How To Pick Acoustic Guitar - Doc Watson Used a Thumb Pick
There are basically hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of acoustic guitar players around the world. It's the most common music instrument by far, due to it's portability and the fact that you can get a basic tune out of it in a couple of weeks.
I'm going to talk about 'acoustic blues guitar' simply because this is my principal interest and I want to talk about finger picking methods. Generally, electric guitarists use a plectrum of some kind to pluck the strings in and up down motion. Of course, there are constantly exceptions, like Mark Knopfler, who uses his naked fingers to play both electric and acoustic guitars.
His uncommon style induced Chet Atkins to say "I don't understand how he's doing, but he can sure do it! " You don't need to adhere to the norm - we can generate our own rules, but we have to start out somewhere. This beginning point is commonly focused on past master players. In the genre of acoustic blues guitar, this suggests folks like Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Doc Watson, Reverend Gary Davis and quite a few others.
Of course there are many variations in style, but pickers can be broadly divided into two classes - those who wear finger picks and those that don't. We'll disregard how many picking fingers they utilized for now. I've witnessed ragtime blues performers execute competently with up to three finger picks on the right hand, that didn't include the thumb! At the other end of the spectrum, some master pickers only use one, either steel or plastic.
Finger Picks
I prefer a steel finger pick, as it can be bent a little so the tip of the pick corresponds with the contact area of a naked finger striking a string. This means there's no realignment necessary for the angle of attack. Plastic finger picks are typically thicker and stick out a bit more, so an realignment in picking style is essential. This is critical if performing tunes which require picks, and some that don't, for example.
Thumb-pick vs naked thumb.
Typically, the pick gives a sharper, harder sound and amplifies somewhat. Some striking techniques are simpler to achieve in this way, such as 'throwing' the thumb onto the string making a percussive effect. An important advantage is that it saves the thumb from getting sore. Bare finger players need to play quite often in order to grow a heavy callous so that they can play in comfort. In general, picks are simpler to get between the strings, so are good for picking single strings in fast succession.
Naked fingers technique.
A bare thumb can hook underneath a string, pull it up from the body of the guitar and let it snap back, generating an accented beat which can be effective in several styles of blues. Generally, bare fingers are quite precise and can create a wonderful bouncy style when performing ragtime guitar, either in the style of Scott Joplin-type piano rags or old ragtime blues in the style of Blind Blake. The thumb rolls and triplets highlighted in the latter's guitar pieces make it very hard to perform with finger picks.
Many of the latter stylists, like Chet Atkins, employed strengthened finger nails. I question if a lot of legendary blues guitarists used this technique, but who can say? A lot of Texan guitarists favored a plastic thumb pick and bare fingers, often just utilizing one finger of the picking hand with remarkable dexterity. Blind Blake appeared to have used bare fingers and and several older blues men recollected that he had a hole in his right hand thumb, exactly where it was worn away by the bass strings of his guitar.
The mysterious Willie Walker, who just cut two sides in the 20s, seemed to be a real master of the ragtime style. His tunes showcase lightning fast solitary string runs that appear difficult if utilizing the thumb and first finger alternately hitting the strings. It would seem probable that he utilized a plectrum gripped between thumb and forefinger, employing this to alternate the bass rhythm whilst striking the treble strings with one or two fingers.
There are quite a few styles of finger picking and we can draw on the lessons of the stellar guitar masters to assist us to develop our own approach as we search for the best blues guitar lessons.
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