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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »

Permalink Finger picks

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wooza
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Joined: Apr 24, 2006
Posts: 1618
Ithaca, NY
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Link Posted on Mar 09 2007 08:02 PM

Has anyone in surf ever used finger picks? I ask because the little bit of guitar I was taught years ago was lots of fingerpicking, and ever since starting to play surf I've struggled with a regular pick. It's really hard alternating between strings, especially arpeggios, and doesn't feel comfortable without using my fingers. I had been trying to tidy up the pick skills, but the only picks I've ever had are the ones you get in the mail when you buy Slacktone CDs off their website. Cool I lost the one I've kept with me at school a few weeks ago, and so I've been playing only with my fingers. It doesn't sound too great on an electric, but neither would my technique with a regular pick. I think I'm gonna keep trying regular picks, but also try out finger picks. Any thoughts?

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bigtikidude
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 25544
Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Link Posted on Mar 09 2007 08:10 PM

Marty Tippens of the Fabulous Planktones, and also sits in with many other LA bands uses a thumb finger pick, but no finger picks on his index and middle or ring finger, he just uses his finger nails.
Whats cool about the Thumb pick, if you really need to dig in and double pick, with index pressure against it, its right in the right place.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

—

Jeff(bigtikidude)

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IronMaiden
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Joined: Nov 02, 2006
Posts: 564
Virginia Beach
Link Posted on Mar 09 2007 08:16 PM

Im pretty sure Nokie Edwards uses a thumb pick. (yeah I know its not surf per se)

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Anonymous
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Joined: Nov 10, 2000
Posts: -180
Link Posted on Mar 10 2007 04:21 PM

Cool actually, most steel players use 'em. for regular guitar, i guess a thumbpick is fine if you're used to it, i haven't used one in 40 years--use my bird finger if needed cuz i also use it to chime notes. no help i guess. why not use 'em then? should be good for cool finger rolls!! peace

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wschart
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Joined: Feb 21, 2007
Posts: 4
Columbia, MO
Link Posted on Mar 16 2007 09:33 PM

Years ago I tried some finger picks (not for surf music particularly). They didn't work for me. I mean I couldn't get them to pick at all. I don't know if I was doing something wrong or what. So now I just use my nails.

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badash
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Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
Link Posted on Mar 17 2007 02:47 PM

Man I typed out a long reply, got distracted by the nebulas pic, and when I hit back, my answer was gone Embarassed

Condensed version.
Me=twenty years serious acoustic only after electric in the seventies/eighties. Deltta and country blues, Celtic, Slack Key. Used thumb and fingerpics. Both Thumb index, and Thumb index middle.

Couple years ago came back to electric.

Took three weeks of constant playing to stop dropping flat pics. Took about four months, and trying lots of different models before they stopped shifting and "rotating" in my grip.

Thumb and finger picks will NEVER sound like a flatpick double-picked/alternate picked. You can fly with them, but even with the thumb index, which is faster than thumb index middle, you will never sound the same. One of the things that makes a triplet a triplet is the emphasis on the first note. That seperates it from the grouping preceding it and makes it a unique musical entity in the phrase. There's an aggressiveness to an altenate picked flatpicked run you can't duplicate with finger/thumbpicks and it's most evident in triplets and double picked quarter notes. You can slap on some nasty with the finger/thumbpicks, but that "burn" just won't be there. You will lose some articulation with just a thumbpick also unless you are awesome with one. It's stiffer feeling. Don't discount the dexterity "within" the thumb/finger grip of the flatpick. That's just missing in the thumbpick. You'll work harder.

Believe it or not. This is the short answer. Too bad I lost the long one... Do what you want, but it will sound different. And that's not a bad thing. Individuality is cool.

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wooza
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Joined: Apr 24, 2006
Posts: 1618
Ithaca, NY
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Link Posted on Mar 17 2007 04:27 PM

Thanks badash. Yeah, there is a difference you can tell between the two. I think part of my interest in using fingerpicks is in the possibility of bringing something new to the table, playing-wise. But a lot of it is also that I've been too lazy to get better with flat picks. That's dumb, so I'll keep trying. I want to "try my hand" (zing!) at both styles--see what works, what doesn't work for me.

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SurfBandBill
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Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Posts: 1487
San Francisco
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Link Posted on Mar 19 2007 03:28 PM

I just remembered this weekend that Rick Escobar from the Woodies has been using thumb picks recently.

Ah, repressed memories, my dear old friend....

~B~

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