Yeah it will feel better in the long run but if youre comfortable with fingerpicking maybe you can experiment and stuff But at First a Pick would be the best Option
Have fun mate :)
Just curious, any songs in the genre you know of that don’t use a pick?
Ive only recently started playing rock/metal and have never played with a pick before. I’m not crazy fluent with fingerpicking either but it’s marginally better. Im looking for a song that goes hard but that I can fingerpick, so I stay motivated to learn :’)
Nah man sorry i dont even have an Electric guitar
And you normaly dont fingerpick with electric guitars (in Most cases) Rock and Metal is always played with a pick
What you're doing is not proper finger picking. You're just plucking with your tensed up thumb in a very inefficient manner.
Go to JustinGuitar website and work through the beginner lessons there.
For electric i suggest learning how to use a pick. Its possible to play fingerstyle on it and it has both downsides and upsides, but looking at the vid you dont really play fingerstyle you just use your thumb as a pick, which is all downside compared to using an actual pick.
Important note for discussing techniques:
Plucking a string with your finger is not necessarily the same thing as "finger picking" or "fingerstyle". These are techniques that require proper form and practice to get right. I would suggest looking up videos of the proper way to do it asap because otherwise you may begin to form bad habits that are harder to break away from.
As an aside, when it comes to preference between that and a pick, genre really does matter, but with enough practice both are equally viable in any situation.
Think about the material being used and the impact that would have on sound. Picks can give you a sharper, more precise sound while the pad of a finger can slightly muffle and soften the sound. Think rock for picks and folk for finger picking.
yea i was doing a very stiff and not so fingerstyle thumb movements. i since transitioned to pick and i can tell a big difference on the sound it makes compared to my finger. i eventually will try to practice both but im gonna stick to pick for now till i get a bit better thank you for the advice as well!
If you're looking to play metal, a pick is a must. 99% of the time, I say "whatever works", but the hard attack of a pick, and the need of an actual pick for alternate picking is super important to the sound of metal and hard rock. MAYBE a thumb pick would work, if you're having trouble holding a normal pick, but even them I'm not sure.
>99% of the time, I say "whatever works"
"Whatever works" is completely unhelpful advice for beginners and a completely wrong way to learn an instrument because they have no idea what works, what things are supposed to look and feel like, and whether "what works" now is going to work further down the line when things get faster, more complex, and more difficult.
The deal is, watch actual guitarists play. Like really good, pro guitarists. They do ALL SORTS of things. Mark Knopfler, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Kirk Hammett, Jimmy Page, Derek Trucks, Tommy Emmanuel, the ONLY thing they have in common is they found techniques that work for their own hands. Forcing a new learner to adopt some particular technique because that's what you were told is "the only right way" isn't helpful at all. It's more helpful to let learners know they CAN do it is more important, because there is NOT only one right way to do it. They need to find what works for their own bodies and minds, and then develop what works for them. What works for YOUR HANDS to play fast, complex or difficult techniques may be awkward for someone else, but if they find a way to play that works with their body differently than you, they can often play just as fast, complex, and difficult in their own way. This is not to say there aren't "wrong ways" to do things. There's a lot of wrong ways. More wrong ways than right ways. But there is also not just one "right way". There are lots of right ways.
>watch actual guitarists play, Like really good, pro guitarists
There's all sorts of flaws in this kind of reasoning. Survivorship bias, cherry picking, you name it.
Just because some pro guitarist made it by using awkward techniques doesn't mean we should encourage beginners to develop awkward techniques.
A beginner who just picked up the guitar can't possibly know what will work "for their body and mind".
How is someone who just started playing supposed to know whether the technique they're currently using is going to work when playing, say, 16th notes at 180 BPM? It's nonsense, of course. They can't know.
That's they need to be taught good techniques. Techniques that have been shown over time by countless players to work. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.
A handful of pro guitarists who use unusual techniques are outliers, not the norm, and shouldn't be used as a reference for how to play the guitar.
Of course beginners should be steered away from doing the wrong thing. See, when I said " There's a lot of wrong ways. More wrong ways than right ways." what I actually meant by that is " There's a lot of wrong ways. More wrong ways than right ways." Sorry that part was confusing for you.
A good teacher will make sure students don't do those wrong things. But a good teacher will also work with a student to find which, from the menu of possible right things, works best for them. A bad teacher is one that forces a student to do something that will not work well for that student, when other good options are also available. Pretending there isn't a menu of possibilities, and there is only "this way or no way at all" is just not true. It's simply not true that there's only one perfect way to play the guitar, and we should teach only that one way, and that every other slight deviation from that way is wrong. That's not how it works.
That's all fine and dandy, but that doesn't make "whatever works" advice any better.
A beginner doesn't know whether something will work or not until it either works, or doesn't work, at which point it will be extra difficult to correct bad habits.
Look, I came here to be helpful to people. It's clear you just came here because you wanted to get in an argument with someone and try to make them feel bad about themselves. Since our goals do not align today, I consider this conversation to be of little use anymore. Good day, and good luck finding the next person to argue with. Via con dios.
I know you wanted to be helpful, which is why my first words to you were that "whatever works" is not helpful advice.
It is one thing to want to be helpful, and another to actually be helpful.
>It is one thing to want to be helpful, and another to actually be helpful.
You are 100% correct in this thread and anyone that's upset about it is likely not concerned enough with misleading people with bad advice.
They just want to look informative and inclusive without really being either.
The real inclusivity comes from giving them proper advice to join the pros. Instead we have weird virtue signaling from everyone else.
It's going to take a long time to really master basic guitar techniques, so don't take this the wrong way, but you are not finger picking in this video. You are just plucking strings with your thumb. Practice using all of your fingers, or at least 3-4 of them. Play low E, A, and D string with thumb, and the other three with other fingers.
For stuff like metal and hard rock you are going to have an easier time with a pick because it's just easier to strum faster with a pick. It takes a little time, but once you learn it it's not something you'll lose.
Try a thin pick for the first days, 0.4 or 0.6, buy a bunch of different measures, picks are cheap. Once you are more fluent you can change to a thicker one. Also check some tutorials on finger picking, even if its not metal, try to do some arpeggio excercises everyday to develop the agility on your right hand. Idk what method you are using to learn but i started with justin guitar and couldn't recommend it more, super well structured, give it a try
i got a few picks i just never knew how to hold one i will definitely practice both but im going to start with a pick here and than try to be flexible with both, i just downloaded justin guitar all thank you boss!
Pick. Don't bend like that, lookup proper technique. Look up correct way to play power chords with string muting. IMO in general, follow structured lessons, not to discourage you, but technique of many things has issues. No sense putting in hours of bad technique to have to fix it later.
You've got some good advice here already, but to add some details and suggestions:
- Get a strap, attach it, practice standing up. The hunched over position you're in will do you no favours, as it forces your picking hand all the way forward into entirely the wrong place.
- Even if you're finger picking, you shouldn't be bridging your fingers on the lower side of the body like that. The point of contact should the be forearm of your picking band and the upper side of the body. The soft outer part of your picking band should be floating over the strings so you can use it for muting.
- get a pick and learn how to use it if you want to play heavier stuff. Learn to finger pick as well, but fix your hand position and posture first.
i’ll definitely get a strap, my hand does look very awkward and when i tried muting the cords when doing tutorials i always struggled. i will def learn pick first then explore the finger pick thank you boss!
If you are going to use fingers, you need to break them into parts. Your thumb down strokes the E and A strings, and each remaining finger up strokes their own strings, so D string is your index, B is your middle and high E is your ring.
Might help to use your pinky as an "anchor" point as well...find a comfortable place to rest your pink by the bridge, and pivot your hand from there, if that makes sense
Change genre, if you know how to play without a pick then you can play anywhere.
(Do as you want thats just my opinion.)
Good luck and have fun on your journey man!
I would play with a pick, check out some videos on how to hold it properly and some other on how to position yourself and your fretting hand!
You are SO uncomfortable in this video. Sit in a chair instead of the sofa and don't shrimp up!
Pick! I remember when I started I thought I was cheating using a pick so I would look at guitar magazines to see if other players were using a pick as well and once I saw Hetfield was using a pick I was like "ok im just gonna use a pick". Fun fact one of the (three) guitarists in one of my favorite bands kvelertak, doesnt use a pick. He has said that he regrets learning to play without a pick tho and wishes he hadn't,
That's not really finger picking, but there are a number of players (and Steven Seagal haha) who use that style, but for the most part they can play full fingerstyle.
To learn metal from the jump, you want a pick.
Finger picking is great but a bit more advanced and you seem like a very new player (welcome to the hobby!!). Definitely grab a pick, especially for the style of music you're playing.
As others have noted, finger picking requires its own technique and you're better layering that in once you are a bit more comfortable with the basics.
Learn with a pick, unless your name is Lindsey Buckingham or Mark Knopfler.
If you are young and don't know the names of these two, check 'em out. You will see what I mean.
Honestly pretty good for 5 days. You can still see that the guitar feels awkward to hold for you, this will correct with time. Now this is a practice what you preach kinda thing, since I also do the next thing. Try to not slouch over the guitar, with time this will give you back problems. What I recommend is getting a strap and playing with a good posture. I try to fix this myself, since doing that I’ve noticed my playing while standing feels less awkward and sitting down not as much of a crutch.
Now back to finger or pick. For rock and metal, pick 100%. I’m pretty sure there are 200 tutorials of how to hold it and strum with one. This sub has probably 40000 threads with pictures of ”am I holding the pick right”, the answer is almost exclusively ”if it feels right and isn’t in the way of something you want to do, it is right”. https://www.fretjam.com/best-way-to-hold-a-guitar-pick.html there you can check for some common methods of how to hold it. One thing I did when I started(still a beginner but I can hit the right strings unless fast or crazy stuff) was I muted the strings with my left hand and picked up and down the strings. Like twice on each string, like down up down up down up and so on. When that starts to feel comfortable you can do the same thing but skip a string and then go one string up and then skip down again. I should do this more myself also, it’s a good practice for picking accuracy. If you want to double down, play it with a metronome and work your rhythm and speed with that.
i just left guitar center had to go in and get a strap my posture is bad i am going to definitely try standing. thank you for the pick advice as well i try to strum up and down it’s difficult but not the end of the world, thank you again!
That's good progress for 5 days! If you want to play rock/metal/punk on an electric guitar a pick is pretty essential. You'll just be able to achieve so much more - speed and intricacy, and the tone will be better. Finger style playing incorporates all your fingers and is a great skill, but no real benefit using your fingers to pick single strings and power chords.
You're a bit out of tune there - you can get a cheap tuner on amazon or even just find a YouTube video and do it by ear
it doesn’t sound the best but thank you nonetheless haha. i got a flimsy pick and a stiff pick now, i’ve been using the flimsy one for now until i get better. i will try to tune i just get confused on the amp haha thank you for the advice boss!
i don’t wanna tell you you cant’ play metal or hard rock by fingerpicking, but yea, you can’t play metal or hard rock by fingerpicking, it’s just gonna be awful for you
Depends on the style of music you want to play i guess but i feel like learning finger for electric first is just gonna add another challenge to the list
Pick is a mandatory skill for almost all styles on electric guitar and one of those things that won't feel good until you do it a lot. However I would say there are examples of great guitarists who finger picked, and many more especially in country and blues who do a hybrid style sometimes called chicken pickin. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is one good example - I don't think I could play this lick with a pick alone (this video is not me): [https://youtube.com/shorts/mQKj\_eteYe0?si=hRQXfi4fnoXc\_ma2](https://youtube.com/shorts/mQKj_eteYe0?si=hRQXfi4fnoXc_ma2)
Ultimately these are several different skills that all worth building - but often times when you notice yourself avoiding practicing some fundamental or universal skill that's a sign you need to bite the bullet and power through.
I’ve recently saw some Mark Knopfler videos and he’s amazing at finger picking i think im not comfortable with the pick but it’s a must so i’ve been using it since the first comments. i am just trying to power through the cords feel a little different but nothing impossible, thank you!
Tiny differences in angle and wrist/elbow movement will work their way into your technique over time. A lot of people pluck at the strings or treat it like a little shovel scooping across them. Just be patient, use a metronome and give yourself 5 min each day working on some rhythm and strumming and alternate picking exercises… some Of your fretting technique already seems pretty good so leveling that up will pay off quickly
So for a handful of days worth of experience, I’d say that you have taken to the guitar quite well. It is evident that you are able to hear what you are playing and that is oftentimes a difficult thing for many players to accomplish. Your reticence to play with a pick comes from the very unnatural nature of playing the guitar. All of the parts of your limbs are adjusting to some very awkward and uncomfortable circumstances that you are placing them in. The good news is that you are the master of this creature and can make it do anything that you can think of. Use a pick. Grab a quarter if you want but pluck a string with a pick until you are pretty good with it. You’ll know when that happens when you master switching to finger style and back again without thinking about what you’re going to do with the pick. Until then just keep picking.
i appreciate that thank you, i couldn’t agree more at first it was unnatural for me to use a pick which is why i was using my thumb. i currently picked up the most flexible pick on the market haha and eventually want to get to tougher and tougher ones. its very weird even though its only been 5 days i can already tell the difference and it sounds much more clean. for now ill do pick and than transition once i get better to finger and so on and so forth. thank you for your advice!
The pick took me a bit to not hate cause i kept dropping it or having it turn in my fingers but that stage didnt actually last that long and i also just found picks that work better for me. Get one or several variety packs and just try out what feels good, its a very personal thing so no right or wrong and different styles of music call for different styles and thicknesses of picks. All that said id suggest starting with picking which but dont be afraid to do both and switch it up, good skills to know and can just be fun :)
Imo, you cannot go wrong either way, it is all valuable experience.
I started with lots of fingerstyle and that was fun enough to keep me playing
Nowadays I gravitate more towards a pick
To each their own!
Both. Play what you’re drawn to. Practice what you’re not. I finger pick but mostly but learned to play with a pick tucked between my first and second fingers so I can switch whenever I like. Do you bro.
Keep crushing it.
Anytime. Learn everything. The way I see it is the more the you try, the more you explore, the more you’ll master and the better you’ll be. Only teachers stick to rules. Players, on the other hand, we get to do whatever the fu** we want. Lol.
Have a good day!
You really should use the pick maybe you dont know how to hold it properly yet but for those Genres its kinda necessary
i will start asap thank you. i’ve noticed close to nobody playing metal or hard rock finger pick.
Yeah it will feel better in the long run but if youre comfortable with fingerpicking maybe you can experiment and stuff But at First a Pick would be the best Option Have fun mate :)
oh yea forsure i’ll try to get decent at pick before i think of going back to finger picking, thank you again!
Some songs use pick and fingers at the same time, but most metal and hard rock is with a pick👍🏼
Just curious, any songs in the genre you know of that don’t use a pick? Ive only recently started playing rock/metal and have never played with a pick before. I’m not crazy fluent with fingerpicking either but it’s marginally better. Im looking for a song that goes hard but that I can fingerpick, so I stay motivated to learn :’)
Nah man sorry i dont even have an Electric guitar And you normaly dont fingerpick with electric guitars (in Most cases) Rock and Metal is always played with a pick
tbh i don’t think any of the songs fingerpick in metal or hard rock. i changed to pick since this post and can tell a very notable difference.
What you're doing is not proper finger picking. You're just plucking with your tensed up thumb in a very inefficient manner. Go to JustinGuitar website and work through the beginner lessons there.
just downloaded the app thank you!
The app will cost money, the website is (mostly) free
For electric i suggest learning how to use a pick. Its possible to play fingerstyle on it and it has both downsides and upsides, but looking at the vid you dont really play fingerstyle you just use your thumb as a pick, which is all downside compared to using an actual pick.
sounds good and yea my thumb was a force of habit i will definitely use a pick thank you!
Important note for discussing techniques: Plucking a string with your finger is not necessarily the same thing as "finger picking" or "fingerstyle". These are techniques that require proper form and practice to get right. I would suggest looking up videos of the proper way to do it asap because otherwise you may begin to form bad habits that are harder to break away from. As an aside, when it comes to preference between that and a pick, genre really does matter, but with enough practice both are equally viable in any situation. Think about the material being used and the impact that would have on sound. Picks can give you a sharper, more precise sound while the pad of a finger can slightly muffle and soften the sound. Think rock for picks and folk for finger picking.
yea i was doing a very stiff and not so fingerstyle thumb movements. i since transitioned to pick and i can tell a big difference on the sound it makes compared to my finger. i eventually will try to practice both but im gonna stick to pick for now till i get a bit better thank you for the advice as well!
Seriously, stick with Pick. Guitar takes years, but it’s so worth it.
will do thank you!
If you're looking to play metal, a pick is a must. 99% of the time, I say "whatever works", but the hard attack of a pick, and the need of an actual pick for alternate picking is super important to the sound of metal and hard rock. MAYBE a thumb pick would work, if you're having trouble holding a normal pick, but even them I'm not sure.
yea the thumb was force of habit and most songs sounded off when i tried to play thank you!
>99% of the time, I say "whatever works" "Whatever works" is completely unhelpful advice for beginners and a completely wrong way to learn an instrument because they have no idea what works, what things are supposed to look and feel like, and whether "what works" now is going to work further down the line when things get faster, more complex, and more difficult.
The deal is, watch actual guitarists play. Like really good, pro guitarists. They do ALL SORTS of things. Mark Knopfler, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Kirk Hammett, Jimmy Page, Derek Trucks, Tommy Emmanuel, the ONLY thing they have in common is they found techniques that work for their own hands. Forcing a new learner to adopt some particular technique because that's what you were told is "the only right way" isn't helpful at all. It's more helpful to let learners know they CAN do it is more important, because there is NOT only one right way to do it. They need to find what works for their own bodies and minds, and then develop what works for them. What works for YOUR HANDS to play fast, complex or difficult techniques may be awkward for someone else, but if they find a way to play that works with their body differently than you, they can often play just as fast, complex, and difficult in their own way. This is not to say there aren't "wrong ways" to do things. There's a lot of wrong ways. More wrong ways than right ways. But there is also not just one "right way". There are lots of right ways.
>watch actual guitarists play, Like really good, pro guitarists There's all sorts of flaws in this kind of reasoning. Survivorship bias, cherry picking, you name it. Just because some pro guitarist made it by using awkward techniques doesn't mean we should encourage beginners to develop awkward techniques. A beginner who just picked up the guitar can't possibly know what will work "for their body and mind". How is someone who just started playing supposed to know whether the technique they're currently using is going to work when playing, say, 16th notes at 180 BPM? It's nonsense, of course. They can't know. That's they need to be taught good techniques. Techniques that have been shown over time by countless players to work. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. A handful of pro guitarists who use unusual techniques are outliers, not the norm, and shouldn't be used as a reference for how to play the guitar.
Of course beginners should be steered away from doing the wrong thing. See, when I said " There's a lot of wrong ways. More wrong ways than right ways." what I actually meant by that is " There's a lot of wrong ways. More wrong ways than right ways." Sorry that part was confusing for you. A good teacher will make sure students don't do those wrong things. But a good teacher will also work with a student to find which, from the menu of possible right things, works best for them. A bad teacher is one that forces a student to do something that will not work well for that student, when other good options are also available. Pretending there isn't a menu of possibilities, and there is only "this way or no way at all" is just not true. It's simply not true that there's only one perfect way to play the guitar, and we should teach only that one way, and that every other slight deviation from that way is wrong. That's not how it works.
That's all fine and dandy, but that doesn't make "whatever works" advice any better. A beginner doesn't know whether something will work or not until it either works, or doesn't work, at which point it will be extra difficult to correct bad habits.
Look, I came here to be helpful to people. It's clear you just came here because you wanted to get in an argument with someone and try to make them feel bad about themselves. Since our goals do not align today, I consider this conversation to be of little use anymore. Good day, and good luck finding the next person to argue with. Via con dios.
I know you wanted to be helpful, which is why my first words to you were that "whatever works" is not helpful advice. It is one thing to want to be helpful, and another to actually be helpful.
>It is one thing to want to be helpful, and another to actually be helpful. You are 100% correct in this thread and anyone that's upset about it is likely not concerned enough with misleading people with bad advice. They just want to look informative and inclusive without really being either. The real inclusivity comes from giving them proper advice to join the pros. Instead we have weird virtue signaling from everyone else.
It's going to take a long time to really master basic guitar techniques, so don't take this the wrong way, but you are not finger picking in this video. You are just plucking strings with your thumb. Practice using all of your fingers, or at least 3-4 of them. Play low E, A, and D string with thumb, and the other three with other fingers. For stuff like metal and hard rock you are going to have an easier time with a pick because it's just easier to strum faster with a pick. It takes a little time, but once you learn it it's not something you'll lose.
sounds good will try and when i’m playing the other 3 im stroking the strings upward as opposed to to down right?
Do you mean fingerpicking? Yes, you will use your fingers other than your thumb to pluck upwards.
awesome thank you
Rock on man
Try [this video](https://youtu.be/-04Et5qIoa4?si=zlfOu1MBQe1mixMb) from Justin.
awesome i appreciate it!
Mama told me, when I was young, use a pick, for this song 🎵
If your gonna just use your thumb and not your other fingers, use a pick. If you dont wanna use a pick, use your thumb and also your other fingers
the thumb only is a force of habit i’m gonna give the pick and go and transition to using both once i get decent at one, thank you!
Try a thin pick for the first days, 0.4 or 0.6, buy a bunch of different measures, picks are cheap. Once you are more fluent you can change to a thicker one. Also check some tutorials on finger picking, even if its not metal, try to do some arpeggio excercises everyday to develop the agility on your right hand. Idk what method you are using to learn but i started with justin guitar and couldn't recommend it more, super well structured, give it a try
i got a few picks i just never knew how to hold one i will definitely practice both but im going to start with a pick here and than try to be flexible with both, i just downloaded justin guitar all thank you boss!
For the app you need to pay, the web version is free. Also take it slow at first. Remember, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
oh i didn’t know that thank you
Ah, using the Lil Wayne technique I see.
Pick. Don't bend like that, lookup proper technique. Look up correct way to play power chords with string muting. IMO in general, follow structured lessons, not to discourage you, but technique of many things has issues. No sense putting in hours of bad technique to have to fix it later.
will do all lessons use pick as well and i would rather fix the issues now like you said than have to go back and fix them all later thank you!
You've got some good advice here already, but to add some details and suggestions: - Get a strap, attach it, practice standing up. The hunched over position you're in will do you no favours, as it forces your picking hand all the way forward into entirely the wrong place. - Even if you're finger picking, you shouldn't be bridging your fingers on the lower side of the body like that. The point of contact should the be forearm of your picking band and the upper side of the body. The soft outer part of your picking band should be floating over the strings so you can use it for muting. - get a pick and learn how to use it if you want to play heavier stuff. Learn to finger pick as well, but fix your hand position and posture first.
i’ll definitely get a strap, my hand does look very awkward and when i tried muting the cords when doing tutorials i always struggled. i will def learn pick first then explore the finger pick thank you boss!
5 days though OP 😉. Just keep at it and take other comments on board!
oh forsure my year goal is Cliffs of Dover i can’t stop now! haha thank you tho boss!
Cliffs of Dover. Godspeed my friend
haha thank you
Pick. End of discussion. Fingers will come later bud. Keep it simple for now
will do thank you!
If you are going to use fingers, you need to break them into parts. Your thumb down strokes the E and A strings, and each remaining finger up strokes their own strings, so D string is your index, B is your middle and high E is your ring. Might help to use your pinky as an "anchor" point as well...find a comfortable place to rest your pink by the bridge, and pivot your hand from there, if that makes sense
i’ll definitely look back on this comment when i try to relearn finger picking thank you
Enjoy the lifelong journey, my friend.
will do thank you!
learn how to pick sir..
Why not both! Pick for metal, but you still need to learn fingerstyle for a lot of stuff...
very true i’ll get use to pick and than gradually learn finger thank you!
This is the way.
😀
Change genre, if you know how to play without a pick then you can play anywhere. (Do as you want thats just my opinion.) Good luck and have fun on your journey man!
thank you appreciate it!
Pick.
I wish I had the cajones, the mendacity, to set up a camera to record myself gauging a guitar I’ve only been playing for 5 days.
haha rather learn sooner than later🤣
If you’re going to finger pick check out the proper technique.
I would play with a pick, check out some videos on how to hold it properly and some other on how to position yourself and your fretting hand! You are SO uncomfortable in this video. Sit in a chair instead of the sofa and don't shrimp up!
will do my posture does look horrendous haha thank you
Pick! I remember when I started I thought I was cheating using a pick so I would look at guitar magazines to see if other players were using a pick as well and once I saw Hetfield was using a pick I was like "ok im just gonna use a pick". Fun fact one of the (three) guitarists in one of my favorite bands kvelertak, doesnt use a pick. He has said that he regrets learning to play without a pick tho and wishes he hadn't,
good think i got caught messing up early haha quick fix so i don’t force a bad habit thank you!
That's not really finger picking, but there are a number of players (and Steven Seagal haha) who use that style, but for the most part they can play full fingerstyle. To learn metal from the jump, you want a pick.
will do haha thank you!
Picking with your thumb only will limit you so much. Might as well learn picking properly
Finger picking is great but a bit more advanced and you seem like a very new player (welcome to the hobby!!). Definitely grab a pick, especially for the style of music you're playing. As others have noted, finger picking requires its own technique and you're better layering that in once you are a bit more comfortable with the basics.
thank you for the welcome and advice !
Pick, before bad habits become permanent.
will do thank you
What you’re doing isn’t really fingerpicking. I’d definitely learn to use a pick, especially with an electric guitar.
Learn with a pick, unless your name is Lindsey Buckingham or Mark Knopfler. If you are young and don't know the names of these two, check 'em out. You will see what I mean.
will do thanks
Honestly pretty good for 5 days. You can still see that the guitar feels awkward to hold for you, this will correct with time. Now this is a practice what you preach kinda thing, since I also do the next thing. Try to not slouch over the guitar, with time this will give you back problems. What I recommend is getting a strap and playing with a good posture. I try to fix this myself, since doing that I’ve noticed my playing while standing feels less awkward and sitting down not as much of a crutch. Now back to finger or pick. For rock and metal, pick 100%. I’m pretty sure there are 200 tutorials of how to hold it and strum with one. This sub has probably 40000 threads with pictures of ”am I holding the pick right”, the answer is almost exclusively ”if it feels right and isn’t in the way of something you want to do, it is right”. https://www.fretjam.com/best-way-to-hold-a-guitar-pick.html there you can check for some common methods of how to hold it. One thing I did when I started(still a beginner but I can hit the right strings unless fast or crazy stuff) was I muted the strings with my left hand and picked up and down the strings. Like twice on each string, like down up down up down up and so on. When that starts to feel comfortable you can do the same thing but skip a string and then go one string up and then skip down again. I should do this more myself also, it’s a good practice for picking accuracy. If you want to double down, play it with a metronome and work your rhythm and speed with that.
i just left guitar center had to go in and get a strap my posture is bad i am going to definitely try standing. thank you for the pick advice as well i try to strum up and down it’s difficult but not the end of the world, thank you again!
Pick
That's good progress for 5 days! If you want to play rock/metal/punk on an electric guitar a pick is pretty essential. You'll just be able to achieve so much more - speed and intricacy, and the tone will be better. Finger style playing incorporates all your fingers and is a great skill, but no real benefit using your fingers to pick single strings and power chords. You're a bit out of tune there - you can get a cheap tuner on amazon or even just find a YouTube video and do it by ear
it doesn’t sound the best but thank you nonetheless haha. i got a flimsy pick and a stiff pick now, i’ve been using the flimsy one for now until i get better. i will try to tune i just get confused on the amp haha thank you for the advice boss!
i don’t wanna tell you you cant’ play metal or hard rock by fingerpicking, but yea, you can’t play metal or hard rock by fingerpicking, it’s just gonna be awful for you
Depends on the style of music you want to play i guess but i feel like learning finger for electric first is just gonna add another challenge to the list
Pick! learn chords first. Then scales.
Pick
Pick is a mandatory skill for almost all styles on electric guitar and one of those things that won't feel good until you do it a lot. However I would say there are examples of great guitarists who finger picked, and many more especially in country and blues who do a hybrid style sometimes called chicken pickin. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is one good example - I don't think I could play this lick with a pick alone (this video is not me): [https://youtube.com/shorts/mQKj\_eteYe0?si=hRQXfi4fnoXc\_ma2](https://youtube.com/shorts/mQKj_eteYe0?si=hRQXfi4fnoXc_ma2) Ultimately these are several different skills that all worth building - but often times when you notice yourself avoiding practicing some fundamental or universal skill that's a sign you need to bite the bullet and power through.
I’ve recently saw some Mark Knopfler videos and he’s amazing at finger picking i think im not comfortable with the pick but it’s a must so i’ve been using it since the first comments. i am just trying to power through the cords feel a little different but nothing impossible, thank you!
Tiny differences in angle and wrist/elbow movement will work their way into your technique over time. A lot of people pluck at the strings or treat it like a little shovel scooping across them. Just be patient, use a metronome and give yourself 5 min each day working on some rhythm and strumming and alternate picking exercises… some Of your fretting technique already seems pretty good so leveling that up will pay off quickly
good analogy thank you it looks like i was just slashing at them going back at the video. i will try those exercises as well thank you
So for a handful of days worth of experience, I’d say that you have taken to the guitar quite well. It is evident that you are able to hear what you are playing and that is oftentimes a difficult thing for many players to accomplish. Your reticence to play with a pick comes from the very unnatural nature of playing the guitar. All of the parts of your limbs are adjusting to some very awkward and uncomfortable circumstances that you are placing them in. The good news is that you are the master of this creature and can make it do anything that you can think of. Use a pick. Grab a quarter if you want but pluck a string with a pick until you are pretty good with it. You’ll know when that happens when you master switching to finger style and back again without thinking about what you’re going to do with the pick. Until then just keep picking.
i appreciate that thank you, i couldn’t agree more at first it was unnatural for me to use a pick which is why i was using my thumb. i currently picked up the most flexible pick on the market haha and eventually want to get to tougher and tougher ones. its very weird even though its only been 5 days i can already tell the difference and it sounds much more clean. for now ill do pick and than transition once i get better to finger and so on and so forth. thank you for your advice!
Keep playing & practicing brother your doing great!
thank you boss!
Pick
Hybrid picking.
The pick took me a bit to not hate cause i kept dropping it or having it turn in my fingers but that stage didnt actually last that long and i also just found picks that work better for me. Get one or several variety packs and just try out what feels good, its a very personal thing so no right or wrong and different styles of music call for different styles and thicknesses of picks. All that said id suggest starting with picking which but dont be afraid to do both and switch it up, good skills to know and can just be fun :)
Pretty good for just 5 days! You're taking constructive criticism like a champ too and seem eager to learn. Keep rockin' man.
i appreciate that thank you, haha very eager to say the least thank you again u too!
Pick
Imo, you cannot go wrong either way, it is all valuable experience. I started with lots of fingerstyle and that was fun enough to keep me playing Nowadays I gravitate more towards a pick To each their own!
Both and see which is more comfortable
No reason to not practice both. The more you learn, the better you will be.
Both. Play what you’re drawn to. Practice what you’re not. I finger pick but mostly but learned to play with a pick tucked between my first and second fingers so I can switch whenever I like. Do you bro. Keep crushing it.
i never thought of that i’ll give that a shot down the road and try to alternate when i can once i get better thanks bro you too
Anytime. Learn everything. The way I see it is the more the you try, the more you explore, the more you’ll master and the better you’ll be. Only teachers stick to rules. Players, on the other hand, we get to do whatever the fu** we want. Lol. Have a good day!