Learning how to play the guitar is more popular than ever now, but finding the best play method can seem confusing. Some teachers and professional guitarists recommend the fingerstyle method, but others swear on using a guitar pick. How do you know which method will work best for you?
Both the fingerstyle and pick methods of playing guitar have pros and cons. For example, the fingerstyle method will usually offer a mellower—but softer—sound, while a pick can provide better range but sound “pluckier.”
While both methods seem difficult or even impossible, they are much simpler than you think, and each come with their own benefits!
Playing the Guitar with the Fingerstyle Method
Also known as “fingerpicking,” the fingerstyle method of guitar playing, in its most basic form, is relatively simple: you use the fingers of your dominant hand to pluck notes on your guitar.
You accomplish this by using your hand as a single unit for the guitar, using your fingertips or fingernails to play multiple notes at once. It may seem difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can play all kinds of tunes, from old-time blues to brand new jazz fusion!
Pros of the Fingerstyle Method
There are many advantages to using the fingerstyle method to play your guitar, but the most significant ones include:
The Notes You Play Will Sound Richer
Unlike the more artificial, “plucky” sound you get when you use a guitar pick, finger styling allows you to achieve richer, fuller sounds. This is because the skin on your fingers causes the guitar strings to vibrate differently than they do when you use a pick.
It’s Easier to Play Non-Adjacent Notes
It can seem impossible to play a note on the lowest string simultaneously with a note on the highest, but the fingerstyle method makes this task much more manageable. When you use the fingerstyle, you can play two notes at once, or even two different parts simultaneously (melody and harmony, harmony and bass, etc.)
Certain Music Genres Sound More Authentic
Genres with a more acoustic feel, such as bossa nova, folk, blues, and country, just sound slightly off when you play them with a pick.
Whether this is because of the “plucky” sound or because the song requires you to play double stops, there’s something about fingerpicking that makes these specific genres sound more natural.
The Muscle Memory Will Make Learning Songs Simpler
When you play a guitar rhythm, it can be harder to learn it when you use a guitar pick. That is because you don’t use your finger muscles to strum the guitar with a pick, thus rendering it more challenging for you to learn how to play.
On the other hand, with the fingerstyle method, you will be using your finger muscles to strum your guitar, and your muscles will eventually learn what notes to strum and when to strum them.
It’ll take a bit of patience, but it will all be worth it when you can perform the song for your family and friends!
Cons of the Fingerstyle Method
There are some setbacks to using the fingerstyle method for guitar; this includes, but is not limited to:
The Notes You Play Will Sound Softer
Despite the notes from your guitar sounding richer when you use the fingerstyle method, they will also sound softer. This can result in a smaller dynamic range for you to work with, which can be challenging if you want to play louder songs.
This is because, unlike a guitar pick, which is hard, the human skin is soft to the touch, thus causing your guitar strings to vibrate more softly when you use your fingers to pluck them.
Your Playing Might Initially Sound Inconsistent
Because each of your fingers gives off a different vibration range for your guitar strings, and your fingers can give off a varying amount of energy to the strings, your playing may initially sound inconsistent.
If you are the kind of person who wishes for their playing to sound consistent after one or two practice sessions, then the fingerstyle method may be frustrating for you to maintain. Muscle memory, however, will make the sounds more consistent over time. Patience is key.
Calluses Develop on Your Fingers Faster
This might not be too much of an inconvenience for you, but the more you use the fingerstyle method, the easier it will be for calluses (hardened patches of skin) to develop on your fingertips due to the friction they face.
Calluses are harmless, but if they bother you, it is easy to get rid of them. Simply soak your hands or feet in a bowl filled with four parts water and one part apple cider vinegar for 20 minutes. It may take a couple of times for the calluses to go away, but it is a completely safe solution to try.
It Is Harder to Play Faster Songs
Despite the fingerstyle method relying on muscle memory, the inconsistent sound from it can result in your fingers toppling over each other when you try and play louder, faster songs.
Additionally, if you’re a beginner player, you may have trouble developing the dexterity you need to strum individual strings fast enough.
Playing the Guitar with the Pick Method
Also called “picking,” the pick method for guitar playing is self-explanatory: instead of using your fingers to pluck your guitar strings, you use a small, flat tool called a pick to do so. It allows for an extended range of dynamics and a lower chance of developing calluses.
Pros of the Pick Method
The pros of using the pick method to play guitar are as follows:
The Notes You Play Will Sound Louder
Because guitar picks are made of a more rigid material than your fingers, plucking guitar strings with them can make your guitar notes sound louder, which is ideal if you play louder, grittier music like rock or punk.
It Is Easier to Play Faster Songs
Using the pick results in your guitar notes vibrating faster than they would if you only used the fingerstyle method, thus making it much easier to play faster songs even with a significant amount of practice with the fingerstyle method.
Your Playing Will Sound Consistent
Unlike the fingerstyle method, where your note playing might sound inconsistent from the different kinds of vibrations your fingers give, using a pick will provide a consistent vibration to each note, resulting in a more consistent sound.
Rhythm Guitar Will Be Infinitely Easier
When you play rhythm guitar, you usually play sets of chords that harmonize with the lead guitar. However, when you try and fingerstyle rhythm guitar, the chords can sound sloppy and unbalanced, emphasizing one note of the chord over the others.
When you play rhythm guitar with a pick, on the other hand, you will be able to play clean, balanced chords that can perfectly harmonize with a lead guitar.
Cons of the Pick Method
If you choose to use the pick method to play the guitar, you will want to consider these cons as well:
No Two Picks Are Created Equal
There are multiple kinds of guitar picks out there. They may look similar, but here are the factors that distinguish them from one another:
- Hardness: Softer guitar picks will produce a smaller dynamic range and are better acoustic guitars. Harder guitar picks will produce a broader range of dynamics and are better for electric guitars. Thickness is measured from “light” to “heavy.”
- Thickness: Thinner guitar picks produce brighter, tightly controlled notes, while thicker guitar picks produce mellower, clearer-sounding notes. Guitar pick thickness is measured in millimeters (mm), with a lower measurement representing a thinner guitar pick.
- Material: Guitar picks are usually made with one of three materials: nylon, acetal, or celluloid. Nylon picks tend to be softer and lightweight; acetal picks are considered harder and more texturized, and celluloid picks are stiffer (but smoother to the touch) than nylon ones.
- Size: The smaller the pick, the smaller the distance between your hands and the guitar strings. Unless you want to use a specialized technique, such as palm muting, stick to a guitar pick that fits perfectly between the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand.
- Sharpness: Guitar picks are not as sharp as knives, but a more defined point at the end of a pick tends to play sharper, louder notes than a less defined one. A sharper pick will work best for you if you are playing lead guitar.
What might be a hard, thick pick for one brand can be a soft, thin pick for another. It can be especially confusing for beginner players when trying to buy their first set of picks. Be sure to do your research on the guitar picks you want—from ones more suited for softer songs to ones more suited for louder songs—before you buy them!
The Notes You Play Will Sound More “Plucky”
For beginner players, initially using the pick method may result in an obviously “plucked” sound when you play the guitar. This sound can seem awkward yet inevitable.
However, this can be amended by not using as much force with a guitar pick as you would until you are confident you can add more power. Using picks designed for louder play (hard celluloid picks, for instance) will also help.
It Is Harder to Switch Guitar Playing Styles
Are you the kind of person who switches from rock to blues, or vice versa in the middle of playing? If so, learning fingerstyle first might work best for you.
This is because the pick method doesn’t rely on muscle memory to play guitar songs. Therefore, when you transition genres mid-song, it can sound janky or inconsistent without a fair amount of practice—much more than what you would need with the fingerstyle method.
Slower Songs Sound More Inauthentic
As slower songs are more often played on acoustic guitar, they can sound less authentic when you use the pick method instead of the fingerstyle method, mostly due to the “plucky” sound the pick method can produce.
If you are trying to learn slower songs, listen to them first, then try playing them with a pick. If it just doesn’t sound right, no matter what, try learning it through the fingerstyle method. It will most likely sound much better.
Is Fingerstyle or Pick Better for Guitar Playing?
The guitar playing method that will work best for you will depend on how you play the guitar and what you are comfortable with. Some factors you should consider when choosing include:
Music Genres You Play on the Guitar
As genres like bossa nova, blues, and folk sound better when you use the fingerstyle method, other genres like rock, metal, and punk sound better when using the pick method.
Of course, you can learn more hardcore genres using the fingerstyle method, or vice versa, but as previously mentioned, that can be more difficult for you without the right amount of practice and patience.
Your Experience Level
If you want to play the guitar professionally, you should get good quality equipment that will last you a long time, including the proper guitar picks (depending on what kind of music you intend to play).
And, if you want to play professionally, you should also practice as much as possible, which can increase your chance of calluses if you solely use the fingerstyle method.
However, if you only play guitar for learning’s sake, you most likely will not need the proper picks and quality equipment to actually learn. Thus, using the fingerstyle method will not give you a higher chance of developing calluses.
Songs You Want to Learn
If you are the kind of person who wants to learn loud, fast music as soon as humanly possible, then using a good pick will work the best for you. However, if you are more patient with learning and want to learn slower songs first, the fingerstyle method will work best for you.
The Type of Guitar You Use
Unless you are using a soft, thin pick, acoustic guitars can sound more mellow and cleaner when using the fingerstyle method. Without proper practice, the pick method can make an acoustic guitar sound “plucky” and amateurish.
Electric guitars, however, have strings made of more rigid material—material that can make calluses form easier and can even damage your fingernails if you use the fingerstyle method. It is possible, but you have to be very careful not to permanently damage your fingernails.
Your Budget
How many ways do you usually play the guitar? Do you play soft songs suited for thin, light picks? Or do you play louder, grittier songs suited for the heaviest picks possible?
The cost of good guitar picks can add up, so if you are more comfortable using a guitar pick for certain kinds of genres, buy picks for those and reserve everything else for the fingerstyle method.
Can You Use Both Fingerstyle and a Pick?
If you are the kind of person who wants to incorporate both styles into your guitar playing simultaneously, that is another possibility!
There are plastic “picks” you can place on the fingers of your dominant hand, such as these EPIC Berry Thumb and Finger Picks. They are widely available, and you can use them to play fingerstyle without the risk of an inconsistent sound or calluses.
As you may have guessed, with these tools, you can reap the best of what fingerstyle and pick playing have to offer; not only do you get to use muscle memory to learn new songs quickly, but you can also play louder and with greater accuracy too!
Note: Thumb and finger picks are usually best suited for acoustic guitars rather than electric.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, the pros and cons of the fingerstyle method and the pick method for playing guitar, explained, as well as some other helpful tips along the way.
Remember, however, that you know your guitar playing abilities best. If you think that the fingerstyle method will work best for you, start with the fingerstyle method. If you think the pick method is more your speed, start with the pick method. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to start learning how to play the guitar.
Do not think that you can only use one method or the other, though. One is not more useful than the other, and learning both can benefit your playing either way! Learning the fingerstyle method can help you with muscle memory while using a guitar pick, and learning the pick method can improve your sound’s consistency while using the fingerstyle method.
But again, it is all up to you. You now know the pros and cons of both the fingerstyle method and the pick method, so you can make an informed decision on how you want to play the guitar. Happy guitar playing—rock on!
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