The Steel Guitar Forum

Playing guitar for 56 years and I never liked using finger or thumb picks. So i started my 10 string Eharp lap steel journey a few years ago with no picks. It really does work just fine. There are multiple muting techniques that allow a different style to emerge. I play a couple of hours a day with no pain/problems with my picking fingers and thumb. I like the Eharp's slightly wider string spacing. Are there any other 8-10 string lap/console players out there that don't use picks?......My tuning is a variation of John Bechtel's E9/13 lowered to D9/13 and with the middle F# raised to G.

I've never used fingerpicks, either with lap steels, pedal steels, guitars, banjos, or what have you. Lots of people will tell you that with practice, anyone can become adept at using them - and those people are wrong. My fingers simply do not move that way.

Which is fine, because I prefer the sound of bare fingers on all those instruments.

Nice to see another Eharp player. I play and practice both ways. Depends on what I am playing. Hard to get clear harmonics without picks, but I like no picks when playing jazz standards

buddy playing without picks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCYPi8lfRrY

It depends on the arrangement I'm playing. If there are a lot of 4-note voicings I might not use picks. I'm still trying to get to where I can play a 4 note voicing with picks on that sounds smooth and with the same volume/attack as the 3 note voicings.

I also have a couple arrangements where I need to make a lot of harmonics up high on the fretboard (e.g. 22nd fret) and using the tip of my index finger on my picking hand is much easier there than using the palm of my hand.

I play both with and without fingerpicks. Pretty much always use a thumbpick though. My nails have gotten to be very brittle, so I've been applying fake fingernails to my picking fingers. They work great (and for clawhammer banjo too...) I get mine from guitarplayernails.com if anyone else has a similar problem.

Dave

I just go to the nail salon every 6 weeks for my index and middle. What they do for $10 is great. Used to DIY but this is much better.