Guitar Pick Pickin’—Part 1

Fingerstyle Guitar

Have you ever wondered how two people can play the exact same guitar but get different sounds? That’s because there’s a lot more to tone than just the instrument itself. In fact, some players can make a “mediocre” guitar sound amazing because of their technique and musicality, while a beginner can struggle to get much out of a high-quality axe.

Previously, we talked about tonewoods, because a guitar’s construction is key to how it sounds. But a player’s technique adds another critical layer to tone—starting with how the player plucks the strings. So this time, we turn to guitar picks.

Fingerstyle

The first guitar “pick” was what the guitarist had “at hand” (pardon the pun)—the fingertip (or fingernail). This is still the preferred style for classical guitarists playing nylon-stringed instruments, and for many fingerstyle acoustic players. Guitar pick manufacturers do produce picks that wrap around each finger, reinforced beneath the fingernail, to add volume (while also affecting tone). Some fingerstyle players embrace these picks, while others (yes, even men) will retain more control by visiting the nail salon for an acrylic manicure.

Ultimately, there are 4 dominant fingerstyle “pick” tones:

  • Fingertip (the fleshy pad of the finger): the softest tone, but with arguably the most control. The tone can vary depending on position relative to the bridge or soundhole, and also the force with which the string is plucked. As calluses are built, the tone can change, becoming brighter and louder, but still warmer and more muted than the other styles.
  • Fingernail: whether by accident or on purpose every fingerstyle guitarist has discovered the difference between the tone (and feel—sometimes painful) of using the fingertip versus the fingernail. When intentional and controlled, the fingernail is easy to control and produces the brightness and volume that can’t be attained with the fingertip. Not all nails are equal, though; brittle or thin nails may not only fail to produce the desired tone, but may not stand up to the wearing potential of the strings. That’s why the next two options are popular.
  • Fingernail pick: some fingerstyle players use a thumb pick to increase volume and (for certain players) speed with distance from the bass strings, but other players use picks on each finger. These essentially provide the same type of tone as flatpicking picks (depending on gauge), but still striking strings individually rather than in a flatpicking sweep. For modern players, it is helpful to compare to the familiar flat pick, but individual curved fingernail picks predate flat picks, and were the standard pre-1920.
  • Acrylic (artificial) fingernail: this option combines the control of natural fingernails with the volume and tone of fingernail picks. The main difference is that instead of picking these up at the guitar store, the player makes a visit to the local nail salon. For the regularly-gigging fingerstyle guitarist, this is a great option—it may not be as cost-effective, but nothing beats the control of your own nails… enhanced.

Fingerstyle acoustic isn’t just for nylon strings, but is a great way to pull beautiful tone out of a steel-stringed guitar. Many players dive into flatpicking (more on that later), but if you take the time to learn the discipline of fingerstyle playing, it will make you a more versatile guitarist.

Next Time

In our next post, we’ll explore flatpicking and choosing the right guitar pick, or plectrum, for this extremely popular style. As we always say in the guitar business, stay tuned!

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