Fingerpicking, any advice?

[Kai C]

Hey guys, I’m an absolute beginner -I got my first guitar just a little over a month ago (a cheap Peavey in a strat model with a small Peavey amp to match) and I have zero prior music experience. Needless to say I’m total new guy but it’s so far been crazy fun/frustrating trying to pick up something new and I love it.
I saw a recent post asking about favorite picks and had a topic of my own come to mind. I started on a medium Dunlop but in the last few days was introduced to fingerpicking style by my cousin who plays banjo and bass and I want to branch into Bluegrass. He said you can do it on a guitar so I gave it a whirl. Skipped way past the beginner lessons I’m on with Papa Gates to the advanced ones on using fingers as well as checking some vids on Youtube. Everything I do feels clumsy on a guitar anyways, so I assumed that’s just part of the learning process…. but I have to say it just feels a lot more like the guitar “is in my hand” or I’m closer to the guitar. I don’t know if that makes sense or not. It just feels good to me. SO I’ve kind of been practicing everything in lieu of a pick entirely.
So my questions are would y’all recommend continuing with it or practicing it on the side? How much does it matter in the long run? Any advice or experience of your own to throw in? And finally, any good beginner songs you have to recommend that utilize note and chord changes to help keep learning?
Sorry for how long the post was. Look forward to hearing back and meeting everybody!

 

[Forgetabull]

Anything that makes you pickup your guitar is a good thing so you should do it.
You will find that it will influence your style and you will borrow from various areas as you need them.
And everything at the start will feel clumsy, the more you do it, it will all just click in the end

 

[Ed Seith]

Mark Knopfler is a master rock player and he only ever uses his fingers. It can be done, but it might be harder if metal is your goal. You’ll just have to forge your own metal.
If you’re good with that, keep on truckin.
If you want to be able to play in styles like most or all metal players, you’re likely going to need to get comfy with a pick.
It’s all about where you want to go and what you want from the instrument personally.

 

[Ed Seith]

Also, there are a LOT of ways to hold the pick. Check out the following video (and many others from Troy Grady about the mechanics of playing) to see a sampling of common pick grips.
I’ve tried to do it like Papa explains Syn does. It’s no bueno for me.
There are many comfortable options. Find yours.

 

[idssdi]

Playing with your fingers is perfectly fine, it all comes down to personal preference anyway. John Mayer sometimes plays a whole dead & company show without a pick and Richie Kotzen doesn’t use a pick anymore as well. Something to keep in mind is that there are certain techniques you simply won’t be able to do without a pick(sweeping, alternate picking, economy picking etc.)
Good beginner songs would probably be more than words by Extreme, baby, I’m gonna leave you by Led Zeppelin. Blackbird by the Beatles, Tommy Emanuel does a lot of finger style but that isn’t particularly easy I think.

 

[Kai C]

Just want to say thank you for the responses everybody, y’all gave me some good notes to take. I don’t have a music background and I don’t know how late 24 is to start but better late than never eh.
Alan- You’re right, gonna have to keep on at it to make it not so awkward But this has been a lot more fun and satisfying than my other awkward attempts at starting hobbies. And seeing communities like this that are more supportive and not degrading is a huge relief.
Ed- Thanks for the vid, I didn’t think there were that many ways to hold a pick and even some of the ways Troy described were ways I have been told are no-no’s (particularly holding it up in the second knuckle of the index finger). Definitely going to have to keep experimenting. As far as my sound goes, I don’t even quite know myself where I want to go with it. I love metal but I’m not stuck on it. My inspiration for starting was listening to David Gilmour from Pink Floyd play. And since starting I’ve been more inspired by the sounds of classical and Spanish guitar than I had been before – and the way I feel like that came out in Syn’s playing on The Stage more than previous albums was even more inspiring. And how that classical sound gets applied on an electric through the amps – those sounds stick with me so much and that’s something I want to create. So yeah, got a lot on that to think about.
Ids- Thanks so much for the song recommendations, and the fact that they’re all varied in their sound is awesome. You’re a godsend.

 

[Billy Robertson]

I’m not a finger picker but it’s the same as anything else take it extremely slow. If you can’t do it slow then you can’t do it fast. Keep doing it over and over and over. If it feels clumsy then go a little slower. 24 isn’t too late to start. I played a little in high school then went into the army and sold off everything and didn’t pick it back up until I was almost thirty. And when I picked it back up I felt like I had to relearn everything. It’s like any other skill based thing. If you don’t use it you lose it.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

Skipping lessons is probably not the best move. Not because you cant do the lesson. But pg says some amazing things in every lesson that really paint pictures you never seen before.

 

[idssdi]

I also just found this video. Maybe it helps https://youtu.be/0ZwH_0tYXvk

 

[Brian Haner Sr.]

I play a TON without a pick. As Ed said – if metal is your goal, maybe not. BUT – on the other hand – you just might invent a new metal finger style. Technique is simply a means to an end. Music is about the sounds you make. If you can make sounds you like and are happy with, without using a pick – go for it. There is no “right way” to play guitar. There are “right ways“. I would suggest you spend at least a little practice time with a pick. There are certain things that can only be played with a pick. Experiment with a thumb pick, finger picks, etc. These are all just tools to get the job done. In the final analysis – your sound is up to you. Just play! As you get better, you will naturally gravitate towards specific styles and techniques.
Good luck!
PG

 

[Kai C]

Awesome advice, again communities/ families like this are inspiring as hell to see and I’m glad to be a part of this!
Billy – Hooah brother. USMC active duty myself and needing new hobbies more than ever to maintain sanity. Hahaha we’ll see how that goes.
Calvin – Sorry if I gave the impression that I jumped around, I’m still following in on PG’s beginner lessons. I just meant I checked out his videos ahead of anyone saying “There’s already a video for that”. These are definitely the best resources I’ve seen yet with how well they’re made and explained and I’m taking my sweet time going through the lessons and re-going through them (and lowering the speed) when they’re too much for me on the first go around.
Ids – Thanks for that link, your resources have been awesome!
Papa Gates – Thank you so much. I’ll keep you and everyone posted as time goes on how my sound develops from where it’s at in square one. Maybe one day it’ll get good haha, just needs a lot of TLC. I’ll keep playing around to see what we can come up with.
Thanks everybody. Gonna keep on practicing, making my way through these lessons, and applying what all of you have shared with me. We’ll see where it goes!