Well. I made the decision to start playing more without a pick. I figure if Atkins, Mayer, Knoffler and several others can do it...So can I.

I frequently do both. It's a good deal. More tone in the fingers only imo. :thumb:

Well. I figure it would improve my playing. I watched Knoffler and Buckingham play. They use the thumb and the upper two fingers and anchor the lower two to the pickguard.

personally I don't get what's so great about being an eunuch - supposedly it's good for singing soprano but...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....PICKLESS...n/m


j/k yeah Knoffler and those guys get incredible tone with the fingers there is definitely a dynamic range that can't be got with a pick. :thumb:

Going Pickles? :tard:

I play without a pick a bit too, mostly when I cant find one.
But yeah, there is the tone and also some things you cant play with a pick, like playing the 1st and 3rd string at the same time, and stuff like that.

I gave up the pick since falling over and damaging my wrist it seems beyond repair . It remains frustratiing especially when i want to speed or sweep pick , but find i cannot anymore . Still i find a work round eventually and look at this as a new challenge

We have a guy called Tony who has worked in our local music shop for 30 odd years . Now he used to be part of a successful pop group ( Hedgehoppers Annonymus ) in the sixties/seventies . When driving home one night after a show the van crashed leaving Tony in a very bad way . He lost a lot of use in his right hand , so amazingly he re-learnt guitar all over again switching to his left hand :headscratch: . To this day i watch him play intricate Jazz and find myself complety in awe of his accomplishment .

Watching Jeff Beck earlier in the year was very interesting , and he gave me something to focus on also . On the plus side i suppose my chord picking has got a little better .

personally I don't get what's so great about being an eunuch - supposedly it's good for singing soprano but...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....PICKLESS...n/m


j/k :thumb:

LOL!!!!:lol: :lol: :lol:

LMAO! Hilarious :lol: (pronnaunced in a way high pitched voice, :P) Naww, seriously, Both of them have each owns benefits, you can´t beat arpeggios, double stops, travis picking and so forth done with bare hands, that´s for sure, but on the other hand there is a lot of stuff you just can´t achieve (well I can´t) without a flatpick, like some particular rhythem patterns.What I´d really love to learn to use is one of those thumbpicks, or that hybrid picking some chicken pickers do with a flat pick and the two middle fingers.

Anything that can be done with fingerpicking can be done with a pick with the use of "hybrid" picking. Simply use the remaining three fingers to fingerpick.

Going without a pick?

Why?

Whats the point?

Tone? You want tone?

If you don't have tone with a pick - you won't get it without one.

Going without a pick?

Why?

Whats the point?

Tone? You want tone?

If you don't have tone with a pick - you won't get it without one.

But you get a different tone without a pick. That's the point. Wether its a good one or not is subjective.

But you get a different tone without a pick. That's the point. Wether its a good one or not is subjective.

I dunno - the only tonal difference would be the attack of the string.

You deal with several things. You have 3 hammers vs one. I'm going to have a go at it and see what happens.

You deal with several things. You have 3 hammers vs one. I'm going to have a go at it and see what happens.


You aint gonna be able to speed pick anymore . To be honest the advantages are off set by the dissadvantages .

In my opinion Mike Oldfield exploits this finger issue the best . If you listen to his solos he sweeps the strings , skipping over some , sounds like he is using a pick but he aint , this technique is much harder to do with a plec . For years i was trying to fathom out how he played , until i watched a video and then my jaw dropped .

He was a trained classical player first , so when he picked up the SG he had the sweep picking off to a tee . I thought it would be easy to do , and im still trying 30 years later !! .

This is an area I'm totally useless at thru sheer laziness. Being a leftie who plays right handed means that I had an advantage with my fretting hand but a disadvantage with my strumming and picking. I still only play acoustically with my thumb and forefinger and I attempt to play things like Steve Howe's 'Mood For A Day' like this...sounds dull and empty. I am determined to get better at using my fingers...mainly because I'm going to buy a 5 string banjo as a new challenge and I'll have no choice but to use at least my thumb and two fingers. It'll do me good because at the moment I have no discipline to learn to use my fingers properly. I think it definitely brings something else to the guitar. I watch Kelly Joe Phelps and I'm gobsmacked. Take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc68_eoSRoo

This is an area I'm totally useless at thru sheer laziness. Being a leftie who plays right handed means that I had an advantage with my fretting hand but a disadvantage with my strumming and picking. I still only play acoustically with my thumb and forefinger and I attempt to play things like Steve Howe's 'Mood For A Day' like this...sounds dull and empty. I am determined to get better at using my fingers...mainly because I'm going to buy a 5 string banjo as a new challenge and I'll have no choice but to use at least my thumb and two fingers. It'll do me good because at the moment I have no discipline to learn to use my fingers properly. I think it definitely brings something else to the guitar. I watch Kelly Joe Phelps and I'm gobsmacked. Take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc68_eoSRoo

In my most humble opinion - Phelps sounds too bassy to me. If he was using a pick - the sound would be more bright and lively.

You deal with several things. You have 3 hammers vs one. I'm going to have a go at it and see what happens.

Wait a sec!

I know you have heard of good old Chet Atkins right?

He used 3 picks when he played - a thumb pick - and 2 finger ring picks on his first and second finger.

And if a guy really had a wild streak - you could use 5 picks at one time.

Yep, Chet Atkins played some amazing guitar. Whether or not you think the tone on Kelly Joe Phelps would be improved, it would change his whole dynamic as a player if he played the stuff with a pick. It's not a case of better or worse-just different.

Robert Cray is probably my favourite guitarist. I think he uses only fingers.

Yep, Chet Atkins played some amazing guitar. Whether or not you think the tone on Kelly Joe Phelps would be improved, it would change his whole dynamic as a player if he played the stuff with a pick. It's not a case of better or worse-just different.

I absolutely agree WahWah ma man.

The dynamics would change.

But his tone would change I believe if he used say the Chet Atkins style of picking.

I'm not knocking Phelps - he's brilliant. But all the years I have been playing the acoustic guitar - my ears tell me you get a more bassy tone if you use your fingers as picks - and a more lively brighter sound if you use a pick(s).

I understand it's like trying to decided whats better - a New York Strip - or a Texas T-Bone. They are both absolutely delicious.

Here's an example you guys.

This is not the whole song - Chet Atkins and Doc Watson playing "Freight Train Boogie" - one of my favorites.

Imagine if Chet were only using his fingers on the solo. He would never get the same attack and strength to his sound as he does with his finger picks.

Again I'm not knocking you pickless players - I just don't dig the sound of a player using their fingers instead of a pick(s).

And this track is a pretty good example.

Nice! Room for all styles tho yeah? Without those metal tips to his fingers, maybe Tony Iommi wouldn't sound as he does? And this piece by Steve Howe from Yes wouldn't sound as it does or be playable would it? :dunno: and this is a mixture of both pick and fingers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEJ3K68aqk

You dont have to use finger picks , good old nails are the best option . Sadly i bite mine off as soon as they get to about 1 micron long :mad1: . I did try finger picks and it was like sleeping in a WW1 Army blanket !

You dont have to use finger picks , good old nails are the best option . Sadly i bite mine off as soon as they get to about 1 micron long :mad1: . I did try finger picks and it was like sleeping in a WW1 Army blanket !

Too itchy on your fingers there BluesPlayer? LOL!

I did a little research last night on Chet - he actually did both. He used finger picks - and also no picks.

I found pictures of him playing Classical guitar using no picks. But on his electric and steel string work he used finger picks.

I can see using no picks on a Classical guitar - all the masters did that - Segovia, Montoya ect. If it's good enough for them, it must be good.

Nice! Room for all styles tho yeah? Without those metal tips to his fingers, maybe Tony Iommi wouldn't sound as he does? And this piece by Steve Howe from Yes wouldn't sound as it does or be playable would it? :dunno: and this is a mixture of both pick and fingers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEJ3K68aqk

I LOVE that song - that was GREAT.

It looked to me like you say - he's using a standard pick with his thumb and first finger - and using the rest to finger pick. WOW.

Nice! Room for all styles tho yeah? Without those metal tips to his fingers, maybe Tony Iommi wouldn't sound as he does? And this piece by Steve Howe from Yes wouldn't sound as it does or be playable would it? :dunno: and this is a mixture of both pick and fingers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEJ3K68aqk

cool vid! Glad I looked back on this thread and caught that.

Yep, The Clap really is Steve’s piece de resistance on guitar imo. Learned it years ago and find I still have to play it often just to be able to play it. But it’s an incredibly fun tune to play actually addictive to play. I’m a lefty who plays righty like you too Chris and I always thought I had to concentrate more on my right hand stuff because of that. This tune is a work out on the right hand for sure with the hybrid stuff.

If anyone’s interested, this guy, Conall Gallagher, has done an exhaustive transcription of the tune which is spot on with very detailed notes. There used to be a nice pdf version around the net several years ago but it appears to have been yanked - I could only find this html one.

http://www.yesworld.com/tab/clap.tab.txt

Speaking about hybrid picking check this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4LPWWxnvCM
and about grabbing a thumb pick check this other one. That sort of independent way of picking the low strings against the high ones ala travis picking is IMPOSSIBLE to do. Try it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOOnnTGB31E
By the way, I´ve had the pleasure to have this dude jamming here at home, I tell you, you watch him play his thing and just have to sit back and listen with a huge grin on your face. Now THAT´S guitar playing, clean as it can get.

Well. I made the decision to start playing more without a pick. I figure if Atkins, Mayer, Knoffler and several others can do it...So can I.

Its not easy, I've tried it and keep going back to the pick. Watch Robby Krieger from the Doors play. He has always gone pick-less and is great at it. So is Lindsey Buckingham.:thumb:

Speaking about hybrid picking check this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4LPWWxnvCM
and about grabbing a thumb pick check this other one. That sort of independent way of picking the low strings against the high ones ala travis picking is IMPOSSIBLE to do. Try it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOOnnTGB31E
By the way, I´ve had the pleasure to have this dude jamming here at home, I tell you, you watch him play his thing and just have to sit back and listen with a huge grin on your face. Now THAT´S guitar playing, clean as it can get.

Yeah, it's like that thumb has a life of its own. Whenever I do something similar the thumb always seem to follow along with the same rythm as my other fingers are playing.

Can I tell you guys something strange?
I have only used 2 picks in my life. I made them both when I was 17. I still use them! If not for those, I use my fingers. For me, it was never about going pickless...it was finding a pick I liked. Mine are 2.5mm thick, and very round.

I still put the pick in my mouth at times. It's a whole different tonality on any guitar.

Well i use Dunlop 0.6mm picks, like Serg, i was searching for something i liked, and i use nothing else pickwise now.
As for playing with your fingers, why not use both?
I play with my fingers when i want notes to sound like that (especially with acoustics), but i don't really see the point of changing tbh, unless your not comfortable playing with picks (or the picks you're using).
But thats just me.

I often play with no pick. It makes sense for most rhythm parts ad even lead. Bass is where fingers really make the difference though.

personally I don't get what's so great about being an eunuch - supposedly it's good for singing soprano but...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....PICKLESS...n/m


j/k yeah Knoffler and those guys get incredible tone with the fingers there is definitely a dynamic range that can't be got with a pick. :thumb:

That was really, really bad, but it made me laugh :)