The Steel Guitar Forum

Hey there, newbie here on lap steel. I have played guitar for about 50 years, strictly using a flatpick, and am having trouble adjusting to using finger picks.

So, my question is, is it possible (or should I say, does anyone) play lap steel using a flatpick?...

Thanks everyone for your input.

I know Tut Taylor used a flat pick, but that was on Dobro.
Nelly slide guitar out of the UK also uses a flat pick.
http://planetnelly.co.uk/

Although I would recommend learning to play with a thumbpick and two fingerpicks -- to answer your question truthfully -- yes, it is possible to play lapsteel with a flatpick. And there are a handful of guys who use both a flatpick and a couple of fingerpicks (Junior Brown for one).

The late Dobro virtuoso Tut Taylor used a flatpick, and by some accounts so did the incomparable King Bennie Nawahi.

Still, do yourself a favor and give the thumbpick and fingerpicks a chance. It'll take a while; it does for everyone at first. In the long run, you'll be glad you did.

You can use a flatpick and fingers if you want. Forumite Steve Cunningham does some amazing stuff with the flatpick and middle/ring fingers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFXnFATjGws

Not lap steel players, but Sid Hudson and Dick Meis tore it up on pedal steel with flatpack and finger(s).

You know, there are exceptions to every rule. I'm sure there's someone out there who plays beautifully with just a flatpick, or someone who gets a great sound using a spoon in his teeth. Hell--Billy Hew Len plays without his left hand after losing it in an industrial accident.

I suppose, ultimately, it depends on what kind of music you want to play. If you're shooting for Hawaiian or Western swing, you really need to use metal finger picks and a thumb pick. Sure--it's tough. But I promise you you'll get used to it.

How do I know? Because I went through the exact same thing you're going through (and I bet a ton of other guys did, too).

See, I played with my fingers for a while because I couldn't adjust to metal finger picks and the thump pick. I even found some guy on line who teaches lap steel using only his fingers. I did everything possible to convince myself it wasn't really necessary to take that metal finger picks step.

Then I got an excellent teacher (a Forum member, actually). And he was VERY straight with me. I remember he said something like, "You really have to play with picks, or you'll NEVER get the right sound. You'll never get "that" steel guitar sound. Never." And the WHOLE POINT of steel guitar is "that" sound! I knew in my heart he was right.

So I worked and worked and worked for weeks and weeks (it took about 2-3 months for me to be comfortable with them, truth be told (maybe even a bit longer). Now, I don't like playing without them. Honestly. Why? Cause I can't get "that" sound without them.

It was a really rough 3-4 months, but it was so, so worth it. And now when I'm struggling with vibrato, or with a particularly tough block or grip, I try to remember back to that time when I didn't believe I would EVER feel comfortable with metal finger picks.

Stick with it and I'll bet my boots, you'll eventually be telling us how much you love your finger picks.

Hang in there, man!!!! We got your back.

Mark, after such a speech Jon will not be the only one to try ! I will !

Chalk me up as another one of those chaps who thought I wouldn't be able to adjust to fingerpicks and I thought I preferred the tone and feel of bare fingers. Needless to say...I adapted eventually, and that'd be my recommendation.

That said one day I didn't find my fingerpicks easily at hand and I played a bit with a flatpick. It's definitely doable. Not ideal, but it was easier than I had assumed. Lot of stuff you can't do though.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I'll give 'er another go. It just seems liked the finger picks get hung up, especially when playing the inner strings, with less room to maneuver. Could be I need an in-person lesson.

I did fingerpicks on lap steel for a long time. Learned that way, but it continued (continues) to be a struggle. Then one day I realized that most of my lap steel playing is with rock/pop bands and more akin to bottleneck style slide guitar. And I use low bass open G, so I have the 5-1-5-1 chord on the bottom 4 strings. These variables in mind, I realized that the flatpick helped me play my parts more easily & accurately.

So what I've learned in the fingerpicks (or bare filngers) vs flatpick debate is, it really depends on WHAT music you are playing. If you're going more traditional in your material, than the fingerpicks are most likely advantageous. Flatpick works for me, and once I realized the steel guitar police weren't going to show up and charge me with violating tradition, I gave myself permission simply to do what works best FOR ME.

Jon Seiff wrote:It just seems liked the finger picks get hung up, especially when playing the inner strings, with less room to maneuver.

What kind of instrument are you playing? Many of the imported entry level lap steels built with generic Telecaster parts are notorious for narrow string spacing. If that's the case, an instrument with wider spaced strings will make a huge difference.

Jack: this one:

Fingerpicks are certainly not essential. I tried to play with them for years, but my fingers simply don't bend that way. I get a much nicer sound without them, and just as much volume on acoustics. I prefer bare fingers, but if a flat pick gets the sound you want, go for it.

Jon Seiff wrote:Jack: this one...

Well, that's certainly not an entry level import then, is it? I agree with Noah that picks are not absolutely essential on a lap steel. But they do have some advantages that you won't achieve with bare fingers. I often play with bare fingers on electric lap steels, but never on an acoustic instrument or on a pedal steel. It could be that your picks are not shaped properly to give you the best results. You could do worse than emulating the shape of the picks on the fingers of the immortal Buddy Emmons:

A lesson or two from a local hotshot may also be a big help to you. Good luck!

I used a flatpick on this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSG4w4D54PQ

I use fingerpicks 99.9% of the time on steel guitar, but sometimes a flatpick works well on a certain songs, especially for single note playing.

vidi jr brown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEiHAQ5-SVM

Whatever method works for you to get the music out in the way you want to hear it is the way to go, IMHO.

I play sans picks, with picks, or flat pick depending on the tune and what I want to hear. You can articulate single notes, raked arpeggios, sweep licks and strum patterns in ways using a flat pick, that would be difficult using finger style.

Similarly, many traditional steel techniques - and especially a certain tone and articulation - are simply not possible using a flat pick and fingerpicks are almost 100% required. On Weissenborn, I prefer bare fingers. On Dobro, you need picks to drive the cone. Bottom line: experiment to find your own comfort zone and don't let anyone tell you it will never work if it works for you.

Steve Cunningham has had the same affect on me as Ed Van Halen did 40 years ago..
Why am I bothering to play, when monsters like that are out there..

Seriously, inspirational playing.. keeps me going

This vid occasionally pops up on dobro sites: Watermelon Slim, Smokestack Lightnening.
https://youtu.be/WeMRIu43qjg
I just dig it. Flat pick, dobro played backwards, glass bottle neck instead of a steel, doesn't dampen behind the bar, everything is contrary to everything I know, and kicks ass.

When I played guitar, I never mastered finger picking. When I took to playing steel that was and still is the hardest thing to get right. Keep at it tho, it will come around, it is frustrating but worth it in the end.
Watermelon Slim’s technique is very close to Bobby Koefer’s style of playing. If you look closely you can see that he is damping behind the bar and he palm blocks too.

As stated, many a player has made their own methods work. Today, there are many accepted standards, but back when everybody was working it out on their own. I've witnessed great players of all instruments who don't play in the "conventional" method who just blow me away.

This video here is pedal steel, but Boogie started out on lap steel way before pedals. He played guitar too, so he just used the same technique on steel. Just a straight pick and fingers, no thumb or finger picks.

Jerry Overstreet wrote:Here's a Bill Ferguson recorded clip of my buddy, mentor and now departed Boogie Sherrard from the Smoky Mountain Jamboree in the 90's playing Room Full of Roses on C6.

Boogie used a straight pick ala most guitar pickers and bare fingers/nails for the rest of the grips including those big Chalker things. No finger picks. https://youtu.be/8bVaLL5RMYg

I use the normal finger picks...except a couple of times when I had to switch to lap steel in the middle of a tune.

The lap steel is on a stand, I was playing regular guitar, and would use a flatpick ad hybrid picking.

It's OK, I prefer the fingerpicks.

I grabbed a flat pick and while playing Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground on Dobro I noticed you can sound alot like Willie Nelson guitar style...
Single-notes, Chords, and Arpeggios, just come out sounding differently with a flat pick, and it's a technique easily incorporated into anyone's bag of tricks.

Thanks to all for the input and videos. Right now I am flatpicking with an occasional pluck of the middle finger.

I have a jam tonite so we'll see what happens... I've been playing for three whole weeks!

I used a flat pick on this little ditty ...

http://www.reso-nation.org/audio/andy-v ... ntal-track