The Steel Guitar Forum

Does anyone out there go "pickless"? I've only been working at the steel for a few months and I love everything about it except for the fingerpicks. I don't mind the thumbpick too much but the fingerpicks feel still feel very cumbersome.
Thanks,
Joe

Yes, many play pickless...some sound good others, well ???? ! The nice thing about picks is the clean crisp sound achieved which flesh just won't duplicate on a steel guitar. Classical (nylon string) guitars are a different ballgame. My suggestion is to purchase picks which are flexible and comfortable. You might consider plastic finger picks which I have found to be very comfortable. Just steam them to fit.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 10 July 2000 at 09:12 PM.]</p></FONT>

You can take it as a matter of faith--just trust me on this--that finger picks will become natural feeling. It takes some time but when it comes you may indeed feel nekid without them. If you choose to play without picks, fine, but don't let the awkwardness make the choice for you. Patience.

I thought pickless was great,until I started playing with a band and then I just couldn't hear myself well enough.Picks really help the steel cut through the other instruments.I had to start again from essentially square one,but I'm real glad I did.

Joe--I had the very same thoughts as you when I started playing. The finger picks felt awkward and unnecessary. I wasn't actually convinced they were necesary until I got my Dobro. It was weird because I kept trying to use them to no avail, and then one day it all just clicked I was able to use them comfortably. Kind of like when I first learned to play the Fmaj chord on guitar. A week of frustration and then suddenly one day I could do it fine.

I still play without finger picks once in a while. The flesh of your fingers does give an interesting and warm tone, but the finger picks are a must for speed (I use that term loosely) and accuracy now.

Keep trying, you'll get used to them.

Hi, Joe --

A good question. As a banjo player, I got used to finger picks a long time ago, but they used to literally "burn" my fingers -- this was the metal reacting with my skin. I solved the problem by putting a single wrap of paper adhesive tape (found at any drugstore in the bandage aisle)around my first and middle fingers.

Dunlop picks are a lot gentler to wear than Nationals, although I prefer Nationals for the sound (probably an imaginary difference). Kyser "old style" picks are right in-between -- they give me good sound and are comfortable to wear.

I agree with the others -- you'll need them for clarity and volume, although a lot of top-flight electric guitar players don't even use a flatpick -- Mark Knopfler and Lindsey Buckingham, for example.

I find Reso's particularly sound better w/picks, electrics are 50/50 and acoustics, ie. hollownecks you can get away without any picks, bu I DO use 2 fingers and a thumbpick 99.9% of the time, you do get used to it, anf it s worth getting used to.
mike

I don't have enough experience on the lap steel to speak authoritatively, but you might consider what I have found to me my preferred method on the flattop acoustic guitar--grow your fingernails out a bit. When you get a length that suits you (and they don't have to be very long, really), I find that you have the crisp tone of a pick, but you retain the natural feel of pickless. Plus you can always pick with the flesh of your finger if you want that sound thrown into the mix.

The biggest problem with this method is that long fingernails are a pain in the butt. They can get in the way when you're playing sports (of the indoor or outdoor variety), and when you're working on motors and stuff or around the house. It just depends if it's worth it to you to mess with 'em. I usually grow mine just right, then cut 'em to go play basketball, and start from scratch (no pun intended).

Anyhow, just a thought if you find the fingerpicks too much of a time investment to get used to.

Enjoy your playing,

Colin

Joe, I find it depends on the material and context in which I'm playing (loud rock band vs. country or swing band, solo vs. ensemble, live vs. recording, etc.). However, I've discovered that - in general - I prefer picks for pedal steel, "naked" for nonpedal. That's just what works for me. My advice is experiment, evaluate, and above all, have fun! Good luck.

I do the same as Colin. Grow out my thumbnail to about 1/4" maybe a bit longer and I put some stuff women use to make their fingernails harder on on my thumbnail.

It makes an excellent pick and when I do want the more warm tone I just turn my thumb a little sideways and get the perfect combo.

I can use different angles of my tumbnail and use up and down strokes and get different sounds that way also.

So I use a combo of human thumbnail and 1 or 2 fingerpicks depending on the mood I'm in.

On guitar Tele,Strat & 335 I never use a pick.

The consensus seems to be stick with the fingerpicks until they get comfortable. My problem is that my fingers are falling asleep post 20 min of playing. I'm using metal Dunlops. I'm not giving up, but I won't play on after my pinkies start napping. Any ideas out there?

Thanks

Like anything new, it takes time to get used to. Buddy Emmons at one time played without picks and he felt his playing did not suffer, but then again, that is Buddy Emmons. Freddie Roulette has never used picks and is a noted lap steel jazz player. When Jimmy Day heard Freddie he said, "Man, there's MEAT on them strings"!

Bluezmo>>Fingerpicks should not fit so tightly as to cut off circulation. Just tight enough to stay on your fingers. You'll learn through trial and error how tight you need them. When I first started with them, they would dig into my skin. I loosened them up some (and even that took a little getting used to), and they became more comfortable. Keep trying. If your fingers are falling asleep, definitely loosen them up.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Chris Walke on 18 July 2000 at 06:29 AM.]</p></FONT>

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your replies. As I expected, it's a matter of stickin' with it. Most of my playing has been by myself so I had not thought about when you play in a band situation and the difference it would make (I'm a mandolin player so I just lean closer to the mic)...good point Here's what I'm taking away from the discussion...
1. try different picks to see what works.
2. keep at it until you give yourself the options of using picks or not.
3. try to buy the house next door to Mark Knopfler.
Thanks Again,
Joe

I gotta tell ya folks...a chap by the name of Freddie Roulette from Evanston, IL., blew into town yesterday and I went to hear him tonite. He plays an old 8 string National, tuned he says to A7. He's the "Jimmy Smith (jazz organist)of the Steel Guitar"! This guy plays great jazz and blues as well as a neat arrangement of "Sleepwalk" and other ballads...but here's the catch...HE USES NO PICKS AT ALL. At times he makes that steel sound like Wes Montgomery. Not often you see a(black)blues musician playing the steel guitar and especially as good as Freddie...watch for him when he comes your way. Worth hearing if you enjoy the blues. He's one of a kind.
P.S.: Of interest...go to GOOGLE and type in Freddie Roulette. You can download about 8 songs and read all about him.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 19 July 2000 at 11:16 PM.]</p></FONT>

Try different fingerpicks. If you use Nationals, try Dunlop alumium, and experiment with different gauges. Find what feels best, practice with them, and soon they will feel natural.
I also play bare fingered for some things, but the finger picks do make a difference with a thumbpick for consistant volume and attack, particularly on steel and dobro. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule.

Did I hear my name mentioned? Oh THAT Jimmy Smith, nevermind!

Well, if you play jazz HAMMOND B-3...you MUST
be THE Jimmy Smith I referred to ! (ha!)

Glad to hear this discussed! I started on classical and had a hard time adjusting to picks - wobbly, loss of control/"connexion" to the strings...Still use five fingers at times, tho Mike Auldridge warned me "that's an uphill pull." I gave up the pinky, but it still comes in handy on spanish/flamenco stuff on reso. 50/50 about lap. fingernails for softer, slower, plastic Pro-Picks "under-the-nail" give a good balance of crisp/string contact/natural contact point of natural nail. Tried Nationals and others on reso, wobbled,too tight,loose connexion, etc. Now....ACRI solid metal shaped like a thimble with National shaped blade. Very comfortable, not tight, adjustable, very solid. About .050 compared to Nat's heaviest at .025. Great! Brass softer sound than stainless steel. Thumb pick wide brass band, naturally tightening at slippage onset point...made me a "picker" again.
Dave Stehman