Hey, Adam! First, I just stumbled on your channel, and I've subscribed. I have never used a thumb pick, or finger picks. I've tried them, but no matter how long I practiced with them, they never felt comfortable to me. I just let the nails on my right hand grow out a little bit, and I can get those nice sharp tones that way.
Greetings from Lebanon! I use my thumb and my nails aren't that long. I use some flesh also with the nail. It gives the bass sound that I like. I play classical, flamenco, acoustic and bass guitars without accessories at all. I only use the pick (normal) when playing acoustic when playing chords accompanied by singing. God bless!
out of this entire video, which was full of great insights, that point was probably the most important thing that Adam said, and i hope the younger players take it to heart.
I am German and have to watch the video three times to understand everything correctly. You're doing great, and I want to thank you for your great work
Very good Video. Today I normal use no thump Pick. Because: The melody must be louder than the bass. And you can damp the Bass-String with the bare thump. Not with an thump pick.
I continue to evaluate this - mostly because there are so many guitarist I love who use a thumb pick. My latest favorite is Eric Skye who even plays solo jazz with a thumb pick. But I always come back to tone and volume BALANCE. Good luthiers work hard to find this balance between all 6 strings when hand crafting a guitar. Then, we stick a thumb pick on and this balance is gone. Without the pick, it seems I have much more control over the tone and volume mix of all six strings. For fingerstyle, if any string is "supposed to slightly louder" is should obviously be where the melody is - not the bass line. Thanks Adam, John Gig Harbor, WA
John greetings from JFK Airport… I’m flying back to Europe in a few hours. All the great players who use a thumpick do in fact get a great balance. Guys like Tommy and Joe Robinson have an unbelievable amount of control so they can play with a good sound and have it not overpower the fingers… It’s uncanny. For me, because of my jazz influence I just resonate much better with a thumpy front end attack and then a long sustained note. Much of thumb picking goes hand-in-hand with bridge palm muting so that the note dies out very quickly therefore allowing the treble strings to ring. That is an entirely different kind of bass player, if you get my drift! It’s really a balancing act and it really gets down to what kind of band are you hearing in your head? A country band or a rockabilly band? A jazz band? All those sounds as musical influences will shape what one’s solo guitar playing sounds like. Thanks so much for your comment!
I am a guitarist who plays without it. But someday ago I learned a song from sungha jung and at fist I learned it without thumbpick. Than I realized sth. is not there. I knew that sungha played the song with thumbpick. So, I tried it and it really helped me. That means that it is also a question of wich song do you play right now. I think that it depends on the song you're playing. For me I never played with thumbpick before, but if you can do both it's even better. Because if you can do both you can decide if you need it or not.
That makes perfect sense. Ever since I was told to use a thumbpick all the time, I've been so nervous on stage that I can barely play at all. It makes sense that nervousness would be less of a problem with a bare thumb because you get that tactile feedback from the strings to your thumb and eventually to your brain. The thumbpick shuts down that feedback loop. It stops those messages from being received. I'm going to purposely try to use my bare thumb from now on.
Eric, it's all about the thump and reliability of contact. When that's missing one feels nervous. I only get that with the TP if I do a lot of palm muting, but that cut off sound is not one that I always want. We each must independently investigate our own truth! Thanks for commenting!
Not only have I ditched the thumb pick, but I’ve also resorted to playing with only two fingers. That has allowed me to be much more relaxed on stage and I seem to be able to cover just as much ground harmonically as I could using three or four fingers. I also keep my fingernails cut extremely short
Dear Adam: Thank you for your exceptional work. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. My instrument has always been the classical guitar, and I have never used a pick. I play many of their arrangements on classical guitar and they sound wonderful. It is about adapting the technique slightly and ... magic !!! I repeat, thank you very much for sharing your expertise.
Great Informative advice. I’ve been playing without a thumb pick for 50 years playing various styles, just recently used one, hopelessly. I’ll try it for 50 years then let you know which I prefer.
Great lesson Adam. As you know, I use my natural nails but I also use the flesh of my thumb for exactly what you are talking about. I’m also happy using a thumbpick and using UV nails. I’ve done every combination. I always tell my students that they need to find what works for them. When using my fingernails, I like to keep my fingernails short enough that the flesh of my finger touches the string before the nail. It makes me feel more connected to the guitar. I can totally understand what you are getting at. Especially when people are using bright sounding pickups, they might consider the flesh as opposed to picks. On the other hand, I also love the precision that comes from using a thumbpick and fingernails. In a bigger hall it helps define the notes better. For example, Robin Bullock gets a pristine sound by using plastic fingerpicks on every finger and his thumb. But I’ve also heard him play without the picks and the sound is much sweeter. Not as loud and clear, but sweet. When I play that Chet Atkins style, I lean toward using a thumbpick so that I can get the proper muting technique in the right hand. Without the thumbpick, I don’t really need to mute as much so I guess it can work either way. My entire album “It’s Only the Blues” was recorded using my nails and thumb without a thumbpick. I went through a phase where I basically didn’t want to be caught in a situation where I was asked to play and didn’t have the right picks to use so I learned to do everything with what I had already attached to my body. If you watch any of my Dream Guitars videos, you’ll see that I rarely use picks unless the guitar is already scratched up. I hear people like you and Laurence Juber play with the flesh of their fingers and it’s obvious that it doesn’t hold you back. Vicki Genfan played a few online shows without her nails shortly after the pandemic shut us down and she sounded great. The pandemic has caused all of us to reassess the situation. I decided to go back to natural nails while Amy bought a UV nail kit online. It’s all individual and it really does become a part of your own sound, no matter what you choose. Thanks again, Al
Hi Al, it's funny that you mentionned Laurence Juber. Laurence is the kind of guitarist who proves that we can have a clear, well defined tone, and play some quick licks also, with just nothing else that our fingers. Each time I face difficulties to use a thumbpick, thinking this is a real limitation in my playing, I look to a Laurence's video..
Al - thank you so much. I'm nodding and smiling as I read, and I love all the sounds a guitar makes. There's a few things going on, I'll use your comment here as a 2nd post. Yes, in a hall my thumb thing can get boomy and I wish it had a button on the sound - picks are great for that. Basically my thumb amplifies like an upright bass - great in a dry (jazzclub) setting, potentially dreadful in a hall. I usually have to cut frequencies around 160-200. When I hear my old live things, I LIKE the thumb pick sonically - but at the time it felt so wobbly. My over simple setup is exactly what you mentioned - I want to be able to do my show anywhere, without too much reliance on exclusive effects, picks or guitars. I want to plug in and almost have my sound due to a reliable source (me & the axe) - LIke a pianist who has to deliver on any instrument, I'd like to do the same, to the best degree possible. Last time I visited Peppino my guitar got lost, but I felt I could do my gig on one of his Seagulls . (You should see the young guys with 5 pickups and 10+ effects when their pedal board gets lost in flight! Oh boy....) I really miss some of the zingyness and timbres, and very often excitement is built with brighter sounds. For me, some of my arrangements are so specific that in terms of "sound / soundcheck" I get "acclimated" and find a comfort zone on stage, so to then go mess with that and change how I am making the sound (different tool for string attack) makes it virtually another instrument altogether. Changing on stage would throw my balance...So if I have my setup ready for Billie Jean, that sound may not work for Freight TRain . Anyhow, you are spot on & thanks for posting!
I agree with each of your five reasons for not using a thumb pick. I just prefer that natural response from the strings... it's also quite hard to convert to using a thumb pick if you haven't been used to using one in the past? It involves a change to how you move your thumb....a different action so to speak. BTW your videos are very informative. Thank you.
Thank you so much. The answer to it all is "it depends" and "there's more than one way to do it." I say if you like the feel of one, go with it - either way, and focus on the music above all :-) Thanks so much.
I prefer to feel the strings on my fingers and thumb but I’m persevering with thumbpick and palm muting as I’ve only been playing a few years. You’ve explained how I can decide which is best for me so thank you ! 👍
Awesome correlation between Sor and classical guitar nails vs. no nails. Great points here Adam. It's so true with the "sound like you" part. Guitarists are always asking "how do I find my sound?" Playing with pure fingers is an immediate trick to unlock your own sound. You sure have found your sound, and what a tone and groove you get. Thanks for the video!
Jon. thank you so much. I actually am also experimenting playing with my band with no pick - which for me would have been unthinkable years ago. I find I can shape notes exactly how I want and tell more of the story I intend. I guess them's the joys of maturity. Less urge to shred :-)
Hi Adam-it's great to hear your thoughts on this subject. I too have done a deep dive on thumbpick vs. Thumb. I've gone with just using my thumb-it feels more natural to me and like you, definitely a warmer-more earthy tone. I also feel a bit more connected to the instrument if that makes sense-good stuff and thanks for the video.
Hi Adam I use to play with my thumb, but honestly I love both cause its different sound for my play latin, country jazz,and funk.You are right but I keep practicing both technices for now.Thanks man your the best.
First off, I love your groove when you play. Your love of music is refreshing and you are one of my favorites. I am a skin player. I never intended to it just happened naturally so I roll with what I know. If it's good enough for Jeff Beck than I am fine with it my pick is my index fingernail so I never have to look for or loose a pick. Thanks for the channel and have a great day my friend.
Have always played finger style with no pick. Just now learning to use a thumb pick because it seemed all my heroes use them. Your perspective is really helpful. Lots to consider. Thank you.
I'm 73 and played guitar all my life (so far). I've seen people recommending it, and been practising with a tp for about 3 months now, but I can't get over these issues. 1 It pinches my thumb and feels awkward. 2 As my thumb is higher it's at un unusual angle for the joint. 3 I can't get the timing right with the groove the same way. 4 The bass sounds hard, and out of balance volume-wise. 5 I won't have one handy all the time away from home. I think I'll forget them now. A good video, thanks.....
I don't just play bass with my thumb. I also use it for non-bass rhythm notes, especially in passages where I'm when letting strings ring. I learned without a thumbpick, so never noticed that these arrangements sounded "wrong" until I started using one. So, reason #6: it allows my thumb to sound like my other fingers.
I am a fingerstyle guitarist. I cannot master a pick. I found the sound fake and arsh sounding. But i believe also that i am possibly limiting myself. You however make me believe i might be able to look at other musique
@@Montyboo I could never learn to use the plectrum either. The right grip has always eluded me. It moves around as I strum, and when I hold tight to counter the movement, it results in that harsh, loud sound. I do like the timbre that finger-picking draws out, but the crisp notes a pick brings to the table is something I miss at times.
There's a lot of ambient noise in my apartment complex, pool motors and such, so I can't really get any 'touch' and tone unless its late night. I don't really need any pick then, plus as much as I bitch about neighbor noise, I try to keep it down. 😉
I don't use a thumbpick for a lot of the same reasons! But the nervousness thing was one that really clicked with me. If I start adding too many "extras" to my sound I get lost quickly - but when I get back to basics I'm more relaxed. Thanks Adam!
I totally relate to being nervous on stage due to lack of connection with strings. And that feeling of everything being so frail, horrible. I I've tried at least six different picking techniques to overcome that, and had some success, but never quite felt there. I need to give finger style a chance again (I have played fingerstyle in the past).
Excellent video! All your reasons for no thumb pick hit home with me. I'm an electric player, and always will be. However, a few years ago I spent a few months just doing acoustic. Used a thumb pick. Kinda got discouraged with my lack of progress on the acoustic so I went back to strictly electric guitar. Kept on using a thumb pick when I went back to the electric, but eventually returned to using my beloved Dunlop Jazz III "stubbies". Recently, I have picked up the acoustic again. But this time I just used my bare thumb. It felt way more natural, sounded much fatter, and I feel way more confident without a thumb pick. Acoustic playing has become a renewed love and I plan on keeping it going, even if all my gigs are electric guitar oriented for the foreseeable future.
Great timing on this for me! I started playing guitar more regularly after several months of not playing. I used to use a thumbpick on many songs but got away from it. After a few days of jamming my thumb was getting sore. I thought maybe I should use the thumbpick again. Guess I need to give it time to build up some callous! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
I play with flesh since I learned to play guitar more than 20 years ago. At the beginning, I used my thumb flesh because I liked it more than thumbpick and I spent the first 15 years without touching any pick. Also, I had the feeling that I should focus only on one of them, I though that learning both would be to much work and hold me back. At some point, after watching great performances on yt, I decided to learn to use it. Unfortunately, it did not work for me, maybe I am already too used to flesh but I am very OK with it because it is the sound I like the most. Thanks Adam. I always enjoy your music and words!
I am playing on a Gibson LG2 made in 1954 which sat dormant for about 65 years. My music school went out of business when I was about 10 yrs old. I've picked it up again and went to Tune University to reteach myself. I always used a flat pick when I was young but got onto fingerstyle and dropped the picks altogether. I never thought about it much but did love the sound that I was making.
The naked thumb feels and sounds so natural. Yet with the thumbpick the pronounced articulation (particularly with harmonics) and the other notes that it allows me to hear make it tempting to use. However, if you hit a wrong note with the thumbpick it is also amplified 😁Without amplification of any kind I would go with the thumbpick for volume. I dislike the feel of the pressure it applies to my thumb, though.
Great video! Love your groove and your five points of why you have gone to flesh. I use the thumb pick mostly chicken picking Buster B and Jerry Reed. Flesh on ballads and a number of your groove arrangements. Keep it up!
Good presentation. I use all my finder tips and find it very rewarding. Advantages. No nail prep or maintenance necessary. Very good feel and warm sound. I can pull on a string for emphasis when needed. It’s very powerful to sound several notes at exactly the same time much like a pianist does when chording. When I listen to a plectrum raked across the strings the chord sounds jumbled to me. The strings do don’t resonate as well to my ear. I can always rake across the strings with the backs of my fingernails to produce that sound. I do see where a thumb pick can be used like plectrum to play fast lines and to project. It’s a matter of taste I guess.
What a great video Adam. I “let go” of picks years ago for a similar reason as the last one you mentioned. I realized that I didn’t like the idea of how much of the presentation of the songs was built upon my not having an issue with the pick (having it slip around, dropping it, etc.) I also wanted consistency in going from the strum to the fingerstyle aspect. Transitioning from pick to fingers was far too dramatic, sonically, than what I wanted. Anyway, I could say a lot more, but just wanted to share that and say I always appreciate your analysis, thank you! 😊
When playing jazz I have always loved the thumb-picking sound of Wes Montgomery and George Benson, and I believe you're right when it comes to confidence-building. I always know "where" I am when thumb-picking. Of course, l love listening to players like Tommy, that use a thumb-pick, but jazz guitar is my "thing" (mio cosa LOL).
I can relate to Reason No.5! I can record properly (without nervousness) if I'm not using my thumbnail. I'm classically-trained but at this point in time, I'm enjoying more if I play the classical guitar using my thumb flesh. I love the warm sound of it too (jazz tone). Thanks Adam for this wonderful insight! Cheers!
Amazing video! I discovered the same things you said in this video after going back and forth between the two. In the end I realized that for me just using my bare thumb and fingers works best for all the styles I play. In an interview with Leo Kottke from I believe 1987 that I found on the internet he said pretty much the same thing and went on to say that he wished he never started with them in the first place. This is just a personal preference. That said I, like you, love all the thumbpick players from Scotty Anderson to Oscar Aléman and everyone in-between so whatever works for the player is the best way for them.
Thanks Bruce. Funny, I can really feel what Kottke is saying - when I played jazz, I was a flatpick only guy - meaning from teen years up to age 38. I loved Wes' playing so much (bare thimb only!) and I regretted having based my playing on using a pick. My main reason for flesh is what I stated here in the vid - it ISEMBODIES the touch, time tone concept that I value. OK, it can't go as fast as a sharp object but we must all close out priorities! Thank you!
Another great lesson from the master of groove.I use a thumbpick and fingerpicks purely for volume when playing background music in noisy venues,mainly so i can actually hear what i'm playing.I do much prefer bare flesh but it's just not practical for the gigs i do.Thanks for the lesson Adam
There are certain songs that just sound better with a thumb pick, but some are better without one. That’s just my opinion. Adam, you do an amazing job either way. Thanks 😊
Oh my God, what you just said about "nervousness" really hit home to me. Wearing you're thumb pick "walking in your shoe's mentality", and doing so for over 55years I believe you may be right. I think my right-hand position might have to open up a bit to be able to use the end and get a good contact with the string though.
I'm not a very advanced player (and I haven't played guitar for years), but I used a thumb pick to accompany myself playing folk songs with alternate bass notes patterns (Dylan, Paul Simon...). It allows for a comfortable hand position, and naturally amplifies the bass. Later I became more interested in playing fingerstyle arrangements of songs (any style for that matter), which was a more free way of playing, and I found that it bothered me that the thumb would have a different treatment than the other fingers (and therefore a different sound). I would also insert some strumming in the fingerstyle, but any strum done with the pick would really stand out as too loud and bright compared to the rest.
Excellent Adam. Really Love your style. I started playing w a thumb pick couple years ago. Mostly Tommy songs also Tommy, Ed Gerhard and other songs with thumb only. The challenge I have had using my thumb and getting crisp sound is that it tends to sit behind my fingers not in front. To my pleasant surprise you also have your thumb behind fingers not in front....and it sounds great! Looking forward to diving deeper into your playing 😊
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for the kind words! It's fascinating to hear about different techniques and how each player adapts them to their style. I'm glad to hear that seeing my approach has given you some reassurance in your own playing. Keep experimenting and finding what works best for you-it's all about making music that feels right and sounds great to you.
Fascinating, thanks. Been fingerstyle player for 9 years and only cracked using a thumbpick about a year ago. Since then I use it on most but not all songs. Your video made me think about it more and I'll try it more both ways. For me the thumbpick made a significant improvement.
I agree with each of those reasons and would add the convenience factor. I always have my thumb, but I don’t always have a thumb pick. This was a great validating video for me, as I have struggled with this question. I learn so much from you Adam. Thanks
Hi Adam, totally agree with all you say. I use short ima nails so I plant on flesh and just flesh for thumb and I just find I like the base treble volume balance more. You have articulated really wisely all the other reasons. Long time fan- keep groovin' Adam. Love your work.
Interesting take on the topic - for sure - I have used my fingers for a very long time, but always worried and struggled with the "fingernail" issue, but this gave me a different perspective on that - glad that you decided to share your insight.
I tried using a thumb pick on guitar but do much better with the bare thumb. However I also play the 5 string banjo and use a thumb and finger picks on that instrument.
I've been playing for 57 years. Started by strumong with a flat pick. A few years in I started finger picking using several styles. I now play mostly classical, flaminco, folk, country, and blues. Learned a lot watching Chet Atkins but found I favored his teacher's style (Meryl Travis) and play largely Travis picking or my own modification of the same. Still use some flat pick for rhythm beats (or hold my index finger between my thumb and middle finger and use the nail as a pick). The majority of the time however is finger picking. I have short nails on the left hand for use on the keyboard and about 3/8" nails on the right which allows me to play either with a nail or flesh depending on the tone I am looking for on a particular song or section within a song. I may also deaden the note with either the heel of my right hand or by slightly lifting my fingers on the left hand.
I've tried thumb picks and they just never felt right to me. I feel perfectly comfortable playing with a flat pick but for fingerstyle, it's no pick for me.
A year ago I responded with "I always come back to the thumbpick." Now I'm starting to waver though I still find the pick optimal when I'm going for that chunka-chunka Travis thing. I'll get back to you in a year. Thanks again for this intelligent video .
Hey Adam - Great video! I have struggled for years with trying to use a thumbpick. (I started out using all fingerpicks, like a banjo player). I would always end up ditching the thumbpick as it just felt cumbersome. There's something about actually feeling the strings, not to mention the tonal implications! Thanks again. Groove on!
I've tried thumb picks. I've tried finger picks and nails. I keep coming back to flesh on strings -- and for me it's mainly about feeling in control. Anything between my nerve endings and the strings just makes me nervous and unsteady. I thank you so much for this video because I've often harbored guilt feelings for not mastering those techniques. But the truth is, I never enjoy my playing enough to work hard enough and long enough to master. And now I know that's okay! I'm playing my style. And it's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. (And I do! ;-) )
I play more with a thumbpick but I like practicing using bear thumb because this makes me play cleaner when using a thumbpick. Thanks, Adam, for this and many other great tips you present us. Blessed be !
I use either a combination of thumbnail or thumb pick but get the booming bass sound with a slight right hand mute. I was gifted with super strong nails. When I switched from classical to steel string, my nails didn't care. I ask TE about this and he said he doesn't bother with nails. He says they are too much work to maintain. For me, my nails give me a piano like tone that I love. But like you said.. it is not about sounding like someone else, but being yourself.
Thanks alot to your notices; it's a good luck for me to find your video because I am by now in a marsh... SO I feel better and comforted. I am sure that you are right, and for the strong accent you put to the question. I am 66, I play for 50 years. I got mad when I discovered the blues in my teens; and finger-picking for the acoustic'. Beside the electric Rockn'roll music, I became fond of these bluescats, especially those who played ragtime and Blues, the efficiency and accomplishment to pick faultless the notes, with fingerpicks for a whole bunch, or without finger picks for a few of them. My(well known)stars_Without'_ are 3, and with, are 2, +many many. Eventualy the picking hand became my focus. And I who learned & tried to imitate, I began to improve and gained much more subtleties when I rejected fingerpicks, above all succeeding to roll the low strings, making a part of my playing out of that. Having in mind five bluesmen whom I used to get mad listening to them, all 5 had in common, with their sole little guitar, that they could do their singing along the power of one band-like! IMO, Them with the finest guitar sounding used to play without fingerpicks.( And it seemed to me that playing with fingerpicks was like having put stiff and somewhat heavy wooden barnclogs on my feet!) Well, because I once got me a 12-string acoustic, I went back to fingerpicks. But only with that( attractive )one... And as the years went passing by, I rekon I got more than once frustrated not to be heard enough among bands of mine...Then, last year, taking advantage of the lock down, I decided to run only with fingerpicks, like I have never done before. After months and exercices, It's getting all right, in in a way I couldn't expect before... So !_ "But but but">That is : all you have said I feel it accurate.. Then I am gonna use my phone...Then let us see about the nervousness( when I play solo!)_To be followed...
wow excellent video i have/had this issue. You are so right!! i have competed in thumbstyle competitions and for many years i was absolutely a thumbpick guy or i didnt want to hear it. I do play with my nails they're all grown, and bass with the flesh of the thumb. a thumbpick keeps me from doing things i would normally be able to do w/o them. anyways...i typed too much already, great vid thank you!
Interesting video. Thank you Adam. The finger style players I have learned the most from are you, Tommy Emmanuel, Pete Huttlinger, Al Pettaway, Gareth Pearson, Joe Robinson. I play the songs that I have learned the way the artist played them. If they used a thumb pick on a tune, I use a thumb pick. If not, I don't. I play all the music I have learned from you including SWA and your DVD's the same way you played them in the instructional material. I know my answer is dull, but I believe I sound the best when I create my own music. I play with a bare thumb and the flesh of my finger tips on my right hand whenever I am improvsing by myself. I feel so much more connected to the guitar, inspired and emotional this way. Yes. This is my best groove. Playing with bare fingers is not just an acoustic thing. Frequently and unconciously, I will move the pick between my middle and ring finger of my right hand an play with the flesh of my fingers when its right. I believe I picked this up from Robben Ford. Watch Jeff Beck's performance "Live at Ronnie Scotts" where his entire performance is played without a pick. The emotion is unmatched.
I love using a thumbpick and not using one. It depends on what I'm playing? Reed's "Baby's Coming Home" sounds better to me with a thumbpick as do all my James Taylor and Jim Croce covers. But currently, I'm working on your arrangement of "I Can't Make You Love Me" and the thumbpick would not sound appropriate for that tune. Most old blues tunes like "See See Rider" and "Shinin' Moon" sound way better without a thumbpick. I'm not married to either way. I simply ask myself, what serves the song best? Great thought-provoking video, Adam!!!
Excellent Glen. It's unmentioned in the vid - the practicality of combining these at a show. Once I get "acclimated" to one sound wise, it's comfier to stay in one bag - for me. I hear ya though. :-)
I’ve never used any pick. Firstly, I wasn’t taught HOW to use a thumb or flat pick and over the 50+ years of trying it out on all levels, I equate playing with a pick to wearing snowshoes on my fingers. I’m so much more relaxed and fluid in both my strumming and finger style without the hindrance. I guess I should add that strumming I use my nails and finger style I use a sort of hybrid nail/flesh attack as I keep right nails trimmed at just at barely above the top edge of finger flesh. When they get longer, sometimes they get caught up on the string. Cheers.
Hi Adam, great video and very interesting hearing what you have to say about the confidence aspect of playing without picks or fingernails and the sensory connection of the finger flesh with the strings. I 've played classical guitar for over forty years and trying to maintain finger nails has been an endless problem. In recent years I have been experimenting with all kinds of different thumb and finger picks including trying to adapt thumb picks for nylon strings by sticking bits of felt or rubber on the pick as I did not like the the buzz against the wound base strings when trying to damp a string with the pick and also unbalanced volume. I have had quite good results with a combination of a single Alaska type pick on the RH 'a' (anular) finger (which always seems to be the one that breaks!) and a 'damped' thumb pick. One of the main advantages I find using a thumb pick is not having to arch the RH wrist at all in order for the thumb nail to make contact with the string and this makes for a straighter more efficient wrist position. Using a thumb pick I do like the more defined baselines especially when I to play Bach (try to!). However, I think over all the tone without picks or nails is superior especially when recording.
Great video Adam! Thanks for making such great content. When I started learning finger style, I tried the thumb pick route because in the end I thought that was what one "had" to do. However, I found that because I have very small hands, using a thumb pick caused me to adjust the angle of my hand so drastically that I couldn't comfortably reach the strings with my other fingers. I tried cutting the pick down to a shorter pick size, but that didn't work. I also found the thumb pick painful. I have nerve damange in my right hand and the thumb pick just added to the pain in my right hand. In fact, (long story) but I initially took up finger style guitar as an experiment to see if I could reverse some nerve damange and regain motor control in my right hand. Sometimes the brain can reroute its connections if you're paitent and give it the correct stimulation. I'm happy to report the experiement worked, even though I don't use a thumb pick. The final reason I don't use a thumb pick is that I like to feel the strings. So for now anyway, I've opted for the flesh of my thumb with a little bit of my thumb nail to help lengthen my extremely small hands. Thanks for giving us permission to ditch the thumb pick! Peace to you and groove on!
There ya go! It's just a tool and for those who have used it forever AND culturally connect with the sound, its perfect. I like no nails no picks also because of teh string contact. Sometimes I wish it were brighter, but hey - I have nothing to maintain except the music! :-). Thank you!
Nice discussion of reasons not to use a thumbpick. I don't either, but I use combination of flesh and nail. You didn't mention tendonitis that occurs more frequently w fingerpicks, but I expect thumb tendons can also get damaged. I find certain blues styles rely on thumb strum grooves. I have trouble w that w my thumbnail. I tend to hit specific bass strings, not strum several to create grooves. Thanks again, Adam!
George I never heard tendonitis comes from the choice of tool, it usually comes from too many repetitive motions - but maybe there's some info I never got! Groove on and yes one must strum across several strings often!
Very insightful. Not a one fix or do it because it's the only way to do it. I play with nail or nail and flesh. Recently dabbling into thumbpick. Not sure if it's gonna work for me. As you said it's a musical choice at the end of the day.
Thanks! I'm struggling from a long time to learn to use the thumb pick but I always felt I was not playing as well as without. After this video I think I will spend my time practicing more to play guitar than trying to do something that is not in my "strings"... Thank you for your music Adam!
Hi Adam....I'm straddling the fence as well. I've always played pickles, but getting harder to keep my nails (work/job). You've inspired me to dive deeper on the groove and feel...Thank you!
Brilliant video Adam, thank you! I naturally arrived at similar conclusions and for the last few years have gone 100% to the thumb after putting quite a bit of time into the thumb pick... It was great to hear these considerations so nicely presented, your final point about "going with nature" is wonderful! Please keep up the great work! I'm a new subscriber for sure!
Hey, Just find you for the first time. Love your advice. I will follow you for shure. I am having a hard time with the Thumbpic. Norman Farrell, Montreal
Thank you Adam for this great insight. You framed the topic perfectly and gave me concrete things to think about. Thumb picks can be a great tool for many players, yet they can feel detrimental to some players and their music. I personally think I play and sound better without them. I certainly feel more comfortable and confident. Please keep these videos coming!
I was going to get my first thumbpick and went to youtube to learn something about them, and this is one of the first videos I found. Thanks for great insights, I decided I would just use my bare fingers :)
Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! I have played guitar for 40 years using my bare thumb. I always was made to feel that I was 'lacking talent' cause I didn't like using the pick. I just 'know' where my thumb is, but the thumb picks just throw me off and sound sooooo "twangy". So Thank you for 'giving me permission' to play the way I love to play. Have a great holiday season. Boofy.
I must admit I got a real chuckle after watching this one Adam. I was at at performance of yours at Chalker's in Toronto.... 2012 ish!! Heck you even had a beer at our table during the intermission. On the way home I told my buddy I am going to dig in and give that thumb pick at try. Many instances of that Dunlop piece of plastic being launched across the room followed, but I persevered. Now here we are... its alway in my pocket just in case someone passes me a guitar to play..... LMAO.... cheers mate, love the videos!!
Am 70 years old,been playing all my life as an amateur.Have been wrestling with finger picks and thumpicks.Could never find the right ones.Then I found !!!! that would last a few months and there I go again.Enough of this,I now play bare thumb and bare fingers(just a bit of nail)pretty much for the same reasons as you describe.Like a teacher told me many years ago : Your left hand is what you know,your right hand is WHO you are. Thank you for this great video.Greetings from Québec.
Woo, 1k for ya bud ;) ! I have nothing against fingerpicks and/or nails with the exception of the many recordings of fabulous players that are ruined by the scritch scratch and clickety clack of nails and picks. If you're going to use them beware! My personal preferences: Classical/Acoustic(Fingers), Electric(hybrid pick and fingers), Pedal Steel(all picks). It's definitely a personal choice, but recording wise, there are certainly objective attributes a player has to be conscious of! Great to hear your side of it!
Very interesting. It is a never-ending mental battle. I use a thumbpick for some things, and then some not. I am more of less trying to switch over to without. None of the Thumbpicks provide what I want/need like bare thumb does. It is more or less for the tight double picking or volume. They are always uncomfortable know matter what you get. You never have to get used to your bare thumb. I had wished that they made a butterfly thumbpick that was not metal and was plastic. They are pretty close to the thumb pad. I think that would be my perfect thumbpick when I want to use one. Thanks for the video!
Good point of view and approach, im with you. I began to use the thumbpick after discovering Tommy Emmanuel in youtube, and then Jerry Reed and Chet Atckins, and i saw the difference in that moment with playing without thumbpick, but, years later , now i am playing with my bare thumb, and i love it. And like you say the bass are more clear with the thumbpick but is more confortable the bare thumb, and the music flows better. But maybe sometimes, for some specific tunes i will back to use the thumbpick, for songs like jerrys breakdown, because i studied a lot only and with the thumbpick, but only in specific situations like this. 😉, Well after saying this i really think the good point is to feel confortable, with, or without the thumbpick, and also with a flat pick or hybrid picking, that means you have several or all the tools at your hand.
Carlos You’re absolutely right… Being comfortable with your own playing is way more important than trying to copy another style of playing. As well certain types of music sound perfect with a thumpick, and other types of music needs a warmer sound. I’m always happy to get your comments my friend, groove on!
I agree I have very seldom felt comfortable with her thumb pic no matter how thin thick or where I placed it my thumb seems to be natural sounding and as you said more like a base driving something rather than just another note being played in the cord
I've used a Flat/Thumbpick for a very long time playing mostly electric guitar - adding Propik Fingertones for dobro and lap steel. However I never was totally comfortable with the Flat/Thumbpick as it felt a tad stiff (even after 20+ years of using it) and while I went back to regular plectrums once in a while, my technique for up/downstrokes just never was great. I tried to use bare fingers again and again and it felt great but I was kinda afraid of going all the way. What finally made me do was THIS VERY VIDEO and also discovering Richie Kotzen, who uses bare fingers in a rock context. So I just want to thank you very much! The points listed here are 100% my experience too: Lack of bass with the thumpick, groove and - yes - nervousness. I played my first short acoustic set with bare fingers about a year ago supporting a band. My pickup system was lacking, the soundman didn't really care and the audience was rather noisy. However, it felt GREAT. I realized I had a long way to go but the connection with the strings i.e the music was there just like you describe it here.
Thanks Adam! Really enjoy your videos! I play with my bare thumb 80% of the time. It seems to be a better tonal match to what my fingers are doing. I have acrylic extensions on 3 fingers of my right hand, but they’re relatively short. When I’m playing something like “Time” by the Pozo Seco Singers I wear a customized thumb pick to produce more tonal contrast between the base and the treble. But I really prefer that feel of the bare thumb much more than using a pick.
Hey! Do you use a thumbpick? How do you play guitar? Leave a comment below to let me know!
HI Adam, not using one eversince I saw/heard Loren Barrigar.. and of course you in Blomberg many moos ago. regards Dee. aka fingersbest :-)
I've been working through this for years. In the end, no picks. Fingernails are inconvenient, but I do love the sharp fullness of fingernails
Hey, Adam! First, I just stumbled on your channel, and I've subscribed. I have never used a thumb pick, or finger picks. I've tried them, but no matter how long I practiced with them, they never felt comfortable to me. I just let the nails on my right hand grow out a little bit, and I can get those nice sharp tones that way.
Greetings from Lebanon! I use my thumb and my nails aren't that long. I use some flesh also with the nail. It gives the bass sound that I like. I play classical, flamenco, acoustic and bass guitars without accessories at all. I only use the pick (normal) when playing acoustic when playing chords accompanied by singing. God bless!
Recently and absolutely by chance I had experience with Black mountain picks. After many years playing dunlop thumbpicks, now it's kind of part of me)
Great advice. Don't copy other players to play like them. Do what you need to do to play like you and develop your sound. Smart.
Agree ! What a brilliant advice !
out of this entire video, which was full of great insights, that point was probably the most important thing that Adam said, and i hope the younger players take it to heart.
I am German and have to watch the video three times to understand everything correctly. You're doing great, and I want to thank you for your great work
Thanks & groove on! 😊
Very good Video. Today I normal use no thump Pick. Because:
The melody must be louder than the bass. And you can damp the Bass-String with the bare thump. Not with an thump pick.
I continue to evaluate this - mostly because there are so many guitarist I love who use a thumb pick. My latest favorite is Eric Skye who even plays solo jazz with a thumb pick. But I always come back to tone and volume BALANCE. Good luthiers work hard to find this balance between all 6 strings when hand crafting a guitar. Then, we stick a thumb pick on and this balance is gone. Without the pick, it seems I have much more control over the tone and volume mix of all six strings. For fingerstyle, if any string is "supposed to slightly louder" is should obviously be where the melody is - not the bass line.
Thanks Adam,
John
Gig Harbor, WA
John greetings from JFK Airport… I’m flying back to Europe in a few hours.
All the great players who use a thumpick do in fact get a great balance. Guys like Tommy and Joe Robinson have an unbelievable amount of control so they can play with a good sound and have it not overpower the fingers… It’s uncanny.
For me, because of my jazz influence I just resonate much better with a thumpy front end attack and then a long sustained note.
Much of thumb picking goes hand-in-hand with bridge palm muting so that the note dies out very quickly therefore allowing the treble strings to ring. That is an entirely different kind of bass player, if you get my drift!
It’s really a balancing act and it really gets down to what kind of band are you hearing in your head? A country band or a rockabilly band? A jazz band? All those sounds as musical influences will shape what one’s solo guitar playing sounds like.
Thanks so much for your comment!
For years I played guitar without using thumbpick and fingernails. I'm glad to see you stopped using thumbpick.
I am a guitarist who plays without it. But someday ago I learned a song from sungha jung and at fist I learned it without thumbpick. Than I realized sth. is not there. I knew that sungha played the song with thumbpick. So, I tried it and it really helped me. That means that it is also a question of wich song do you play right now. I think that it depends on the song you're playing. For me I never played with thumbpick before, but if you can do both it's even
better. Because if you can do both you can decide if you need it or not.
That makes perfect sense. Ever since I was told to use a thumbpick all the time, I've been so nervous on stage that I can barely play at all. It makes sense that nervousness would be less of a problem with a bare thumb because you get that tactile feedback from the strings to your thumb and eventually to your brain. The thumbpick shuts down that feedback loop. It stops those messages from being received. I'm going to purposely try to use my bare thumb from now on.
Eric, it's all about the thump and reliability of contact. When that's missing one feels nervous. I only get that with the TP if I do a lot of palm muting, but that cut off sound is not one that I always want. We each must independently investigate our own truth! Thanks for commenting!
Not only have I ditched the thumb pick, but I’ve also resorted to playing with only two fingers. That has allowed me to be much more relaxed on stage and I seem to be able to cover just as much ground harmonically as I could using three or four fingers. I also keep my fingernails cut extremely short
Me too James!
Dear Adam: Thank you for your exceptional work. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. My instrument has always been the classical guitar, and I have never used a pick. I play many of their arrangements on classical guitar and they sound wonderful. It is about adapting the technique slightly and ... magic !!! I repeat, thank you very much for sharing your expertise.
thank you so much you made my day. god bless you
Great Informative advice. I’ve been playing without a thumb pick for 50 years playing various styles, just recently used one, hopelessly. I’ll try it for 50 years then let you know which I prefer.
Great lesson Adam. As you know, I use my natural nails but I also use the flesh of my thumb for exactly what you are talking about. I’m also happy using a thumbpick and using UV nails. I’ve done every combination. I always tell my students that they need to find what works for them. When using my fingernails, I like to keep my fingernails short enough that the flesh of my finger touches the string before the nail. It makes me feel more connected to the guitar. I can totally understand what you are getting at. Especially when people are using bright sounding pickups, they might consider the flesh as opposed to picks. On the other hand, I also love the precision that comes from using a thumbpick and fingernails. In a bigger hall it helps define the notes better. For example, Robin Bullock gets a pristine sound by using plastic fingerpicks on every finger and his thumb. But I’ve also heard him play without the picks and the sound is much sweeter. Not as loud and clear, but sweet. When I play that Chet Atkins style, I lean toward using a thumbpick so that I can get the proper muting technique in the right hand. Without the thumbpick, I don’t really need to mute as much so I guess it can work either way. My entire album “It’s Only the Blues” was recorded using my nails and thumb without a thumbpick. I went through a phase where I basically didn’t want to be caught in a situation where I was asked to play and didn’t have the right picks to use so I learned to do everything with what I had already attached to my body. If you watch any of my Dream Guitars videos, you’ll see that I rarely use picks unless the guitar is already scratched up. I hear people like you and Laurence Juber play with the flesh of their fingers and it’s obvious that it doesn’t hold you back. Vicki Genfan played a few online shows without her nails shortly after the pandemic shut us down and she sounded great. The pandemic has caused all of us to reassess the situation. I decided to go back to natural nails while Amy bought a UV nail kit online. It’s all individual and it really does become a part of your own sound, no matter what you choose. Thanks again, Al
Hi Al, it's funny that you mentionned Laurence Juber. Laurence is the kind of guitarist who proves that we can have a clear, well defined tone, and play some quick licks also, with just nothing else that our fingers. Each time I face difficulties to use a thumbpick, thinking this is a real limitation in my playing, I look to a Laurence's video..
Al - thank you so much. I'm nodding and smiling as I read, and I love all the sounds a guitar makes. There's a few things going on, I'll use your comment here as a 2nd post.
Yes, in a hall my thumb thing can get boomy and I wish it had a button on the sound - picks are great for that. Basically my thumb amplifies like an upright bass - great in a dry (jazzclub) setting, potentially dreadful in a hall. I usually have to cut frequencies around 160-200. When I hear my old live things, I LIKE the thumb pick sonically - but at the time it felt so wobbly.
My over simple setup is exactly what you mentioned - I want to be able to do my show anywhere, without too much reliance on exclusive effects, picks or guitars. I want to plug in and almost have my sound due to a reliable source (me & the axe) - LIke a pianist who has to deliver on any instrument, I'd like to do the same, to the best degree possible. Last time I visited Peppino my guitar got lost, but I felt I could do my gig on one of his Seagulls . (You should see the young guys with 5 pickups and 10+ effects when their pedal board gets lost in flight! Oh boy....)
I really miss some of the zingyness and timbres, and very often excitement is built with brighter sounds.
For me, some of my arrangements are so specific that in terms of "sound / soundcheck" I get "acclimated" and find a comfort zone on stage, so to then go mess with that and change how I am making the sound (different tool for string attack) makes it virtually another instrument altogether. Changing on stage would throw my balance...So if I have my setup ready for Billie Jean, that sound may not work for Freight TRain .
Anyhow, you are spot on & thanks for posting!
I agree with each of your five reasons for not using a thumb pick. I just prefer that natural response from the strings... it's also quite hard to convert to using a thumb pick if you haven't been used to using one in the past? It involves a change to how you move your thumb....a different action so to speak. BTW your videos are very informative. Thank you.
Thank you so much. The answer to it all is "it depends" and "there's more than one way to do it." I say if you like the feel of one, go with it - either way, and focus on the music above all :-) Thanks so much.
I prefer to feel the strings on my fingers and thumb but I’m persevering with thumbpick and palm muting as I’ve only been playing a few years. You’ve explained how I can decide which is best for me so thank you ! 👍
Awesome correlation between Sor and classical guitar nails vs. no nails. Great points here Adam. It's so true with the "sound like you" part. Guitarists are always asking "how do I find my sound?" Playing with pure fingers is an immediate trick to unlock your own sound. You sure have found your sound, and what a tone and groove you get. Thanks for the video!
Jon. thank you so much. I actually am also experimenting playing with my band with no pick - which for me would have been unthinkable years ago. I find I can shape notes exactly how I want and tell more of the story I intend. I guess them's the joys of maturity. Less urge to shred :-)
Hi Adam-it's great to hear your thoughts on this subject. I too have done a deep dive on thumbpick vs. Thumb. I've gone with just using my thumb-it feels more natural to me
and like you, definitely a warmer-more earthy tone. I also feel a bit more connected to the instrument if that makes sense-good stuff and thanks for the video.
Hi Adam I use to play with my thumb, but honestly I love both cause its different sound for my play latin, country jazz,and funk.You are right but I keep practicing both technices for now.Thanks man your the best.
First off, I love your groove when you play. Your love of music is refreshing and you are one of my favorites. I am a skin player. I never intended to it just happened naturally so I roll with what I know. If it's good enough for Jeff Beck than I am fine with it my pick is my index fingernail so I never have to look for or loose a pick. Thanks for the channel and have a great day my friend.
Thanks Harry!
Hi, makes sense. I play nylon string guitar no nails. Thanks
Have always played finger style with no pick. Just now learning to use a thumb pick because it seemed all my heroes use them. Your perspective is really helpful. Lots to consider. Thank you.
Great advice. Just shows how you learn, develop, or, can hold yourself back by blinkered thinking.
best commentary on the subject ever!!! thank you Adam, you said what I couldn't put into words.
Thanks & groove on! 😊
I'm 73 and played guitar all my life (so far). I've seen people recommending it, and been practising with a tp for about 3 months now, but I can't get over these issues. 1 It pinches my thumb and feels awkward. 2 As my thumb is higher it's at un unusual angle for the joint. 3 I can't get the timing right with the groove the same way. 4 The bass sounds hard, and out of balance volume-wise. 5 I won't have one handy all the time away from home. I think I'll forget them now. A good video, thanks.....
Steve - just make music without one and leave the “shoulds” to the side!
ADAM, thank YOU so much for this brilliant advise and Christmas gift :)))! Stay healthy and tuned please!
Bernd
Great topic and SO informative in a very freeing way. You are a great guide, Adam! Much love from Delaware .
I don't just play bass with my thumb. I also use it for non-bass rhythm notes, especially in passages where I'm when letting strings ring. I learned without a thumbpick, so never noticed that these arrangements sounded "wrong" until I started using one. So, reason #6: it allows my thumb to sound like my other fingers.
I am a fingerstyle guitarist. I cannot master a pick. I found the sound fake and arsh sounding. But i believe also that i am possibly limiting myself. You however make me believe i might be able to look at other musique
@@Montyboo I could never learn to use the plectrum either. The right grip has always eluded me. It moves around as I strum, and when I hold tight to counter the movement, it results in that harsh, loud sound. I do like the timbre that finger-picking draws out, but the crisp notes a pick brings to the table is something I miss at times.
There's a lot of ambient noise in my apartment complex, pool motors and such, so I can't really get any 'touch' and tone unless its late night. I don't really need any pick then, plus as much as I bitch about neighbor noise, I try to keep it down. 😉
I don't use a thumbpick for a lot of the same reasons! But the nervousness thing was one that really clicked with me. If I start adding too many "extras" to my sound I get lost quickly - but when I get back to basics I'm more relaxed. Thanks Adam!
Keep it simple 😀🙏
This is great Adam, love the way you put it together, well done!
I totally relate to being nervous on stage due to lack of connection with strings. And that feeling of everything being so frail, horrible. I I've tried at least six different picking techniques to overcome that, and had some success, but never quite felt there. I need to give finger style a chance again (I have played fingerstyle in the past).
Excellent video! All your reasons for no thumb pick hit home with me. I'm an electric player, and always will be. However, a few years ago I spent a few months just doing acoustic. Used a thumb pick. Kinda got discouraged with my lack of progress on the acoustic so I went back to strictly electric guitar. Kept on using a thumb pick when I went back to the electric, but eventually returned to using my beloved Dunlop Jazz III "stubbies".
Recently, I have picked up the acoustic again. But this time I just used my bare thumb. It felt way more natural, sounded much fatter, and I feel way more confident without a thumb pick. Acoustic playing has become a renewed love and I plan on keeping it going, even if all my gigs are electric guitar oriented for the foreseeable future.
Great man!!!! I’m playing electric these days with no pick as well..turning up to 11 🤟
Hey Adam, great video. I’ve been trying to force myself to use the thumbpick and you just made me see the folly of my ways. Thanks so much.
Tony
Great timing on this for me! I started playing guitar more regularly after several months of not playing. I used to use a thumbpick on many songs but got away from it. After a few days of jamming my thumb was getting sore. I thought maybe I should use the thumbpick again. Guess I need to give it time to build up some callous! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
I play with flesh since I learned to play guitar more than 20 years ago. At the beginning, I used my thumb flesh because I liked it more than thumbpick and I spent the first 15 years without touching any pick. Also, I had the feeling that I should focus only on one of them, I though that learning both would be to much work and hold me back. At some point, after watching great performances on yt, I decided to learn to use it. Unfortunately, it did not work for me, maybe I am already too used to flesh but I am very OK with it because it is the sound I like the most.
Thanks Adam. I always enjoy your music and words!
Excellent Oxuf!!!!
I am playing on a Gibson LG2 made in 1954 which sat dormant for about 65 years. My music school went out of business when I was about 10 yrs old.
I've picked it up again and went to Tune University to reteach myself.
I always used a flat pick when I was young but got onto fingerstyle and dropped the picks altogether. I never thought about it much but did love the sound that I was making.
Thank you for the comment! Use whatever feels best and make music to the fullest
The naked thumb feels and sounds so natural. Yet with the thumbpick the pronounced articulation (particularly with harmonics) and the other notes that it allows me to hear make it tempting to use. However, if you hit a wrong note with the thumbpick it is also amplified 😁Without amplification of any kind I would go with the thumbpick for volume. I dislike the feel of the pressure it applies to my thumb, though.
Great video! Love your groove and your five points of why you have gone to flesh. I use the thumb pick mostly chicken picking Buster B and Jerry Reed. Flesh on ballads and a number of your groove arrangements. Keep it up!
it's same happen to me. thanks for revealitation. more confidence it's important.
Good presentation. I use all my finder tips and find it very rewarding. Advantages. No nail prep or maintenance necessary. Very good feel and warm sound. I can pull on a string for emphasis when needed. It’s very powerful to sound several notes at exactly the same time much like a pianist does when chording. When I listen to a plectrum raked across the strings the chord sounds jumbled to me. The strings do don’t resonate as well to my ear. I can always rake across the strings with the backs of my fingernails to produce that sound. I do see where a thumb pick can be used like plectrum to play fast lines and to project. It’s a matter of taste I guess.
James, great minds think alike 😀
What a great video Adam. I “let go” of picks years ago for a similar reason as the last one you mentioned. I realized that I didn’t like the idea of how much of the presentation of the songs was built upon my not having an issue with the pick (having it slip around, dropping it, etc.) I also wanted consistency in going from the strum to the fingerstyle aspect. Transitioning from pick to fingers was far too dramatic, sonically, than what I wanted. Anyway, I could say a lot more, but just wanted to share that and say I always appreciate your analysis, thank you! 😊
A true believer :-)!
When playing jazz I have always loved the thumb-picking sound of Wes Montgomery and George Benson, and I believe you're right when it comes to confidence-building. I always know "where" I am when thumb-picking. Of course, l love listening to players like Tommy, that use a thumb-pick, but jazz guitar is my "thing" (mio cosa LOL).
I can relate to Reason No.5!
I can record properly (without nervousness) if I'm not using my thumbnail.
I'm classically-trained but at this point in time, I'm enjoying more if I play the classical guitar using my thumb flesh. I love the warm sound of it too (jazz tone).
Thanks Adam for this wonderful insight! Cheers!
Amazing video! I discovered the same things you said in this video after going back and forth between the two. In the end I realized that for me just using my bare thumb and fingers works best for all the styles I play. In an interview with Leo Kottke from I believe 1987 that I found on the internet he said pretty much the same thing and went on to say that he wished he never started with them in the first place. This is just a personal preference. That said I, like you, love all the thumbpick players from Scotty Anderson to Oscar Aléman and everyone in-between so whatever works for the player is the best way for them.
Thanks Bruce. Funny, I can really feel what Kottke is saying - when I played jazz, I was a flatpick only guy - meaning from teen years up to age 38. I loved Wes' playing so much (bare thimb only!) and I regretted having based my playing on using a pick. My main reason for flesh is what I stated here in the vid - it ISEMBODIES the touch, time tone concept that I value. OK, it can't go as fast as a sharp object but we must all close out priorities! Thank you!
OK, thats a very good explanation, so I will not buy the thumbpick yet, and now I have to find a video of you playing with your thumb :-)
Adam, could you please do a video on the other four fingers one day. Cant find any videos on it and they are just as important. Thank you
Another great lesson from the master of groove.I use a thumbpick and fingerpicks purely for volume when playing background music in noisy venues,mainly so i can actually hear what i'm playing.I do much prefer bare flesh but it's just not practical for the gigs i do.Thanks for the lesson Adam
Yep, it's all about the volume, the sound system and external factors!
There are certain songs that just sound better with a thumb pick, but some are better without one. That’s just my opinion. Adam, you do an amazing job either way. Thanks 😊
Well said!
@@adamrafferty Thanks!
Great advice which is going beyond the thumb-pick decision. Very many thanks!
Oh my God, what you just said about "nervousness" really hit home to me. Wearing you're thumb pick "walking in your shoe's mentality", and doing so for over 55years I believe you may be right. I think my right-hand position might have to open up a bit to be able to use the end and get a good contact with the string though.
It's all about continuous learning and adapting, no matter how experienced we are. Keep experimenting and finding what works best for you.
Thanks Adam!
My pleasure!
I'm not a very advanced player (and I haven't played guitar for years), but I used a thumb pick to accompany myself playing folk songs with alternate bass notes patterns (Dylan, Paul Simon...). It allows for a comfortable hand position, and naturally amplifies the bass. Later I became more interested in playing fingerstyle arrangements of songs (any style for that matter), which was a more free way of playing, and I found that it bothered me that the thumb would have a different treatment than the other fingers (and therefore a different sound). I would also insert some strumming in the fingerstyle, but any strum done with the pick would really stand out as too loud and bright compared to the rest.
Yes - achieving balance with the melody brings a whole new set of issues!
Excellent Adam. Really Love your style. I started playing w a thumb pick couple years ago. Mostly Tommy songs also Tommy, Ed Gerhard and other songs with thumb only. The challenge I have had using my thumb and getting crisp sound is that it tends to sit behind my fingers not in front. To my pleasant surprise you also have your thumb behind fingers not in front....and it sounds great! Looking forward to diving deeper into your playing 😊
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for the kind words! It's fascinating to hear about different techniques and how each player adapts them to their style. I'm glad to hear that seeing my approach has given you some reassurance in your own playing. Keep experimenting and finding what works best for you-it's all about making music that feels right and sounds great to you.
Fascinating, thanks. Been fingerstyle player for 9 years and only cracked using a thumbpick about a year ago. Since then I use it on most but not all songs. Your video made me think about it more and I'll try it more both ways. For me the thumbpick made a significant improvement.
I agree with each of those reasons and would add the convenience factor. I always have my thumb, but I don’t always have a thumb pick. This was a great validating video for me, as I have struggled with this question. I learn so much from you Adam. Thanks
Hi Adam, totally agree with all you say. I use short ima nails so I plant on flesh and just flesh for thumb and I just find I like the base treble volume balance more. You have articulated really wisely all the other reasons. Long time fan- keep groovin' Adam. Love your work.
Thanks Conor!
This was helpful. Thanks.
Interesting take on the topic - for sure - I have used my fingers for a very long time, but always worried and struggled with the "fingernail" issue, but this gave me a different perspective on that - glad that you decided to share your insight.
I tried using a thumb pick on guitar but do much better with the bare thumb. However I also play the 5 string banjo and use a thumb and finger picks on that instrument.
I've been playing for 57 years. Started by strumong with a flat pick. A few years in I started finger picking using several styles. I now play mostly classical, flaminco, folk, country, and blues. Learned a lot watching Chet Atkins but found I favored his teacher's style (Meryl Travis) and play largely Travis picking or my own modification of the same.
Still use some flat pick for rhythm beats (or hold my index finger between my thumb and middle finger and use the nail as a pick). The majority of the time however is finger picking.
I have short nails on the left hand for use on the keyboard and about 3/8" nails on the right which allows me to play either with a nail or flesh depending on the tone I am looking for on a particular song or section within a song. I may also deaden the note with either the heel of my right hand or by slightly lifting my fingers on the left hand.
Thank you
You're welcome
Using a thumb pick has revolutionised my playing, but this is a very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic video
I was almost all the way to thumb pick converting from watching such great use of them. But you've convinced me, I agree with all 5 points. 🙏
I've tried thumb picks and they just never felt right to me. I feel perfectly comfortable playing with a flat pick but for fingerstyle, it's no pick for me.
A year ago I responded with "I always come back to the thumbpick." Now I'm starting to waver though I still find the pick optimal when I'm going for that chunka-chunka Travis thing. I'll get back to you in a year. Thanks again for this intelligent video .
If I was Travis picking, the pick would be the way to go! All depends what groove one is playing….
Hey Adam - Great video! I have struggled for years with trying to use a thumbpick. (I started out using all fingerpicks, like a banjo player). I would always end up ditching the thumbpick as it just felt cumbersome. There's something about actually feeling the strings, not to mention the tonal implications! Thanks again. Groove on!
Great minds think alike :-)
I've tried thumb picks. I've tried finger picks and nails. I keep coming back to flesh on strings -- and for me it's mainly about feeling in control. Anything between my nerve endings and the strings just makes me nervous and unsteady. I thank you so much for this video because I've often harbored guilt feelings for not mastering those techniques. But the truth is, I never enjoy my playing enough to work hard enough and long enough to master. And now I know that's okay! I'm playing my style. And it's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. (And I do! ;-) )
I did this video in part to empathize and let players like you and me know we are not "lacking" - it's just not our thing!
I play more with a thumbpick but I like practicing using bear thumb because this makes me play cleaner when using a thumbpick.
Thanks, Adam, for this and many other great tips you present us.
Blessed be !
I use either a combination of thumbnail or thumb pick but get the booming bass sound with a slight right hand mute. I was gifted with super strong nails. When I switched from classical to steel string, my nails didn't care.
I ask TE about this and he said he doesn't bother with nails. He says they are too much work to maintain. For me, my nails give me a piano like tone that I love. But like you said.. it is not about sounding like someone else, but being yourself.
Thanks alot to your notices; it's a good luck for me to find your video because I am by now in a marsh... SO I feel better and comforted.
I am sure that you are right, and for the strong accent you put to the question. I am 66, I play for 50 years. I got mad when I discovered the blues in my teens; and finger-picking for the acoustic'. Beside the electric Rockn'roll music, I became fond of these bluescats, especially those who played ragtime and Blues, the efficiency and accomplishment to pick faultless the notes, with fingerpicks for a whole bunch, or without finger picks for a few of them. My(well known)stars_Without'_ are 3, and with, are 2, +many many. Eventualy the picking hand became my focus. And I who learned & tried to imitate, I began to improve and gained much more subtleties when I rejected fingerpicks, above all succeeding to roll the low strings, making a part of my playing out of that.
Having in mind five bluesmen whom I used to get mad listening to them, all 5 had in common, with their sole little guitar, that they could do their singing along the power of one band-like!
IMO, Them with the finest guitar sounding used to play without fingerpicks.( And it seemed to me that playing with fingerpicks was like having put stiff and somewhat heavy wooden barnclogs on my feet!)
Well, because I once got me a 12-string acoustic, I went back to fingerpicks. But only with that( attractive )one... And as the years went passing by, I rekon I got more than once frustrated not to be heard enough among bands of mine...Then, last year, taking advantage of the lock down, I decided to run only with fingerpicks, like I have never done before.
After months and exercices, It's getting all right, in in a way I couldn't expect before...
So !_ "But but but">That is : all you have said I feel it accurate.. Then I am gonna use my phone...Then let us see about the nervousness( when I play solo!)_To be followed...
wow excellent video i have/had this issue. You are so right!! i have competed in thumbstyle competitions and for many years i was absolutely a thumbpick guy or i didnt want to hear it. I do play with my nails they're all grown, and bass with the flesh of the thumb. a thumbpick keeps me from doing things i would normally be able to do w/o them. anyways...i typed too much already, great vid thank you!
Interesting video. Thank you Adam. The finger style players I have learned the most from are you, Tommy Emmanuel, Pete Huttlinger, Al Pettaway, Gareth Pearson, Joe Robinson. I play the songs that I have learned the way the artist played them. If they used a thumb pick on a tune, I use a thumb pick. If not, I don't. I play all the music I have learned from you including SWA and your DVD's the same way you played them in the instructional material. I know my answer is dull, but I believe I sound the best when I create my own music. I play with a bare thumb and the flesh of my finger tips on my right hand whenever I am improvsing by myself. I feel so much more connected to the guitar, inspired and emotional this way. Yes. This is my best groove. Playing with bare fingers is not just an acoustic thing. Frequently and unconciously, I will move the pick between my middle and ring finger of my right hand an play with the flesh of my fingers when its right. I believe I picked this up from Robben Ford. Watch Jeff Beck's performance "Live at Ronnie Scotts" where his entire performance is played without a pick. The emotion is unmatched.
Yes, there is a special connection with skin and flesh. Each tool does a different job. Rock on Joe!!!
I love using a thumbpick and not using one. It depends on what I'm playing? Reed's "Baby's Coming Home" sounds better to me with a thumbpick as do all my James Taylor and Jim Croce covers. But currently, I'm working on your arrangement of "I Can't Make You Love Me" and the thumbpick would not sound appropriate for that tune. Most old blues tunes like "See See Rider" and "Shinin' Moon" sound way better without a thumbpick. I'm not married to either way. I simply ask myself, what serves the song best? Great thought-provoking video, Adam!!!
Excellent Glen. It's unmentioned in the vid - the practicality of combining these at a show. Once I get "acclimated" to one sound wise, it's comfier to stay in one bag - for me. I hear ya though. :-)
Great info, and a quite a bit of food for thought.. Good job.
Joseph - thank you so much 😊
I’ve never used any pick. Firstly, I wasn’t taught HOW to use a thumb or flat pick and over the 50+ years of trying it out on all levels, I equate playing with a pick to wearing snowshoes on my fingers. I’m so much more relaxed and fluid in both my strumming and finger style without the hindrance. I guess I should add that strumming I use my nails and finger style I use a sort of hybrid nail/flesh attack as I keep right nails trimmed at just at barely above the top edge of finger flesh. When they get longer, sometimes they get caught up on the string. Cheers.
Thumb every time no pick as you can influence more with just the fleshy part of the thumb also gives you more control on depth of sound
Hi Adam, great video and very interesting hearing what you have to say about the confidence aspect of playing without picks or fingernails and the sensory connection of the finger flesh with the strings. I 've played classical guitar for over forty years and trying to maintain finger nails has been an endless problem. In recent years I have been experimenting with all kinds of different thumb and finger picks including trying to adapt thumb picks for nylon strings by sticking bits of felt or rubber on the pick as I did not like the the buzz against the wound base strings when trying to damp a string with the pick and also unbalanced volume. I have had quite good results with a combination of a single Alaska type pick on the RH 'a' (anular) finger (which always seems to be the one that breaks!) and a 'damped' thumb pick. One of the main advantages I find using a thumb pick is not having to arch the RH wrist at all in order for the thumb nail to make contact with the string and this makes for a straighter more efficient wrist position. Using a thumb pick I do like the more defined baselines especially when I to play Bach (try to!). However, I think over all the tone without picks or nails is superior especially when recording.
Great video Adam! Thanks for making such great content. When I started learning finger style, I tried the thumb pick route because in the end I thought that was what one "had" to do. However, I found that because I have very small hands, using a thumb pick caused me to adjust the angle of my hand so drastically that I couldn't comfortably reach the strings with my other fingers. I tried cutting the pick down to a shorter pick size, but that didn't work. I also found the thumb pick painful. I have nerve damange in my right hand and the thumb pick just added to the pain in my right hand. In fact, (long story) but I initially took up finger style guitar as an experiment to see if I could reverse some nerve damange and regain motor control in my right hand. Sometimes the brain can reroute its connections if you're paitent and give it the correct stimulation. I'm happy to report the experiement worked, even though I don't use a thumb pick. The final reason I don't use a thumb pick is that I like to feel the strings. So for now anyway, I've opted for the flesh of my thumb with a little bit of my thumb nail to help lengthen my extremely small hands.
Thanks for giving us permission to ditch the thumb pick! Peace to you and groove on!
There ya go! It's just a tool and for those who have used it forever AND culturally connect with the sound, its perfect. I like no nails no picks also because of teh string contact. Sometimes I wish it were brighter, but hey - I have nothing to maintain except the music! :-). Thank you!
@@adamrafferty Thanks so much Adam for being you!
Nice discussion of reasons not to use a thumbpick. I don't either, but I use combination of flesh and nail. You didn't mention tendonitis that occurs more frequently w fingerpicks, but I expect thumb tendons can also get damaged. I find certain blues styles rely on thumb strum grooves. I have trouble w that w my thumbnail. I tend to hit specific bass strings, not strum several to create grooves. Thanks again, Adam!
George I never heard tendonitis comes from the choice of tool, it usually comes from too many repetitive motions - but maybe there's some info I never got! Groove on and yes one must strum across several strings often!
Very insightful. Not a one fix or do it because it's the only way to do it. I play with nail or nail and flesh. Recently dabbling into thumbpick. Not sure if it's gonna work for me. As you said it's a musical choice at the end of the day.
I dabble with it daily, and always will. Keep searching!
Thanks! I'm struggling from a long time to learn to use the thumb pick but I always felt I was not playing as well as without. After this video I think I will spend my time practicing more to play guitar than trying to do something that is not in my "strings"...
Thank you for your music Adam!
Good idea! Let the music guide you above all.
Hi Adam....I'm straddling the fence as well. I've always played pickles, but getting harder to keep my nails (work/job). You've inspired me to dive deeper on the groove and feel...Thank you!
What a terrific musician, with the heart of a teacher!
Thank you Sean! 😊
Brilliant video Adam, thank you! I naturally arrived at similar conclusions and for the last few years have gone 100% to the thumb after putting quite a bit of time into the thumb pick... It was great to hear these considerations so nicely presented, your final point about "going with nature" is wonderful! Please keep up the great work! I'm a new subscriber for sure!
Hey, Just find you for the first time. Love your advice. I will follow you for shure.
I am having a hard time with the Thumbpic.
Norman Farrell, Montreal
Thank you Adam for this great insight. You framed the topic perfectly and gave me concrete things to think about. Thumb picks can be a great tool for many players, yet they can feel detrimental to some players and their music. I personally think I play and sound better without them. I certainly feel more comfortable and confident. Please keep these videos coming!
Dear Adam, so you give one reason to play without a thumbpick, and the other gave me a reason to use it. I'll use both reasons. Love!
I really appreciate your work as a teacher and musician. I'm sure I'll book one of your courses soon.
I was going to get my first thumbpick and went to youtube to learn something about them, and this is one of the first videos I found. Thanks for great insights, I decided I would just use my bare fingers :)
Thanks & groove on! 😊
Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! I have played guitar for 40 years using my bare thumb. I always was made to feel that I was 'lacking talent' cause I didn't like using the pick. I just 'know' where my thumb is, but the thumb picks just throw me off and sound sooooo "twangy". So Thank you for 'giving me permission' to play the way I love to play. Have a great holiday season. Boofy.
One of the reasons I made the vid was for you & everyone who felt guilty - man, we're all ok! Groove on!
@@adamrafferty Thank you for that! Absolution just before Christmas! Wow!!!! Now I can just get my thumb moving and grooving!
I must admit I got a real chuckle after watching this one Adam. I was at at performance of yours at Chalker's in Toronto.... 2012 ish!! Heck you even had a beer at our table during the intermission. On the way home I told my buddy I am going to dig in and give that thumb pick at try. Many instances of that Dunlop piece of plastic being launched across the room followed, but I persevered. Now here we are... its alway in my pocket just in case someone passes me a guitar to play..... LMAO.... cheers mate, love the videos!!
Canuk! Great man, I'm grabbing a ghumpick lesson from you when I come next time. :-)
Am 70 years old,been playing all my life as an amateur.Have been wrestling with finger picks and thumpicks.Could never find the right ones.Then I found !!!! that would last a few months and there I go again.Enough of this,I now play bare thumb and bare fingers(just a bit of nail)pretty much for the same reasons as you describe.Like a teacher told me many years ago : Your left hand is what you know,your right hand is WHO you are. Thank you for this great video.Greetings from Québec.
Woo, 1k for ya bud ;) ! I have nothing against fingerpicks and/or nails with the exception of the many recordings of fabulous players that are ruined by the scritch scratch and clickety clack of nails and picks. If you're going to use them beware! My personal preferences: Classical/Acoustic(Fingers), Electric(hybrid pick and fingers), Pedal Steel(all picks). It's definitely a personal choice, but recording wise, there are certainly objective attributes a player has to be conscious of! Great to hear your side of it!
Great video man!
Very interesting. It is a never-ending mental battle. I use a thumbpick for some things, and then some not. I am more of less trying to switch over to without. None of the Thumbpicks provide what I want/need like bare thumb does. It is more or less for the tight double picking or volume. They are always uncomfortable know matter what you get. You never have to get used to your bare thumb. I had wished that they made a butterfly thumbpick that was not metal and was plastic. They are pretty close to the thumb pad. I think that would be my perfect thumbpick when I want to use one. Thanks for the video!
Adam, magic video man! Thank you so much for putting this together.
Thanks Jon!
Good point of view and approach, im with you. I began to use the thumbpick after discovering Tommy Emmanuel in youtube, and then Jerry Reed and Chet Atckins, and i saw the difference in that moment with playing without thumbpick, but, years later , now i am playing with my bare thumb, and i love it. And like you say the bass are more clear with the thumbpick but is more confortable the bare thumb, and the music flows better. But maybe sometimes, for some specific tunes i will back to use the thumbpick, for songs like jerrys breakdown, because i studied a lot only and with the thumbpick, but only in specific situations like this. 😉, Well after saying this i really think the good point is to feel confortable, with, or without the thumbpick, and also with a flat pick or hybrid picking, that means you have several or all the tools at your hand.
Carlos You’re absolutely right… Being comfortable with your own playing is way more important than trying to copy another style of playing. As well certain types of music sound perfect with a thumpick, and other types of music needs a warmer sound. I’m always happy to get your comments my friend, groove on!
I agree I have very seldom felt comfortable with her thumb pic no matter how thin thick or where I placed it my thumb seems to be natural sounding and as you said more like a base driving something rather than just another note being played in the cord
Swear I can spell better than this phone! Lol
I've used a Flat/Thumbpick for a very long time playing mostly electric guitar - adding Propik Fingertones for dobro and lap steel. However I never was totally comfortable with the Flat/Thumbpick as it felt a tad stiff (even after 20+ years of using it) and while I went back to regular plectrums once in a while, my technique for up/downstrokes just never was great.
I tried to use bare fingers again and again and it felt great but I was kinda afraid of going all the way. What finally made me do was THIS VERY VIDEO and also discovering Richie Kotzen, who uses bare fingers in a rock context. So I just want to thank you very much! The points listed here are 100% my experience too: Lack of bass with the thumpick, groove and - yes - nervousness. I played my first short acoustic set with bare fingers about a year ago supporting a band. My pickup system was lacking, the soundman didn't really care and the audience was rather noisy. However, it felt GREAT. I realized I had a long way to go but the connection with the strings i.e the music was there just like you describe it here.
Thanks Adam! Really enjoy your videos!
I play with my bare thumb 80% of the time. It seems to be a better tonal match to what my fingers are doing. I have acrylic extensions on 3 fingers of my right hand, but they’re relatively short. When I’m playing something like “Time” by the Pozo Seco Singers I wear a customized thumb pick to produce more tonal contrast between the base and the treble. But I really prefer that feel of the bare thumb much more than using a pick.