# Playing electric with your fingers.



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Since I picked up my first acoustic just over 4 months ago, I've been clawing my way uphill, trying to use my fingers. I've made,...some... progress. I have also been trying to do it on the electrics, but seemed to require a more delicate touch at first. Thing is, my electrics have 9-46s on them. So I thought, heavier strings. I put a set of 11-50s on the Casino Coupe. That has helped.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I should force myself to play my electric more often with the fingers, they sound better. 10-46 feels comfy here.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I often play all of my electrics with my fingers and thumb, ala Mark Knopfler style. 9s or 10s.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

cboutilier said:


> I often play all of my electrics with my fingers and thumb, ala Mark Knopfler style. 9s or 10s.


How long did it take you to get the hang of it?


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Robert1950 said:


> How long did it take you to get the hang of it?


Almost immediately. Still need to work on getting fast speed licks down involving 3 or more strings. And I can't get that Chet Akins style thumb driven bass line thing.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

cboutilier said:


> Almost immediately. Still need to work on getting fast speed licks down involving 3 or more strings. And I can't get that Chet Akins style thumb driven bass line thing.


I never get a hold of anything immediately. It's usually a long slow process. It took me years to do a proper bending vibrato.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Robert1950 said:


> I never get a hold of anything immediately. It's usually a long slow process. It took me years to do a proper bending vibrato.


That took me a few years, and itd hardly proper yet. I still can't do it worth a damn on double stop unison bends.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2016)

I can somewhat do a little hybrid picking.
Sloppy as hell still.
Damn arthritis!


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I go through cycles where I am more finger & where I am more pick--and times where it's split fairly evenly.
I've never had a preference for a string gauge doing that.
Maybe because I started guitar by playing a classical guitar/nylon strings.


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

I alternate, using a pick for the majority of the time because it works better for some music. I find that if I play with just fingers for too long my index fingernail starts to wear too thin and has even started to bleed from too much downstroke strumming that a pick is more suited for. This is in a more rock setting though, I did at one point have a repertoire of about 60 solo fingerstyle songs that I played mostly on a nylon string classical guitar.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

When I am playing frequently I grow my middle and ring nails long on my pick hand. I never don't finger pick in some way. It's either hybrid, or Knopfler style. When I started playing leads, I started with hybrid trying to emulate Vince Gill, James Burton, Roy Nichols and Merle Haggard.


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

for me, playing electric with my fingers is my normal style...I do sometimes pick up a pick but that's the exception...
I do know that if your going to play "finger style", you will need to learn chord shapes that fit that style...
I am not advanced enough to tell you which shapes do not fit that style, I just know the ones that do...

G.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I play with my fingers...as a matter of poor technique. Sure I hold a pick but sometimes it seems it's just there for show. I tend to actually hit the strings with my index finger nail on the downstroke (wearing a corner of it away with time as someone else mentioned doing) and with my thumbnail on upstrokes. I particularly like the sound of the thumb snapping the strings on upstrokes when I really dig in tough (and wearing away the thumbnail never seems to be an issue like it is with my index finger).


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## Axe Dragon (Aug 21, 2013)

I took classical guitar lessons as a kid so I'm naturally better with my fingers than I am with a pick. Problem is, I bite my nails so it's tough to get a lot of attack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I play more acoustic than electric so much of my acoustic technique transfers to electric. Both fingerstyle and flatpicking. Lighter strings means a lighter touch for me, but I find the same when switching from steel strings to nylon strings, In any event, I often don't notice when I switch back and forth from pick to fingers when playing in the electric band. It's kind of weird, but the trick is palming the pick, though I often just put it down.

Most of the time at least one of my Teles and the Gretsch have D'Addario Chromes flatwounds (10s) with a wound third. Besides the old school tone, I prefer the wound third for fingerstyle.


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## Krelf (Jul 3, 2012)

I play a lot of slower tempo music on electric. My preferred method is using only my thumb, and I am surprised how much speed I can get after a few years of practice.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

laristotle said:


> I can somewhat do a little hybrid picking.
> Sloppy as hell still.
> Damn arthritis!


I just threw in a like because of the picture and caption. lol

As far as finger style, I also learned Classical, but as a 16-18 year old, along with my electric stuff. I didn't go too far into Classical, but I know the stroke techniques like the back of my hand still. It's actually become a little part of my otherwise heavy rock style. And it's recently transferring to the Acoustic as well, with good results. I tend towards it more frequently on the Acoustic. Really helps with the double stop stuff I've been digging into recently.


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## GuitaristFred (Aug 27, 2016)

I would advise you not to switch between playing methods everytime something isn't going right. Practice every day.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Because of health issues (arthritis in my right wrist) I go back and forth. Right now I have found a way to hold the pick that doesn't seem to cause problems but, when my wrist hurts, I use my fingers. When I do it though I only use my thumb and first finger - thumb for downstrokes and first finger for upstrokes.


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