Finger picking playing technique - playing strings with fingers
Finger picking means playing, hitting or plucking with the fingers, whether or not in combination with a guitar pick. This is a totally different technique than playing with a pick, but is applied in all musical styles and on various stringed instruments. Below we list the different possibilities such as playing with fingertips, combination pick and fingers (hybrid picking), fingernails (nail picking) and finger picks.
FINGER PICKING : PLAY STRINGS WITH THE FINGERTIPS
Finger picking, as the name suggests, involves plucking the strings with the fingers instead of using a guitar pick. This technique produces a more acoustic and classical sound and allows for faster playing. Finger picking makes it easier to combine bass lines, chords, or arpeggios with melody lines, achieving a type of top voicing. Guitarist Jacques Stotzem is a notable example of this technique. Finger picking is used across all styles and is particularly ideal for ballads, folk, acoustic, and classical songs. The plucking is done with the fingertips (not the nails), resulting in a softer and warmer sound compared to using a pick or fingernails.
HYBRID PICKING – GUITAR PICK AND FINGER(S) COMBINED
Hybrid picking is the combination of using a guitar pick along with one, two, or three fingers. This technique can be applied across all musical styles. Its versatility is a significant advantage, as it allows quick transitions between chord strumming and hybrid picking. While similar to finger picking, hybrid picking involves one fewer available finger. This technique can be used on any type of guitar—electric, acoustic (western), or classical with nylon strings—as well as on other stringed instruments like bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, and ukulele.
NAIL PICKING – PLAYING GUITAR WITH FINGERNAILS
A typical technique among classical guitarists is playing strings with the fingernails. This method produces a purer and sharper sound compared to playing with the fingertips and closely resembles the sound of a pick. The advantage is that fingernails, being thin like a pick, can offer precise control. However, the disadvantage is the need to grow and maintain the fingernails on the right hand, ensuring they don’t break. It is also advisable to play on a classical guitar with nylon strings, as steel strings on an acoustic guitar can wear down the fingernails more quickly. Some classical guitarists file their nails into a specific shape to make them more pointed, similar to a pick or finger pick. If a nail breaks, professional guitarists often use superglue as a quick fix.
FINGER & THUMB PICKS
An alternative to playing with fingernails is using finger and thumb picks, which are worn on top of the fingertips. Sometimes, only a thumb pick is used in combination with the other fingertips, creating a form of hybrid picking. These finger picks are available in plastic (often nylon or celluloid) and metal. Plastic picks produce a softer sound, similar to fingernails, while metal picks sound louder and sharper. The main disadvantage of finger picks compared to using bare fingers is the lack of tactile feedback, as one does not directly feel the strings. Finger picks are less common in pop and rock music but are widely used in genres such as bluegrass and folk. They are also used on a variety of other stringed instruments, including the Hawaiian guitar, lap steel, pedal steel, dobro, and banjo.
INDICATION OF THE FINGERS ON A SCORE OR TABLATURE
For the right hand, the classic names from Spanish are often used: pulgar, indice, medio, anular. Since the English name is used for the left hand, such as T of thumb, you see the English names for the right hand more and more often on the internet nowadays.
Left hand
T = Thumb
1 = Index finger
2 = Middle finger
3 = Ring finger
4 = Pinky
Right hand (Spanish indications)
P = Pulgar (thumb)
I = Indice (index finger)
M = Medio (middle finger)
A = Anular (ring finger)
Right hand (English indications)
T = Thumb
I = Index finger
M = Middle finger
R = Ring finger
SCORE & GUITAR TAB EXAMPLE
Below is an example of finger picking with a C-chord with English names. In the left version 3 fingers are used, in the right version 4 fingers. Which one suits best is personal and depends a bit on the speed of the song.
Below is the same example, but with the classic Spanish PIMA names of the fingers.
