Playing without a plectrum/pick

Kush · 2013-04-23T13:53:33+00:00

I am a self taught guitarist and I have been playing for about 11 years now. I learnt to play on a cheap classical nylon string guitar. With no-one to teach...

Playing without a plectrum/pick

AlanRatcliffe

Kush wrote: I developed an obsession with reggae music after reading somewhere that at some point Clapton found reggae fascinating (I guessed it was around the time he recorded Knockin on Heaven's Door and I Shot the Sheriff). And so I played so much reggae I took on a patois accent and my guitar sprouted little buds of marijuana (not really). So from that I took this upstroke-and-palm-mute thingie that reggae musicians use to get that staccato rhythm and to this day it shows up in my playing in various forms and usually adds a flavour which is also mine..... and mine alone (probably not, but hey..)

Whoops. Reggae wormed it's way in to my playing too (spent a wee bit too much time jamming with the Sons of Selassie). ? Guess we're not as unique as we thought hey?

evolucian

^Yeah... reggae seemed to work its way into my playing too. Though not official reggae... more like police reggae-ish stuff. The white mans fluffed version.

Chocklit_Thunda

I always play with my fingers. For strumming I press my index finder against my thumb and play with the nail and adjust how much thumb I get in there to mute/warm it up.

I don't like the twang that comes with playing with a pick....

Johnny-B

I had an interesting conversation with a technician at one of the local music shops when I took my Tokai Les Paul, which he had set up prior to my buying it, for him to have a look at because I has a slight buzz that I couldn't trace. He checked out the guitar then handed it to me and said "Play something for me". I obliged and this is how the conversation then went.
Tech:"I don't think there's anything wrong with the set up, it's more the way you are playing it."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Tech:"Well. you are playing with your fingers, not a pick"
Me:"Yes, but what's wrong with that?"
Tech:"You can't play rock and roll without a pick"
Me:"Mark Knoffler seems to manage fine"
Tech:"That's not rock and roll.
Me:"Well, that's a matter of opinion!"

Warren

Johnny B wrote: I had an interesting conversation with a technician at one of the local music shops when I took my Tokai Les Paul, which he had set up prior to my buying it, for him to have a look at because I has a slight buzz that I couldn't trace. He checked out the guitar then handed it to me and said "Play something for me". I obliged and this is how the conversation then went.
Tech:"I don't think there's anything wrong with the set up, it's more the way you are playing it."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Tech:"Well. you are playing with your fingers, not a pick"
Me:"Yes, but what's wrong with that?"
Tech:"You can't play rock and roll without a pick"
Me:"Mark Knoffler seems to manage fine"
Tech:"That's not rock and roll.
Me:"Well, that's a matter of opinion!"

Find another technician...

AlanRatcliffe

ShreddySmurf wrote: Find another technician...

Absolutely! >☹

Chris-Mason

I am comfortable with a plectrum and fingers, only hastle is I cannot grow nails, they tend to break. Electric I use Picks accoustic both.
Use the fleshy part of my finger tips and agree with I think it was Squonk you tend to have to be more physical on your playing style.
Saddle and Nut

Kush

Johnny B wrote: Me:"Mark Knoffler seems to manage fine"
Tech:"That's not rock and roll.
Me:"Well, that's a matter of opinion!"

Oh no he didnt! >☹ Nobody disses Mark Knopfler like that! +1 you should definitely find another technician!

Kush

Saddle and Nut wrote: only hastle is I cannot grow nails, they tend to break. Electric I use Picks accoustic both.

Maybe it all depends on what one's fingers and nails are like but I don't believe you have to have long nails to play with your fingers. I personally hate having long nails, so I play just fine with my short nails. In fact I get thrown off my game a bit if my nails get too long. I can fingerpick and strum with a heavy attack just fine with my short nails, its hard to describe how exactly I do it but it has to do with your angle of attack and finding a comfortable way to position your fingers on the strings etc.

Chabenda

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: We share a lot, you and I. ? Fingers have always felt more natural for me, and I've always anchored my pinkie (on bridge, pickups or side of the neck). we're in good company - guys like Knopfler and Beck wouldn't be the same with a plectrum.

Unlike you, when I reached "the barrier", instead of unlearning "bad" habits/learning how to use a plectrum, I developed coping/faking mechanisms: using my first finger's nail as a plectrum so I could sweep; refingering so I could arpeggiate parts instead of alternate pick them, etc.. In fact, I've never developed alternate picking chops at all (probably could do, but it's a lot of wear on my nail, which I'd rather do without), which is probably one of my biggest limitations.

Interestingly, the barrier for me was more the single-note stuff than the rhythm - I picked up some flamenco in passing early on and can now do stuff rhythmically that most plectrum players can only dream of. It's not "proper" flamenco technique - I did enough of that to get the idea and then forged on by myself, developing what worked for me on the electric. Same with classical and country fingerpickin'.

All in all, it's been a long, slow slog learning to play as I've never been able to find a teacher who could guide me in the direction I've been moving, without forcing their own preconceptions of technique upon me. The upshot is I do end up doing a lot of fairly unique stuff that is mine and mine alone.

Your style has some Ghostly aspects! :roflmao:

Nitebob

Kush wrote:
Saddle and Nut wrote: only hastle is I cannot grow nails, they tend to break. Electric I use Picks accoustic both.
Maybe it all depends on what one's fingers and nails are like but I don't believe you have to have long nails to play with your fingers. I personally hate having long nails, so I play just fine with my short nails. In fact I get thrown off my game a bit if my nails get too long. I can fingerpick and strum with a heavy attack just fine with my short nails, its hard to describe how exactly I do it but it has to do with your angle of attack and finding a comfortable way to position your fingers on the strings etc.

Love having acrylics, such nice attack....alas, I work in the motor industry...

Nitebob

At the end of the day we are artists and nobody should be telling a painter which brush to use or a sketxc artist which pencil...

Bob-Dubery

Nitebob wrote: At the end of the day we are artists and nobody should be telling a painter which brush to use or a sketxc artist which pencil...

It's always worth paying attention to the rudiments. They are not there just because that's the way that Leonardo da Vinci or Paganini did it - they are often well considered and there for reasons other than just formality.

I'd agree that ultimately the artist should be free to create, but a sound grasp of the rudiments never hurt anybody.

Maxisoft

I have been playing guitar for 35 years..... And I'm 53 years young.... I started playing a nylon string a long time ago and I also didnt use a plectrum. A few years ago I started to set the bar a little higher by playing Flamenco. Now if you can only play with a plectrum this type of music is virtually impossible if you dont use your fingers. But in the same light one of the top guitarists of all time as rated by Rolling Stone mag is Mark Knopfler.... and he only plays with his fingers...

alanjday

I also play electric and bass with just fingertips as I find i can control "unwanted" notes better. A plectrum has it's place (occasionally) and is of course louder but I am not going back to it any time soon.
A

Kush

So, a recent post about the Winery Dogs made me think of this topic again. I thought I would post a link to it on here for those who have not read it as yet. Shreddysmurf also pointed it out so I thought why not put it on here. Please check out the videos on that thread and note how Kotzen plays his guitar with no plectrum. Here it is:
http://www.guitarforum.co.za/general-music/not-bad-for-a-3-piece-of-unknowns/

How d'ya like them apples!!?

warrenpridgeon

Kush wrote: So, a recent post about the Winery Dogs made me think of this topic again. I thought I would post a link to it on here for those who have not read it as yet. Shreddysmurf also pointed it out so I thought why not put it on here. Please check out the videos on that thread and note how Kotzen plays his guitar with no plectrum. Here it is:
http://www.guitarforum.co.za/general-music/not-bad-for-a-3-piece-of-unknowns/

How d'ya like them apples!!?

I dig em! Their album just launched... but we only get it here in Sept eish...

briang-telkomsa-net

Seems like a lot of folks prefer the fingers over plecrum -
I like my plectrum, Sharfin Medium, and play mostly using a plectrum.
For me I definitely have more control using a plectrum.
I sometimes "pick" by using t, i, m & r fingers to pluck out 4 note chords - about as complex as that gets for me.

selbydoodl

Take a look for "Robin Gallagher" on you tube.

He plays all styles of music from chicken Pickens to hard rock using his fingers.

It seems to be a really efficient way to play.