The Steel Guitar Forum

I push them up pretty far onto my fingers - about 1/3 of the band is on the fingernail, and about 2/3 is past the cuticle. This leaves about 1/4" or less of the blade protruding past my fingers, which I guess is "in between" the poll alternatives. I generally leave the angle of the blade about the way they come, which is fairly straight out, so they don't mold to my finger at all. Mine look like an inverted fingernail.

On the pourquoi, I have trouble controlling my picking if I let them protrude any further than this. Also, pushing them way up on my finger helps them stay on better. I do like the tone of metal-on-metal, so having them protrude a little bit feels right. Guitar flatpick is the same - just a nub protrudes. Especially for alternating flat-picking, if I leave too much blade showing, it flaps around and slows me down. YMMV, of course.

I had a friend show me the Buddy Charlton method years ago. He swore that was the only way to get those fast runs. Icould never get it to work for me, though. I kept hitting the next string up from where i was picking with the grip part of the pick. About a year later, in the early 80's I was in a band on a short tour opening for Mel Tillis and I asked Paul Franklin what he did. He had his all the way back on the finger, and just used the shape they came with from the store. That was pretty much what I had been doing. I think this comes down to whatever works for you is the right way. I prefer National picks because they seem to hold onto my fingers better.

To tell the truth, I wear my fingerpicks just like Jeff Newman & Herby Wallace taught me, I have found that the tone , and being far out on the fingers makes for a better tone, at least when Herby showed me that I should wear them out on the ends of the fingers, not way up on the finger, it was like a miracle happened to my tone. I have shown many beginners this way myself, damn, I miss Jeff!! I still use the JF picks and hope I can still get some when I need em.

Ernie Pollock

I use the in-between position, slightly twisted. My problem is skinny fingers, so the first finger pick is usually too big and I have to file the wings so they don't overlap. I suppose female pickers have this problem, too. I know one female who can't see the fretboard because of her...oh, never mind.