The Steel Guitar Forum

That's what your nose pick is for.

When I use picks (and sometimes I'm lazy) I use four and a thumbpick, and they're all plastic. I got used to four fingerpicks from all that folk guitar playing in the 60s with its various different intricate picking styles, and now if I just put two on my hand feels unbalanced.

Here's my palm. Maybe one of you palmists out there can read my lifeline and tell me I should have been dead years ago.

Since I'm a relative newbie on steel, I'm wondering if some people with experience can tell me why/if I SHOULDN'T use my ring finger, since I'm inclined to use it.
I've used a thumb&3 finger picks for 50 years on regular 6-string(also dobro). On banjo, however, I use the typical thumb & 2 finger picks(like most steelers).
Since the ring finger is weaker, I figured I just wouldn't use it when I do banjo rolls, assuming my timing might not be as good, but there's probably other considerations I'm missing- yes/no?

I talked to a guitar player on Saturday night, and he said that when he plays pedal steel, he uses a thumb pick and finger picks on his middle and ring fingers, and doesn't use his first finger at all! I can see where, for some people switching over from playing a guitar where you use your first finger to hold a pick, that you would be use to using your middle and ring fingers for picking. And that would kinda make since. But being a Chet Atkins style finger picker myself, I don't think I could get use to doing it that way.

Donald, if you're accustomed to a pick on your ring finger, keep it. Like I said above, you don't have to use it all the time. I admit to a natural advantage that having played clarinet and trumpet since I was a kid, my third finger is pretty much as strong as the others.

Some say it would get in the way of harmonics, but that depends how you do them.