Strumming

Interests Guitar
#1

So I’ve been told I need to ditch my pick and strum with my fingers. It doesn’t go well. I get caught up on the strings and such.

Any tips?

#2

Do whatever you want, you can do stuff using your fingers though that you can’t using a pick, for basic strumming though I usually opt for a pick. If you want to learn how to play with your fingers learn some basic classical guitar technique. Which is generally 3 fingers and the thumb.

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#3

Thanks Bill! That’s exactly the start I was looking for.

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#4

You can also try doing the “church lick” (Boom, chuck-a) with the pick and then with your thumb for the Boom and your index finger for the Chuck-a, and see which way you prefer.

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#5

I will try it.

#6

Also you can use the pick in place of the thumb and use your middle and ring finger along with the pick.

#7

This is getting complicated!

#8

I usually freestyle it… different methods are better for different types of things. I’ve started playing with no pick a lot more though since I started playing again, usually when I play electric though it’s with a pick and a finger or two.

#9

Since I started out as a folkie, I often wore a thumbpick but I’ve mostly given that up because a plectrum is generally more manageable fir upstrokes, cross picking, etc.