3.4 Playing Without a Pick - Fingerstyle
This Section Of The Beginner Guitar Course Covers The Following:
Finger-style is referred to in the south as “Finger Picking.” Fingers are used to strum instead of a pick. Finger-style is common in the world of guitar. This style of playing is more advanced to learn than playing with a pick.
Players who use this style include Mississippi Delta Blues player Robert Johnson. Other players include Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Jerry Reed (the actor), Adrian Legg and James Taylor.
Some finger-style players choose to grow out the fingernails on the right hand. It can help in plucking the strings. Without longer nails, flesh of the finger can result in a nicer tone.
For the starting position, fingers are placed down in between the strings. An advantage is that the player can feel the strings with the fingers.
A disadvantage of learning finger-style is that there are more variables. Different fingers can do different things at the same times. In contrast, with a pick there is one note at a time.
There is a hybrid, often used in blues turnarounds, which involves simultaneously playing with a pick and using fingers to grab other strings to increase speed and accuracy. There can be more room for error if picking notes individually.
