No Finger Picks?

[Richard Sinkler]

I read that Toy Caldwell of the Marshall Tucker Band did not wear finger picks.

I don't think that is a good argument in favor of not wearing picks.

[Joachim Kettner]

He played with picks, at least here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2AJvhrAlRM

[Tony Prior]

the old " XXX does it this way so I will too" never holds much water.

Another way of stating this same dilemma is:

"If it's good enough for so and so then it's good enough for me"...


years back, I'm talking many many years , I was reading about Wes Montgomery, who played with his thumb. Of course all of the accolades were about his style and the use of his thumb. Interestingly enough, many of the Wes articles missed the point, he played with his thumb as a child because he grew up in a very small home with many folks in the home , he learned to play with his thumb to keep the volume soft while he practiced so he wouldn't get yelled at ! The reason came way before the style.

[Jake Hoffman]

Not famous but I play with a thumb pick only. Check out http://marycutrufello.com/, song number 8 on her list: "Just Can't Fall Out Of Love With You".

[frank rogers]

Here's me in my early "no picks" phase from the Disney film "Larger Than Life". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y39wJxkcOhk

[David Mason]

I would be willing to bet that the more famous "no-picks" examples like Bobbe used picks when he was younger and playing many, many hours a day. The argument that "picks hurt my fingers" will go away if you start practicing more than three or four hours a day - playing without picks will hurt your fingers a lot worse.

It depends - if you're playing for the cat, or "forging an original style" (these may be synonyms) no picks is fine. If you're expecting to cover steel parts as they are supposed to sound on records or just "make a noise like a steel guitar", there are reasons to use the picks that 95% of recorded steel players use. 99%? And fortunately, you will eventually find your way towards picks that don't hurt, either through acclimation, adjustments, nerve damage, brands like ACRI's, or the myriad tricks exhaustively detailed here about every other week. Eyeglass pads, Plastidip (bathtub silicon is better ), heatshrink tubing, spit, snot, Gorilla Snot, rosin... how do they get that gorilla to blow his nose....

[Jake Hoffman]

Oh my, don't you love the Internet. Try http://marycutrufello.com

The comma at the end of the earlier URL caused some weirdness.

[Chris Templeton]

On a side note. Jake, I saw/heard Mary playing in Austin at a bar on 6th Street, in the mid 90's and was really impressed with her guitar playing,

[Jake Hoffman]

She rocks the house. Before her throat issues, Rolling Stones mag called her "a female Jimi Hendrix". This EP displayed her country roots. She is a delightful person.

Thanks

[Gary Walker]

Many finger style players, Chet Atkins, Doyle Dykes started using acrylics on their three fingers and no worry about nail breakage. We know there's a lot of nail shops around more than there are Seven Elevens.

[Dr. Hugh Jeffreys]

Many years ago, I developed a unique style using no finger picks, and employing all 4 fingers and a thumb pick. I also spread all 5 fingers in order to execute big open chords (I also play closed harmony 5 part chords). The single-note speed technique is also phenomenal. My sampler can be heard at www.steelguitarbyhughjeffreys.com If you would like to purchase the album, see Bobbie Lee's collection of CDz on this FORUM.