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Post by Michael Messer on Oct 21, 2013 7:13:09 GMT
There are thousands of guitarists who play gigs every night without picks, more so than players who do use picks. The answer to that one is that calluses on ones fingers are very important. I play a lot at home without picks because it keeps my hands strong.
Once you get totally used to wearing finger and thumb picks, you should not need to take them off to do any of the things you mentioned. With the two spare fingers that are not wearing picks you can do everything!
Shine On Michael
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Post by mikenewport on Oct 22, 2013 18:42:22 GMT
Django managed a lot with two fingers!! I wear three picks on my picking hand (?) since I damaged my ring finger on this hand and having to do physiotherapy on it, it has become stronger. I tend now to use my index finger less ie thumb, middle and ring finger. Mike
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Post by Quarterquay on Oct 22, 2013 22:20:18 GMT
Mostly I just play with my natural nails and a play a couple of hours a day,sometimes more with no blood.Partly I'm lucky in that I have strong nails but at the same time I've found that over the years you have to keep on top of them.I don't let mine grow any longer than a 10th of an inch and I keep any jaggable corners rounded off and use papers down to 800 or is that up to 800. I don't have any calluses at all on my picking fingers. I rarely break a nail and then it'll be doing something else like shifting something heavy and slipping.
I tried and tried to get on with assorted finger picks and the closest I've got to being comfortable has been with metal ones made like a horseshoe so you can feel the strings through the loop. I'll use one if I do break a nail but like someone said above I'm the same I'll occasionally lose one on the down stroke. I do sometimes use a heavy Fred Kelly Bumblebee on my thumb,I like that you can angle the pick.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2013 6:42:30 GMT
However its happened, I play practically all DADGAD and open G with fingers/thumb/nails, and all open D flatpicking. TT
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Post by slide496 on Oct 23, 2013 10:21:03 GMT
Curious I typed in "fingers bleeding guitar" I've been reading that it sometimes happens - I guess the abrasion causes a blister and the playing breaks it leading to raw skin? Thank goodness for picks. Sometimes if I let the callous develop on my thumb get hard that will rub and I'll develop a problem underneath, a little blood blister.
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Post by garrysmith on Oct 24, 2013 13:53:02 GMT
When I saw Kelly Joe Phelps, he used no picks but still managed to do astonishing things on his National....
Taking Slide Guitar out of the "Blues Ghetto".
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Post by geoff001 on Dec 11, 2013 21:07:58 GMT
Hi folks This is related to another post I made about fingernails and my tendency to split them. I'm using Dunlop plastic fingerpicks on my MM Lightning just fine, so I thought I'd try and get used to using them for fingerpicking on my flat top guitars. However I find I have a tendency to catch the adjacent string with my real fingertip. I notice that the gap between the top of the fingerpick and my finger is exactly the same as the string spacing. Makes for some interesting harmonies. I suspect having read this thread that I need to shape the picks so they more closely follow the contours of the back of my fingers so the pick ends are closer to my finger tip. I'm hoping this might reduce the tendency to hit adjacent strings. Has anyone else experienced this before I set about using the hot water method to reshape them. I should add my flattop has a wide neck. I'm i on the right track. I appreciate this will take a lot of wood shedding
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Post by pascal on Dec 12, 2013 8:55:15 GMT
For those who cannot bear "finger picks": www.amazingnails4guitarists.com/index.htmlAsk Midge! She does a special treatment for your nails (most of flamenco players are customers) And she has the best chocolate candies in U.K. too...
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Post by washboardchris on Dec 12, 2013 11:18:17 GMT
At one time I had a gig in a resteraunt, 3 nights a week, four hours a night.playing steel strung guitar with no fingerpicks(but with a thumb pick) no nails,cant grow them! just the balls of my finger tips.No blood, no blisters , no problems.I tend to use fingerpicks on Resos but on flat tops I dont find the need.
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Post by mitchfit on Dec 12, 2013 15:06:05 GMT
as stated by many above, the "correct" method is the one that works for you.
can think of some songs i've heard played with a single flat pick that rival finger picking complexity. i'm quite sure it would be harder to accomplish with that method...
...but perhaps only for me...
that said, i form the tips of my metal finger picks upward sharply, and then under my fingernails in what is basically a half circle. with some practice the string engagement can be altered between the metal or nail hitting the string. originally just a ploy to avoid the above mentioned "throwing a shoe", it became an easy on-the-fly method of switching the sonic qualities of both.
to me invaluable when playing electric, as i love the pre-note "squeak" that only metal picks generate with the same authority when itself is playing through a clipping tube amp. also "to me", it is a slighter difference in nuance with an acoustic, but still noticeable.
try everything you hear from others, then try everything you can think of. the "correct" method will emerge.
mitchfit
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Post by Quarterquay on Apr 12, 2014 20:34:14 GMT
A couple of weeks ago . I was playing in my local pub session. Only my second go at this. I had some favourable comments but one thing a couple of people said was that when they could hear me it sounded good but that I was getting drowned out. It's quite a rowdy old session down there! these same couple of people use small practice amps, one for a Strat and another for a bass and one of them suggested perhaps fitting a pick up and getting a small amp to get some volume. I did muse over this for a little while and read up on the various options mentioned on the forum here and then.... the 40 watt lightbulb went on in my tiny brain... why not just bite the bullet and knuckle down (ha ha) and stick those fingerpicks on and leave them on and just get used to them.... so I have and I've got to say I'm glad I have. I thought I had volume with my nails and to some degree I have but I suspect I was holding back somewhat in order not to break one or more and what a difference the picks make. I couldn't seem to get subtlety with picks in the past, but that seems to be changing too. Perseverance! I might use my nails from time to time as do enjoy the feel of that but no longer all the time. For now, finger picks it is. Mind you, one fell in my soup earlier...
How did my soup taste? Finger picking good!
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Post by Nickel on Apr 22, 2014 10:34:41 GMT
So I managed a trip to a local music shop today and bought myself a 'handful' of plastic Planet Waves finger picks. I've never played with them before and it certainly felt pretty strange. After awhile I started picking it up and I was really impressed with the quality of the tone and increase in volume they produced. They got a bit sore after awhile so I've given them the hot water treatment and eased them off a bit. I'm pretty determined to give them a good go and see if they can yield some results. Nothing to lose and everything to gain right!
A bit off topic but while I was in there I had a try out on a Gretch Honey Dipper. What a neat guitar, this was my second choice to my Highway 61, and I was happily impressed with it. Not long after a guy comes in and played a lovely version of Amazing Grace on it. He was origanally from Wales and was well into resonators. He was trying it out for a friend and I think he was pleasantly surprised by it too.
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Post by Quarterquay on Apr 23, 2014 13:03:34 GMT
I must try some out some of those ^ at some point. I'm getting along okay now with picks and I've hardly played with bare fingers at all in the past three weeks or so. I'm waiting on some Finger-tone picks I ordered a while ago. Lost in the post by the look of things. Twelve days from UK to Ireland and counting,but having to wait 15 days before the company will send out replacements. Fair enough, I can understand it but it's very frustrating waiting!
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Post by Quarterquay on Apr 23, 2014 20:33:54 GMT
I spoke too soon! The Pro Pick finger tone picks arrived this afternoon, and first impressions, very nice they are too. I ordered two sets, the single band and the split band versions. Wasn't sure which I'd prefer or whether I might prefer different types on different fingers. I'll see how it goes.Straight off they're a lot better than the similar style unbranded versions I was using,they're smaller and neater and grip well even though they don't grip as far up my fingers as the one's I've been using. That's a good thing,more flexibility. I like the way the ends of the ring part are bent up slightly on the corners so they don't dig in to your fingers. Not sure about the pro pick thumb pick as yet it feels too flimsy and the ring has grabbed a string a couple of times so still prefer my Fred Kelly Bumblebee pick on my thumb.Still it's early days, the thumb pick might win me over. Edit- Well that didn't take long , the Pro Pick thumb pick has indeed won me over! A bit of bending of the ring inwards stopped it catching the strings and I like it a lot now, it allows for some quite nifty picking even on my thumb. I'm well chuffed, if you can say well chuffed about a thumb pick.
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Post by Nickel on Jun 2, 2014 6:23:27 GMT
Well I've think I may have figured out what works for me. I've been practicing with a plastic thumb pick and a Ernie Ball metal finger pick on my third finger only. It's working for me! Gives me good bass and I find I can pick better without a pick on my first two fingers and use my third finger on the high strings to sound out loud and clear when I want and is good for a rake. Also allows me to strum easier without catching the pick and to mute with my free fingers.
Anyone else use this technique or similar?
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