Thumb-picking or Finger-picking?

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Fingerstyle guitar

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A group for you who don't like the flatpick, and enjoy the finger picking of Merle Travis, John Hurt, Gary Davies and so on

59 Members, Created 1/28/2011 -

Administrators: janolov (owner)

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From Jim Yates on 3/31/2011 7:33:39 PM

Although I've always called thi style "Finger-picking", I've read a number of articles which refer to it as "Thumb-picking". I've noticed that the Thumb-picking term usually applied to Jerry Reed, Tommy Emmanuel, but Finger-picking refers to Mississippi John Hurt and Doc Watson. Which term do you use. Is there a difference?

4 Comments
	delboy says: 6/15/2011 1:37:29 AM I think many of the terms us pickers use are interchangeble. I've heard the terms finger-picking, fingerstyle, thumb-picking, Travis picking, thumbstyle, all used to describe the same version of the same song. I guess, being pedantic, thumb-picking would be when you have a thumb-pick on and finger-picking when you don't.... For me, I just consider it all fingerstyle (actually, I consider it all guitar playing - but it's a view that has got me into trouble more than once here) - as opposed to flat-picking. There are simply two broad camps in my world, everything played with a flat pick is in camp A and everything played with fingers is in camp B. Anyway, for 30 years I've played flat-picking (acoustic and electric) and fingerstyle (without a thumb-pick) and more often than not I mix the two in the classic hybrid style (hell, there is a Camp C after all!). But for all those 30 years I've longed to get the thump of a thumb-pick into my playing so I've gone right back to basics and am re-learning some of my old favourite fingerstyle tunes in a thumb-picking style... It's tough, that half an inch makes all the difference (as the actress said to the bishop) and thirty years of positioning my picking hand just right is now needing some adjustment. The good news is I'm getting there and I'm even contemplating playing my flatpicking songs with a thumb-pick, albeit held like a flatpick - I will post something as soon as I produce something worthy of you guys. What style that would then be called, Lord only knows. I think I might call it guitar playing :-)) Derek
	barrybush says: 7/14/2012 2:08:16 AM My question is this ( though it may have been answered and I just don't know it). I play banjo and guitar with a thumb pick and 2 metal finger picks. Happy Traum says he considers using the thumb, index and middle fingers to be finger picking and if you use those and the ring and/or little finger to be called finger style. He is a good authority. I would enjoy reading more on this.
	Jim Yates says: 7/14/2012 8:15:54 AM My friend Al Kirby, uses the hybrid style that a lot of Tele players seem to use; flatpick and bird and ring fingers. This allows him to switch to flatpicking for fast single string runs and back to fingerpicking. I use thumb and two or three fingers. That ring finger doesn't get too much use, but it's there when I need it and it too has an acrylic nail. If I want to add a single string run I alternate thumb and index ala Rev Gary Davis. This isn't quite as fast as a flat pick. I can also switch to the Carter scratch. I wouldn't use this style for a fast fiddle tune. It can't take the place of flatpicking, but it's a useful tool.
	larry says: 3/7/2015 1:23:34 AM We call it "thumb style" in my area. And I think it's what you're talking about. It's not finger picking at all. Thumb style involves alternating bass notes with the thumb pick, muted by the back of the palm while playing syncopated notes with the index and middle fingers. Look up Comer Moon Mullins on You Tube. He's a good example.
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