Fingerpicking Guitar Help Please

[Creativemind]

Hi All!

I want help with fingerpicking. I am trying to learn You Were Always On My Mind on acoustic guitar. It's G, D/F#, Em, C, D initially and a quite straight forward picking style, 6th string then 432123...this is the video I found on You Tube.

I like the sound better and get a more prominent pluck using a plectrum but do people here think I would be better just using my fingers and no pick. It's taking so much of my concentration on the picking and having to look down at the strings to make sure I'm hitting the right strings using a plectrum that I can't sing properly or obviously not project it properly as my head isn't upright. It starts to become frustrating. Is it just practice and it will come because it doesn't seem as if it improves?

Any help and tips would be great. Thanks.

[MrFigg]

That’s why fingerpicking is called fingerpicking and not pickfingering. Throw away the plectrum. You’re not a real guitarist until your fingers are raw and bleeding.

[Jackjackdaw]

You could consider getting the pick that has a thumb hole that you wear. Can’t remember what they are called. I never got on with them because the angle felt weird to me and required a special technique but some people love them and get a very sharp attack on their finger styles.

Otherwise , keep practicing they hybrid picking. You will get it down eventually and have crafted a playing style that produces the results you like

[-008']

You could consider getting the pick that has a thumb hole that you wear. Can’t remember what they are called.

a thumbpick!

I never got on with them because the angle felt weird to me and required a special technique but some people love them and get a very sharp attack on their finger styles.

I had same issues as you here, and so I shaped, sanded and polished mine down to where i liked it. (and by "liked" i mean "didn't hate as much")

I still prefer using just my fingers only. I have recently learned Classical Gas by Mason Williams and a Jerry Reed song - to play and surprise my dad, after I finished building the ES-175 kit he sent me. I honestly don't think fingerstyle stuff ever would've clicked for me just using the thumbpick.

A majority of the "real" fingerpickers grow out their claws but... that's also not for me

[Jackjackdaw]

Yeah I never had the inkling to grow my nails out. I really like playing with my finger tips. It’s more tactile than using a pick. I only use a pick playing electric.

[Ichooselife]

yeah i think real pickers use fingers , and more rock players use plectrums to pick for the most part

but do what suits you

im just a strummer on the guitar i can fingerpick little bits but not enough to get past the campfire pro status