Playing with the meat of one's fingers

[Darcy H]

My various forays into fingerstyle have left me frustrated and I always end up picking up the pick inshort order. I've tried the hybrid thing, picking and grabbing the odd string with a spare finger, but I don't have nails and the contrast between a pick and the meat of a finger is quite bothersome. I tried growing nails, but to be honest, it drove me nuts and I couldn't quite get the hang of it. I've tried playing with just the meat of the fingers, and rather liked it, but of course my fingers would be quite sore in no time and I didn't stick with it long enough to build calluses.

 

What I'm wondering, does anybody play with the meat of their fingers as opposed to fingernails? Is it worth it to develop those calluses?

[Hardtail]

I'm strictly a flatpicker. The only thing I can manage to fingerpick is "Stairway to Heaven" (and my nose).

 

So, that being said, establishing that I know zero about the subject, have you actually tried using finger picks? You know, like George Thorogood uses? You wouldn't have to grow your nails nor would you have to worry about soreness in your fingertips.

 

But, I'm almost positive the hardcore fingerpickers here will basically tell you to buck up and work through the soreness.

 

The nail issue is just about the sole reason that I don't want to deal with fingerpicking. I like them short and out of the way. There's plenty of guys who already do it well... I'll just listen to them.

 

Hope you figure it all out.

[Darcy H]

I'm strictly a flatpicker as well, and not too bad at it, but I'd like to expand abit.

 

There's some Lightning Hopkin's/Robert Johnson style tunes, where they carry the bass line with the thumb and carry a melody beneath it. And I like the Jack Johnson-acoustic-on-the-beach deal as well. I know they use fingernails or thumbpicks and nails, but I just can't manage it, and I tried the fingerpicks, and found them worse than the using my fingernails. I think I could put some time into using the meat of my fingers, I find it feels farely natural, but I'm not sure if anyone does this. I'd hate to break new ground

[Guitarzan]

i use the meat of my fingers and i can quickly switch to my "imaginary pick" by using my index fingernail in a down stroke fashion.

i like the sound of the meat instead of a nail.

there you have it "the sound of meat"

the hills are alive with the sound of meat.....sorry

[A String]

I'm the same as Zan. When I finger pick, it's fingers only (no nails) and if I need to, I use my "imaginary pick".

 

I play a lot of songs that require finger picking so I suppose I got used to it. I've tired playing with finger picks and finger nails, but I just can't feel comfortable that way. The meat is the way to go in my books!

[strangedogs]

I hardly ever use picks - meat and nails - on a good guitar it only takes a light touch to acheive NIRVANA...

[Justus A. Picker]

There's lot's of people who use flesh rather than nails. It's a slightly different tone but that's not a bad thing, it's just different. IIRC, Keaggy uses flesh and his tone is great!

 

Most lute players avoid nails too. The traditionalists even blasted Bream because he used them!

[Guitarzan]

i had to develop some kind of finger thumb thing so i could play jesus left chicago.

i play the low bass note pump with my thumb and fret the low e with my other thumb while doing the G to C chord thing on top.

when it goes to the C and F, i move up to the 5th fret and fret the C note on the e string with my pinky while barring the 5th fret d, g and b strings and laying the other fingers down to make the f.

does that make sense?

like so

x--x

0--1

0--0

0--2

x--x

3333 etc (fret hand thumb))

 

x--x

5--6

5--5

5--7

x--x

8888 etc (pinky)

awesome tune and it sounds cool when you pull it of without help from a bass player

[musicalhair]

The nails take time to toughen up and get used to just having and growing them but you need very little nail. Most guitarists that use nails have way too much nail.

 

Scott Tenant's Pumping Nylon has an amazing section on nail shape size and stuff. Well worth it.

 

I use "three way buffers" that women use on their nails and emory boards. The Emory is to get it down to size and into the right shape. The buffer is to improve tone and playability and to reduce breakage. Buff the hell out of the the nails, I mean like generate heat with the damn thing as you buff and do it for a long time. The more you "polish" the edge from corner to corner the better the naill will work and the longer it will last. Then wash the dust off and dry you hands like an obsessive compulsive before playing.

[Justus A. Picker]

Originally posted by musicalhair:

The nails take time to toughen up and get used to just having and growing them but you need very little nail. Most guitarists that use nails have way too much nail.

 

Scott Tenant's Pumping Nylon has an amazing section on nail shape size and stuff. Well worth it.

 

I use "three way buffers" that women use on their nails and emory boards. The Emory is to get it down to size and into the right shape. The buffer is to improve tone and playability and to reduce breakage. Buff the hell out of the the nails, I mean like generate heat with the damn thing as you buff and do it for a long time. The more you "polish" the edge from corner to corner the better the naill will work and the longer it will last. Then wash the dust off and dry you hands like an obsessive compulsive before playing.

I use 2500 grit sandpaper to buff the nails once they're shaped. Makes them nice and glassy!

 

You're right about the length, they only have to peek over the fingertip a little bit, just enough to excite the string.

[The Geoff]

I never learned to use anything but a pick :0(.

 

When I play bass - and I'm not playing much of it at the moment - I cut my nails right back, as I feel I get a better tone without, or with very little nail.

 

G.

[AeroG33k]

For classical I'd definitely want to use my nails (try curving your hand a bit more). But since I'm playing more fingerstyle on electric, I found that too long of a nail on steel strings sort of feels odd to me and gives you less control. Right now I'm doing sort of a mix between the two.

[stamplicker]

Same here, I use the Pick now and then, but mainly use finger meat or index finger nail. Unless I'm lucky and don't break one of the nails then I usually use mainly finger nails instead of pick.

 

I'd say build up that meat, and expand your horizon to a vairty of Tech. and Sounds... Then when you do grab that pick you'll really think twice if it's really needed?

[Darcy H]

Thanks a ton guys!

[Tedster]

Originally posted by Hfx_Buzz:

What I'm wondering, does anybody play with the meat of their fingers as opposed to fingernails? Is it worth it to develop those calluses?

Absolutely. That's the only way I play fingerstyle. Using fingerpicks to me is analogous to having sex with a Goodyear tire for a condom. My fingernails are brittle.

[Tedster]

You could really have some hilarious parroty threads on this...BTW...

[mdrs]

For fingerstyle I use the "meat" of my fingers. I like to really feel the strings. Finger picks are a way of getting more volume. I hated finger picks for fingerstyle, because you can't feel the strings. For me, my nails seem to "get in the way". So, I stick with meat!!

 

For electric guitar, I often mix a flat pick, with fingers, again using the meaty part of my fingers.

 

They say, "it ain't the meat, it's the motion".

 

Food for thought!!

 

Don

[D_dup3]

Though starting as a mainstream rocker, I've played far more with just fingers than pick for most of my time as a player.

I've never actually explored classical technique, using the end of nail to give the note alleged clarity, since I've never found that necessary so I can't advise regarding that but even on more narrowly spaced string courses I think any dificculties are passed (like everything else) just with practice.

 

I do play with a pick (choice variable depending on desired effect) at times but some advantages to using your fingers include cleaner chording, both more simultaneous & with varied dynamics between notes; more notes per chord than the hybrid pick + fingers thing & the ease with which chords can be voiced leaving some strings unsounded.

 

I never noticed that I needed to achieve calluses particularly on my "picking" hand for guitar though playing bass they seem needed, because of the greater string size or tension.

 

As to fingerpicks & thumbpicks, neither of which I ever found comfortable because of their relative thickness, my view is that those were as much for projection prior to amplification as for tone (& maybe moreso).

[Darcy H]

Going through some videos this morning, Buddy Guy uses the meat of his fingers in "Teachin' The Blues". Don't know how I missed that, I've been a huge fan for years but never noticed. R.L. Burnside, one of my all time favourites, appears to be using the meat in a few video clips I have, and apparently so did his mentor, Mississippi Fred Mcdowell. Jack Johnson strums with the side of his thumb as well. Just been playing with it for the past day, I already have a blister on my thumb, but I can almost manage most songs as well as I can pick them, and Frusciante's "Snow (Hey Oh)" in infinitely easier than with a pick. It certainly feels more "natural" but I miss the crisp snap and volume of a pick...maybe when I get the technique and calluses a tad more refined....