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I hardly ever use a pick these days

casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
edited September 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
I sorta picked this up from Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys. No wait, before that I was trying to improve on my fingerpicking skills, aiming myself at what Damien Rice does with an acoustic. But now Auerbach kinda got me stuck on it for electric as well. If you don't know, the Black Keys play some steaming bluesrock.

I feel like you can put a lot more feel in your play when using your fingers, being it easy - or hard - strumming or some blues licks. It sounds a lot warmer and fatter - you wouldn't believe what your thumb can add to your sound! - and I feel like you can put a lot more feel and intonation in your playing. Much more then with a pick. But I guess the nature of the song plays a part in that. I don't really think punk would gain from that, for instance.
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Comments

  • puremagicpuremagic Posts: 1,907
    Me either, but then I'm on bass. Hi there, hope things are going well with you.
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • FitzburghFitzburgh Posts: 29
    Originally posted by puremagic
    Me either, but then I'm on bass. Hi there, hope things are going well with you.

    Same here. I've tried a pcik for awhile, but it feels more natural when I'm using my index and middle fingers.
    kthxbai
  • brain of cbrain of c Posts: 5,213
    thunder fingers.
    d'oh!!!!!!

    http://www.myspace.com/brain_of_c
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Playing with fingers will produce a rounder, fuller tone. Picks will give more definition, more of a present tone. It's really personal preference...

    But it's good to know the positives and negatives of both.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    I mostly play without a pick. That way I don't keep dropping them into the dark, or now that I don't play pro anymore,,I don't keep having to look for them in the couch cushions or clothes dryer filter:)
    You can get a lot of nuances out of just fingers and fingernails, and it's freeing not to need a pick, too.


    Jeff Beck almost never uses them, and it's hard to tell he's playing without.
    Mark Knopfler the same,, although he sounds like he's fingerpicking.
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • TelesonicTelesonic Posts: 222
    Originally posted by who's_pearljam?
    I don't keep having to look for them in the couch cushions or clothes dryer filter:)
    You can get a lot of nuances out of just fingers and fingernails, and it's freeing not to need a pick, too.

    haha, sounds like me, bob. i've got about 50 picks laying around, but i never know where more than two of them are at any one time. its funny the places they end up. the best is when one ends up in my bed, then i get up in the morning to shower and i discover that one is stuck to my back. lol.

    i've been focusing more on fingerpicking of late, especially acoustic. it helps when you finally have some finger nails. i finally stop biting my nails after 16 years! i does feel nice to not have to rely on using a pick.
    my life...you electrify my life. let's conspire to reignite...all the souls that would die just feel alive.
  • BoomDaddyBoomDaddy Posts: 51
    yeah and this way you can sound like ed on betterman. he doesnt use a pick and it sounds good .
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,280
    Originally posted by BoomDaddy
    yeah and this way you can sound like ed on betterman. he doesnt use a pick and it sounds good .

    i've seen him use a pick on betterman before. he played the opening part with his fingers then grabbed a pick before the chords. pinkpop 2000
    here's the video...
    http://homepage.mac.com/jeffgarden/Videos/pj-bettermanpinkpop.mpg
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