar when i use my fingers but i like fingerpicking more on an acoustic or classical guitar not so much on electric.
That said its harder to do on an electric but the tones and dynamics open up a whole new dimension.


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## bw66

I was at a workshop two weeks ago for the launch of the new Royal Conservatory guitar curriculum. I found it interesting that after grade four, they start docking marks for not having fingernails - the thinking being that not having fingernails severely limits your tonal palette.


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## hummingway

I really prefer the sound of nails and when I have a broken one it really affects my playing.

I've been playing about 45 years and have used many approaches. For a long time I played with pick and two fingers most of the time but have always finger picked on an acoustic at times. About 8 years ago I began experimenting with just fingers on electric as well and 5 years ago made the switch. I've played many styles and instruments but began concentrating on a original latin jazz acoustic thing playing only nylon strings about 2 years ago and finally was able to grow my nails in. I've begun playing electric again and it's really important that I file a nail if it begins to fray. In fact staying on top of filing my nails is an important part of having them survive. I like to sail and have a sailboat. I'm conscientious about wearing gloves if I'm working on the engine or doing anything that might bust a nail. It makes it difficult playing piano and I rarely play acoustic steel string for fear of wearing the nails out but I think it's worth it.


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## ccuwan

*modified thumb pick*

I too had great difficulty adjusting from thumb play to thumb pick play. The scale was all screwed up as the pick stood so far from the edge of my thumb. The change was too great to adjust to on short notice. What I've been doing and it works great for me is file down the thumb pick until it extends just past the edge of my thumb. I find this is much more comfortable than the great extension on an unmodified pick. The pick in the picture is the basic Dunlop thumb modified to my needs.

As for preference, I'm primarily a slide player and I must agree that the level of control and subtle tonal changes that can be achieved with flesh are for my style superior to using a pick of any kind. However, if playing acoustic with a second player who insists on using a flat pick is in the cards then I find the subtleties are buried in the volume of the second instrument anyway so out comes the modified thumb pick and a couple of brass finger picks.


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## hummingway

ccuwan said:


> I too had great difficulty adjusting from thumb play to thumb pick play. The scale was all screwed up as the pick stood so far from the edge of my thumb. The change was too great to adjust to on short notice. What I've been doing and it works great for me is file down the thumb pick until it extends just past the edge of my thumb. I find this is much more comfortable than the great extension on an unmodified pick. The pick in the picture is the basic Dunlop thumb modified to my needs.
> 
> As for preference, I'm primarily a slide player and I must agree that the level of control and subtle tonal changes that can be achieved with flesh are for my style superior to using a pick of any kind. However, if playing acoustic with a second player who insists on using a flat pick is in the cards then I find the subtleties are buried in the volume of the second instrument anyway so out comes the modified thumb pick and a couple of brass finger picks.


That's a good idea. It won't help with the finger picks though since my nails extend out. I'm actually adjusting my picking to play softer on the steel strings and it isn't quite so devastating on the nails. I've always had a pretty brutal attack but I guess you're never to old improve. Playing a nylon string has done a lot to improve my right hand I think.


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## wingsfan

I use both, pad of my thumb for 5th and 6th string base rythm and usually nails for the rest. I've almost forgotten how to use a pick.
I'm afraid I'll start dropping them inside my flat tops again lol.


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## Simonstoneblues

I use fingers. I'm in the building trade and nails have a short life expectancy there! Lol


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## bw66

Adam Rafferty just wrote a blog post on this topic:

http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/ada...d-technique-nails-vs-flesh-mar-19-2012/105217

Worth reading in its entirety, but to summarize:


Adam Rafferty said:


> "Doyle *****, Pete Huttlinger, Clive Carroll – use nails. They are all awesome!
> 
> Tommy Emmanuel, Joe Robinson, Michael Fix use flesh and they are awesome!"


and 


Adam Rafferty said:


> "If you don’t like your sound, seek to fix it at the finger and string origin point – not the amplifier or eq knob."


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## ampaholic

I've tried a bunch of different things but for me what works best is a Herco thumb pick and two fingers (no nail) for electric. I like the dual purpose of the Herco but I find they wear out really quick.
There are not a lot of unique options out there for thumb picks although I am anxious to try the new one from Vpicks. Only problem is that it appears they are $25 each!


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## Morkolo

ampaholic said:


> I've tried a bunch of different things but for me what works best is a Herco thumb pick and two fingers (no nail) for electric. I like the dual purpose of the Herco but I find they wear out really quick.
> There are not a lot of unique options out there for thumb picks although I am anxious to try the new one from Vpicks. Only problem is that it appears they are $25 each!


I didn't know about the Vpicks Chester thumbpick even being available, the only problem I have with thumbpicks is whether or not they stay in place because I'm heavy with my thumb. At $25 a pick it's an expensive gamble when it comes to pick prices anyway.


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## loudtubeamps

I weaned myself off of picks about 10 years ago. 
I like the tones and pulls and stuff that you can only get with the fingers.

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m570/loudtubeamps/DSC03686.jpg







:rockon2:
Must have been a good jam, I guess.........where am I, what day is it?
I'll use a flat pick now and then for pickin' Bluegrass. cheers, d


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## SevenGates

Always gotta go with the sweet spot of combining the nail and finger tip.


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## bchaffin72

I don't finger pick very often, but tend to use flesh when I do. I keep my nails short because I can't stand to feel them digging into the neck against my fingers, so flesh it is.


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## SaviArt

Playing with the nails makes sound more bright then with the flesh. If you like the sounding from flesh fingers then you found your "tone"


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## BobGusTX

*Ultimate Fingerpick - Kickstarter.com*



david henman said:


> ...recently i began playing without a pick, and discovered a whole new world of tone and dynamics.
> 
> one of the first things i found was that it seemed, to me at least, that i got more satisfaction out of using the flesh of my fingertips, rather than my fingernails.
> 
> which leads to some interesting questions, not the least of which is: is this how jeff beck and mark knopfler do it?
> 
> anyway, i thought i'd post a poll, to find out how you guys play.
> 
> -dh


David,
Please check us out on Kickstarter. We've been working on a new pick for stringed instruments that we're sure you'll find interesting. If you like it let us know by backing it and spread the word to all your friends. Follow the link below:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1577369660/734825731?token=e35e7fc1


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## mawmow

Yep ! Great posts here... and there about finger picks and the like !
They kind of summarize my searches and tries over the last years.
And they comfort me not to get addicted to finger picks since I play alone.


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## mawmow

I wish to add that I file my nails in an asymetric fashion, the tip being toward my pinky instead of the middle : so the flesh kiss the string but the nail would snap it if I want to.


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## Mooh

Oh man, I saw this thread and exclaimed to myself, "Dave is back!"

Oh well...

It depends on how long my nails are but a bit of nail and flesh usually. I can play with just flesh on nylon strings, but prefer nails on both nylon and steel strings. I cut my nails off for bass gigs.


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## cboutilier

I have very tough nails, and they help me twang. They closely match the attack from my picks when I'm hybrid picking most of the time. Every few weeks I cut them off and play flesh for a few days till they grow back. I'm not real fussy


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## colchar

I use the flesh of my thumb and index finger.


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## High/Deaf

No bone option? After close to 40 years of being a wage slave, I feel like that's what I'm playing with.


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## Distortion

Short nails with a pic also. If the nail gets too long the tone is too thin compared to the pick. I usually just use the middle finger and pick.


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## Milkman

There was a time when I was doing a lot of hybrid picking and I used acrylic overlays (fake nails) on fingers #2 and 3 on my picking hand.

They sounded like harder versions of Jim Dunlop Jazz 3 picks.

They held up quite well.


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## colchar

I'm still trying to figure out why @High/Deaf felt the need to tell us he was playing with his bone.....................


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## High/Deaf

colchar said:


> I'm still trying to figure out why @High/Deaf felt the need to tell us he was playing with his bone.....................


Pictures at 11. Stay tuned ..............


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## colchar

High/Deaf said:


> Pictures at 11. Stay tuned ..............



I think I need to delete my account before that happens....................


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## Sketchy Jeff

I took beginner lessons from a classic country player - thin soft flatpicks. 
Then tried to learn fingerstyle on my own
Then took classical lessons. Willie taught me how to shape my nails and better technique with the right hand for a good sound. 
So I grow my right thumbnail quite long and the fingers vary some. Longer if I'm gonna be playing classical and shorter for steel string. Or shorter if I've been hanging drywall and they're worn off  
Filing them to a fair edge and keeping a bit of 400 grit autobody sandpaper around to keep them smooth helps with the tone. So does attacking along the round edge of the nail rather than straight on. I sand the edges of my picks smooth and round now too so kind of a nerd in that department. 
When I'm nervous I get better tone with a pick since I don't anchor my right hand and get the shakes. But some songs are hard to play hybrid or with a pick. Dire Straits Why Worry is one and more driving stuff like Joey Landreth Runaway Train. If I have a longer set I'll try to put a few songs with a pick first til I get the bugs worked out and leave the fingers till later in the set when I'm settled down. 
j


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## Sketchy Jeff

bw66 said:


> I was at a workshop two weeks ago for the launch of the new Royal Conservatory guitar curriculum. I found it interesting that after grade four, they start docking marks for not having fingernails - the thinking being that not having fingernails severely limits your tonal palette.


I'm surprised they wait until that far along before requiring good nails.

j


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## Doug Gifford

I play with short nails and a bit of flesh, which gives me a variety of sounds depending on how rigid my fingertips are. My thumb, when I'm playing a lot, develops a nice callous that sounds good on the bass strings. I also use a two-fingers locked together strum to get a thwonky sound. On electric, I use my thumb a lot for damping and harmonic-ish sounds and thwonky stuff. And then there;s the palm of my right hand. Gets to be an all-body experience. I always drop picks, so I just stopped using them.


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## colchar

Sketchy Jeff said:


> I took beginner lessons from a classic country player - thin soft flatpicks.



I'm kind f surprised by that as I assumed they would have used thick picks, or at least mediums.


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## Genderqueer Guitarist

Finger-picking as opposed to flat-picking unlocks great things for composition work like chord-melodies and other deliciously polyphonic techniques u can't acheive with flat picking. I use all my fingers to finger-pick but keep a slight nail on my pinky for doing high notes and harmonics.


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