The Steel Guitar Forum

I bought metal finger picks this weekend and I tried them but didn't feel comfortable. Maybe it's because of my background as a bass player and a classical guitar player but I really hate having picks at the tip of my fingers.

Also, I have an enormous thumb and the thumb pick available were not big enough for my thumb.

I think I'll stick to using the pulp of my fingers instead of picks.

There are things I can't do like these harmonics : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m_HkYEohI4#t=0m18s . I'm not even sure what's the technique anyway.

Are there other steel players that don't use finger picks?

Dan Simard wrote: Are there other steel players that don't use finger picks?

Not famous ones!

I dont' use them... I just don't like them. I started playing fingerstyle Spanish guitar decades ago and they just don't feel right. Also, I've got carpal tunnel in my right hand that weakens the thumb's motion, my thumb wants to be flat on the strings instead of up higher. In my style the thumb plays the muting role normally given to the palm.

Pros - you have five picking fingers instead of three... block chords come out nicely. The attack is softer, unless you rotate some fingernail into it. Runs across the strings become simpler.

Cons - the entire literature for the instrument is written for picks. You won't be able to play many of the standards as written. Tremolo picking is difficult if not impossible to do cleanly... fast single-string runs will be hard. And playing for hours at a time gets to be problematic (see below).

I've decided that I'm just going to create my own style and have fun with it... unlike many on here I'm not a pro, so I have that option (food comes from other skills).

I've found that super-glue is the only way to do this and get through a gig... I put super-glue on my nail-tips and thumb edge to reinforce them before playing long sessions... you can set it with baking soda, then file them down with a salon board. SG works well for repairing torn/broken nails too.

You might think that you're using just the meat of the finger... I've found that even when not using the nail it's absolutely necessary as backing for the fingertip... I recently made the mistake of clipping *both* hands and couldn't play for a week.

Freddie Roulette comes to mind, check out what he can do without picks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX06XkUhkbs. Also Ben Harper does his thing without finger picks

I don't think there is anything wrong with using your bare fingers, but I would give the finger picks a fair try. I found them terribly uncomfortable at first but I kept working with them and now I prefer them to bare fingers. I find I get a crisper, clearer note with the picks. YMMV
I would give them at least a few months before you through in the towel.

Ben Harper.

I was thinking Harper too. If you want to join the crowd that is turning steel guitar into rock lead guitar - and God knows we don't have enough rock lead guitarists out there! - he's a good role model.

Dan,

I can relate to not be able to adapt to finger picks all that well. I kept catching strings I didn't want and other problems. Did order a set of aLaska Piks (their spelling) off ebay for less than $10 and they seemed to be a bit easier to use than the steel finger picks. May be worth a try and they do come in small, large and I believe extra large.

Tom
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-aLaska-Pik-Gu ... 326wt_1398

I play without picks at home when I am playing jazzier stuff. Sometimes I like it better, sometimes not.

Buddy Emmons was known to play a lot without picks later on.

Using picks did take a while for me to warm up to, but when I started playing resonator steel, I didn't have a choice and learned to get used to them quickly.

It is important how you shape the picks. When I used the heavier picks (.025 nickel), I used needle nose pliers to get them to fit my fingers perfectly. I now use much lighter picks (.013) and they are much more comfortable and suit electric playing better for me.

I could be wrong, but I think that most newer players who are uncomfortable with the picks are not aware of the different gauges and/or are not shaping them properly. Once they are shaped properly, they become very comfortable. I like mine to not extend very much away from the tip of my finger--maybe only 1/8" or so.

He even says "no finger picks" at the beginning of the video.

I have never used fingerpicks.
I toured for 12 years playing the Weissenborn in an original blues/rock band and besides eating through fingernails fairly quickly, no problems.
There are certain "standard" techniques that are based around using fingerpicks, but I figured out ways to still make them happen.
Besides, using ALL your fingers is a bonus.
Each to his/her own.

Rick Barnhart wrote:He even says "no finger picks" at the beginning of the video.

Bobbe's using a pick.

Freddie Roulette comes to mind, check out what he can do without picks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX06XkUhkbs.

I really can hear the difference. The sound is way softer

Mike Neer wrote:Buddy Emmons was known to play a lot without picks later on.

Do you know why he switched?

Besides, using ALL your fingers is a bonus.

It really is, I have a natural tendency of using the other fingers when I feel like it. Plus, it looks easier to do "pick" (finger) blocking...

Mike Anderson wrote:and God knows we don't have enough rock lead guitarists out there!

now that's funny!

Tim Mech wrote:Each to his/her own.

A chacun son gout!

Have you tried sizing the biggest thumbpick you can find by dropping it into a pot of hot water and re-shaping it around your thumb? There are also thumbpicks with metal bands that can be shaped easily.

I'm not gonna tell you that you have to play with picks, but I will tell you that you're not alone in being uncomfortable with fingerpicks as a new steel player. They feel weird. I thought I was gonna play without them, but a little perseverance changed me. And I do mean a little, cuz it's hard to get me to commit to anything that rubs me the wrong way. One early bit of advice I got right here on the SGF is to just wear 'em. Even when you're not playing. Get used to having them on and they'll stop feeling so foreign. And practice with them on, at least for a little while during each practice session. I would start my practice sessions with them on, and take them off when they started to really annoy me. As time went on, I left them on longer, and pretty soon, after realizing I could actually do more with them on, I stopped taking them off. Now it feels weird to play without them.

Baby steps.

A chacun son gout!

Here are the missing fancy accents : ` and ^

One early bit of advice I got right here on the SGF is to just wear 'em. Even when you're not playing. Get used to having them on and they'll stop feeling so foreign. And practice with them on, at least for a little while during each practice session.

That's great! Just before I read your post, I put my finger picks without playing and I still hated them. But I'll try your suggestion because I must admit that I like the clearer sound of finger picks. But do I like it enough to be a finger pick only player, I don't know...

I'll take great music over technique, any day.
Play wonderful music and people won't care how you play the steel.

I hated them at first too. I was a flat picker so adapting to finger picking was twice as hard. I use a Dunlop large "heavy" thumb pick, used the hot water treatment to fit it, that works fairly well. Most of the steel finger picks are really adjustable. I use a mixture of Dunlops and Kysers.
Harmonics....the late Rick Alexander has a pretty good explanation on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnZIGSr0kX4

I forgot to mention... Lance Reidsma clued me in to the fact that the thumb pick should rest partially on the thumb-nail... this helps, in that your blood supply is not cut off as much. Still hate 'em.

Dan Simard wrote:But I'll try your suggestion because I must admit that I like the clearer sound of finger picks. But do I like it enough to be a finger pick only player, I don't know...

Great! That's what I'm getting at - try not to rule anything out before you give it a fair shake. Picks are worth pursuing, but you may still decide against them. Don't decide yet.

I could never wear metal fingerpicks until I got the coated ones that Andy Hinton was selling (he passed away but there are other people selling them here.)

I believe that Bobbe Seymour uses his fingernails rather than the pulp of his fingertips so that is almost like using fingerpicks.

IMO metal fingerpicks and a metal bar are integral parts of the traditional steel guitar sound- there is a certain attack that you don't get with bare fingers.

Mike mentioned going pickless for jazzy stuff- I guess that would be like Wes Montgomery playing bareback. I go pickless for higher gain rock and blues- I like how your bare fingers give you more control over your dynamics.

In any case I think it is a good idea to learn how to play with metal fingerpicks- whether you actually use them is up to you, but I think it is a good skill.

Steve Ahola

P.S. I've been using National thumbpicks for many years now- I prefer the tortoise shell colored ones over the white ones.

All we are saying, is give picks a chance....

Seriously, it takes time and a little effort to get comfortable with metal fingerpicks, but it's worthwhile. Having said that, I don't always use fingerpicks, sometimes I prefer the sound of my nails, which I use on standard guitar as well. Certain steel guitar styles benefit greatly from the use of metal fingerpicks. Learn to use them, then you can decide when fingertips, nails, or fingerpicks are the most appropriate tool to get the job done.

I do both, but I've just about switched to playing entirely with picks. I have them set up like Bob Brozman does, with the tips at least 1/8" off my fingers - maybe that's the way everyone does. I play with picks because I like to play harmonics cleanly, and I just can't do it without a thumbpick and/or an index finger pick. Also, playing single string melodies is hard to do without picks.

Jerry Gleason wrote:All we are saying, is give picks a chance....

LOL excellent