fingers or a pick? what you use?

[Progrockabuse]

hey peeps, been offline whilst hetic at work. hope everyone is ok.

recently i've been finger picking more than using a pick, for some reason it just feels a lot better for me. works pretty well for slide.
what do other peeps think on this subject?

[izodiak]

When I strum some chords I usually use a pick.
But most of my songs ar fingerpicking like and all that.
So mostly I just fingerpick.

Yeah.

But it feels easier and more natural.
(for me)

[Reece]

I use me fingers much more on acoustic than I do a pick. I like the sound you get when strumming with fingernails too.

On electric I use a pick for the ROCK though.

[Mike]

I use me fingers much more on acoustic than I do a pick. I like the sound you get when strumming with fingernails too.

On electric I use a pick for the ROCK though.

This is pretty much me, although my hamfisted playing technique means I'm a pretty toss fingerpicker, although I have tried to get better by learning stuff like Elliott Smith songs.

[Reece]

I used to be really bad at fingerpicking, then I found sam beam hahaha.

I find fingerpicking really satisfying, when you nail a difficult song it's amazing.

[Mike]

True enough, even simple things like chord fragments in the middle of a melody are extremely pleasing.

[More Cowbell]

Depends on the song I'm playing, if its a soft song, I'll use my fingers on acoustic, but everything else gets teh Clayton .63mm pick of destiny.

[benecol]

Pretty much always plectrum; I try to fingerpick (I bought a John Fahey book just to upset myself with) and also to do some banjo rolls with pick and fingers. These are great fun, but I'm shit at them, and can't find much of a use for them outside of a yeehaa John-boy!-type context.

[vivadeluxxe]

I always use a plec on electric... I don't really like the sound of plucked strings ala Mark Knopfler...
I sometimes finger pick on the acoustic tho if I'm playing a cover, however I'm not very good, I once tried learning a Nick Drake song and it tied my fingers in knots....

[stewart]

always picks, through sheer ineptitude mainly.

[Thom]

Depends on the song I guess. But I would say 95% pick, fingerstyle on some stuff I play on acoustic.

[ultratwin]

After teaching 5 & 6 year olds for a few hours today I found my much-fatigued self looking at the title and thinking this was a thread about boogers.

Anyway, I'm a greater than 90% of the time picker.

[dots]

been using these for almost 10 years. the texture keeps them from flying out of my fingers but maybe once or thrice a year. that = totally worth it

[benecol]

Seconded! Well done Dots, never seen these anywhere before, ever. I'm down to my last one and want a re-up.

[euan]

I try and hybrid pick a lot of the time. I don't know any songs where it is need but its kinda fitted into my self image of playing. I got it from the Malkmus back when I saw him play for the first time. I was pretty amazed by the sound it gave. Managed to be hard and bouncy.

I actually just bought a left handed thumb pick and have been experimenting with it.

[Pens]

Both? Depends on what I'm playing and if I has pick available.

[Dogma Hollow]

Depends on style and the guitar as well. A pick will rarely (if ever) touch my nylon string. I'd have to say that for rock-ish stuff, I'm strictly pick, but every time I see Lindsay Buckingham play, it reminds me I need to try something different.

[Will]

Pick with the band, fingers for everything else. I'm trying to learn flamenco strumming, except I'd like to use my ring finger to avoid stripping the nails I pick with. It'll be awesome if I ever figure out how to do it.
I've been building up a pretty tough callous on my thumb that's starting to sound more like a really heavy pick then flesh.

[stewart]

some may snigger, but a problem i used to have was straining the muscles in my strumming hand, normally playing live. because i'm a bit more pumped onstage i'd really grip the plectrum hard, and because my guitar parts feature vigorous strumming 90% of the time i'd be in real pain 3 songs in, and my playing was hit or miss. the fix? a simple square of double sided tape on the pick makes all the difference. i don't have to worry about the thing flying out of my fingers if i bash the strings particularly hard, i can play faster and don't come offstage cradling a ruined right hand.

maybe other people do the same thing, i dunno. i've never heard of anyone else doing it. but go ahead, laugh all you like... i can take it.

[MaMo]