5 Reasons I STOPPED Using a Thumbpick for Fingerstyle Guitar | Adam Rafferty 

Hey! Do you use a thumbpick? How do you play guitar? Leave a comment below to let me know!

Great advice. Don't copy other players to play like them. Do what you need to do to play like you and develop your sound. Smart.

I am German and have to watch the video three times to understand everything correctly. You're doing great, and I want to thank you for your great work

I continue to evaluate this - mostly because there are so many guitarist I love who use a thumb pick. My latest favorite is Eric Skye who even plays solo jazz with a thumb pick. But I always come back to tone and volume BALANCE. Good luthiers work hard to find this balance between all 6 strings when hand crafting a guitar. Then, we stick a thumb pick on and this balance is gone. Without the pick, it seems I have much more control over the tone and volume mix of all six strings. For fingerstyle, if any string is "supposed to slightly louder" is should obviously be where the melody is - not the bass line. Thanks Adam, John Gig Harbor, WA

This is great Adam, love the way you put it together, well done!

That makes perfect sense. Ever since I was told to use a thumbpick all the time, I've been so nervous on stage that I can barely play at all. It makes sense that nervousness would be less of a problem with a bare thumb because you get that tactile feedback from the strings to your thumb and eventually to your brain. The thumbpick shuts down that feedback loop. It stops those messages from being received. I'm going to purposely try to use my bare thumb from now on.

Great topic and SO informative in a very freeing way. You are a great guide, Adam! Much love from Delaware .

Very good Video. Today I normal use no thump Pick. Because: The melody must be louder than the bass. And you can damp the Bass-String with the bare thump. Not with an thump pick.

Dear Adam: Thank you for your exceptional work. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. My instrument has always been the classical guitar, and I have never used a pick. I play many of their arrangements on classical guitar and they sound wonderful. It is about adapting the technique slightly and ... magic !!! I repeat, thank you very much for sharing your expertise.

Loving these lessons Adam

best commentary on the subject ever!!! thank you Adam, you said what I couldn't put into words.

Awesome correlation between Sor and classical guitar nails vs. no nails. Great points here Adam. It's so true with the "sound like you" part. Guitarists are always asking "how do I find my sound?" Playing with pure fingers is an immediate trick to unlock your own sound. You sure have found your sound, and what a tone and groove you get. Thanks for the video!

ADAM, thank YOU so much for this brilliant advise and Christmas gift :)))! Stay healthy and tuned please! Bernd

I am a guitarist who plays without it. But someday ago I learned a song from sungha jung and at fist I learned it without thumbpick. Than I realized sth. is not there. I knew that sungha played the song with thumbpick. So, I tried it and it really helped me. That means that it is also a question of wich song do you play right now. I think that it depends on the song you're playing. For me I never played with thumbpick before, but if you can do both it's even better. Because if you can do both you can decide if you need it or not.

Adam, magic video man! Thank you so much for putting this together.

Great info, and a quite a bit of food for thought.. Good job.

Hi Adam-it's great to hear your thoughts on this subject. I too have done a deep dive on thumbpick vs. Thumb. I've gone with just using my thumb-it feels more natural to me and like you, definitely a warmer-more earthy tone. I also feel a bit more connected to the instrument if that makes sense-good stuff and thanks for the video.

Hey Adam, great video. I’ve been trying to force myself to use the thumbpick and you just made me see the folly of my ways. Thanks so much. Tony

Have always played finger style with no pick. Just now learning to use a thumb pick because it seemed all my heroes use them. Your perspective is really helpful. Lots to consider. Thank you.

I prefer to feel the strings on my fingers and thumb but I’m persevering with thumbpick and palm muting as I’ve only been playing a few years. You’ve explained how I can decide which is best for me so thank you ! 👍

Not only have I ditched the thumb pick, but I’ve also resorted to playing with only two fingers. That has allowed me to be much more relaxed on stage and I seem to be able to cover just as much ground harmonically as I could using three or four fingers. I also keep my fingernails cut extremely short

For years I played guitar without using thumbpick and fingernails. I'm glad to see you stopped using thumbpick.

Great video man!

Great Informative advice. I’ve been playing without a thumb pick for 50 years playing various styles, just recently used one, hopelessly. I’ll try it for 50 years then let you know which I prefer.

Great advice which is going beyond the thumb-pick decision. Very many thanks!

Fascinating, thanks. Been fingerstyle player for 9 years and only cracked using a thumbpick about a year ago. Since then I use it on most but not all songs. Your video made me think about it more and I'll try it more both ways. For me the thumbpick made a significant improvement.

Great advice. Just shows how you learn, develop, or, can hold yourself back by blinkered thinking.

Great thoughts!

Great video, very helpful!

Brilliant video Adam, thank you! I naturally arrived at similar conclusions and for the last few years have gone 100% to the thumb after putting quite a bit of time into the thumb pick... It was great to hear these considerations so nicely presented, your final point about "going with nature" is wonderful! Please keep up the great work! I'm a new subscriber for sure!

Hi Adam I use to play with my thumb, but honestly I love both cause its different sound for my play latin, country jazz,and funk.You are right but I keep practicing both technices for now.Thanks man your the best.

Great timing on this for me! I started playing guitar more regularly after several months of not playing. I used to use a thumbpick on many songs but got away from it. After a few days of jamming my thumb was getting sore. I thought maybe I should use the thumbpick again. Guess I need to give it time to build up some callous! Thanks for sharing your ideas!

I agree with each of your five reasons for not using a thumb pick. I just prefer that natural response from the strings... it's also quite hard to convert to using a thumb pick if you haven't been used to using one in the past? It involves a change to how you move your thumb....a different action so to speak. BTW your videos are very informative. Thank you.

A year ago I responded with "I always come back to the thumbpick." Now I'm starting to waver though I still find the pick optimal when I'm going for that chunka-chunka Travis thing. I'll get back to you in a year. Thanks again for this intelligent video .

I was almost all the way to thumb pick converting from watching such great use of them. But you've convinced me, I agree with all 5 points. 🙏

Thank you Adam for this great insight. You framed the topic perfectly and gave me concrete things to think about. Thumb picks can be a great tool for many players, yet they can feel detrimental to some players and their music. I personally think I play and sound better without them. I certainly feel more comfortable and confident. Please keep these videos coming!

I agree with each of those reasons and would add the convenience factor. I always have my thumb, but I don’t always have a thumb pick. This was a great validating video for me, as I have struggled with this question. I learn so much from you Adam. Thanks

I needed this..thanks

Hugely helpful Adam. Thank you

I play more with a thumbpick but I like practicing using bear thumb because this makes me play cleaner when using a thumbpick. Thanks, Adam, for this and many other great tips you present us. Blessed be !

Interesting take on the topic - for sure - I have used my fingers for a very long time, but always worried and struggled with the "fingernail" issue, but this gave me a different perspective on that - glad that you decided to share your insight.

First off, I love your groove when you play. Your love of music is refreshing and you are one of my favorites. I am a skin player. I never intended to it just happened naturally so I roll with what I know. If it's good enough for Jeff Beck than I am fine with it my pick is my index fingernail so I never have to look for or loose a pick. Thanks for the channel and have a great day my friend.

Great video! Love your groove and your five points of why you have gone to flesh. I use the thumb pick mostly chicken picking Buster B and Jerry Reed. Flesh on ballads and a number of your groove arrangements. Keep it up!

Fantastic video

thank you so much you made my day. god bless you

What a terrific musician, with the heart of a teacher!

Very well explained!

I totally relate to being nervous on stage due to lack of connection with strings. And that feeling of everything being so frail, horrible. I I've tried at least six different picking techniques to overcome that, and had some success, but never quite felt there. I need to give finger style a chance again (I have played fingerstyle in the past).

This was very well explained.

There's a lot of ambient noise in my apartment complex, pool motors and such, so I can't really get any 'touch' and tone unless its late night. I don't really need any pick then, plus as much as I bitch about neighbor noise, I try to keep it down. 😉

Amazing video! I discovered the same things you said in this video after going back and forth between the two. In the end I realized that for me just using my bare thumb and fingers works best for all the styles I play. In an interview with Leo Kottke from I believe 1987 that I found on the internet he said pretty much the same thing and went on to say that he wished he never started with them in the first place. This is just a personal preference. That said I, like you, love all the thumbpick players from Scotty Anderson to Oscar Aléman and everyone in-between so whatever works for the player is the best way for them.

I don't use a thumbpick for a lot of the same reasons! But the nervousness thing was one that really clicked with me. If I start adding too many "extras" to my sound I get lost quickly - but when I get back to basics I'm more relaxed. Thanks Adam!

so well explained

What a great video Adam. I “let go” of picks years ago for a similar reason as the last one you mentioned. I realized that I didn’t like the idea of how much of the presentation of the songs was built upon my not having an issue with the pick (having it slip around, dropping it, etc.) I also wanted consistency in going from the strum to the fingerstyle aspect. Transitioning from pick to fingers was far too dramatic, sonically, than what I wanted. Anyway, I could say a lot more, but just wanted to share that and say I always appreciate your analysis, thank you! 😊

Excellent video! All your reasons for no thumb pick hit home with me. I'm an electric player, and always will be. However, a few years ago I spent a few months just doing acoustic. Used a thumb pick. Kinda got discouraged with my lack of progress on the acoustic so I went back to strictly electric guitar. Kept on using a thumb pick when I went back to the electric, but eventually returned to using my beloved Dunlop Jazz III "stubbies". Recently, I have picked up the acoustic again. But this time I just used my bare thumb. It felt way more natural, sounded much fatter, and I feel way more confident without a thumb pick. Acoustic playing has become a renewed love and I plan on keeping it going, even if all my gigs are electric guitar oriented for the foreseeable future.

I'm 73 and played guitar all my life (so far). I've seen people recommending it, and been practising with a tp for about 3 months now, but I can't get over these issues. 1 It pinches my thumb and feels awkward. 2 As my thumb is higher it's at un unusual angle for the joint. 3 I can't get the timing right with the groove the same way. 4 The bass sounds hard, and out of balance volume-wise. 5 I won't have one handy all the time away from home. I think I'll forget them now. A good video, thanks.....

This is great stuff! I’ve tried getting into a thumb Pick for years, but has given it up for the exact same reasons you describe here... I’ve developed a mix between flesh of the thumb and nails on the other fingers( I had some classical lessons in My youth) But I also play hybrid with a regular flatpick when I want the attack of a Pick on the lower strings...

I can relate to Reason No.5! I can record properly (without nervousness) if I'm not using my thumbnail. I'm classically-trained but at this point in time, I'm enjoying more if I play the classical guitar using my thumb flesh. I love the warm sound of it too (jazz tone). Thanks Adam for this wonderful insight! Cheers!

Thanks! I'm struggling from a long time to learn to use the thumb pick but I always felt I was not playing as well as without. After this video I think I will spend my time practicing more to play guitar than trying to do something that is not in my "strings"... Thank you for your music Adam!

Hi Adam, great video and very interesting hearing what you have to say about the confidence aspect of playing without picks or fingernails and the sensory connection of the finger flesh with the strings. I 've played classical guitar for over forty years and trying to maintain finger nails has been an endless problem. In recent years I have been experimenting with all kinds of different thumb and finger picks including trying to adapt thumb picks for nylon strings by sticking bits of felt or rubber on the pick as I did not like the the buzz against the wound base strings when trying to damp a string with the pick and also unbalanced volume. I have had quite good results with a combination of a single Alaska type pick on the RH 'a' (anular) finger (which always seems to be the one that breaks!) and a 'damped' thumb pick. One of the main advantages I find using a thumb pick is not having to arch the RH wrist at all in order for the thumb nail to make contact with the string and this makes for a straighter more efficient wrist position. Using a thumb pick I do like the more defined baselines especially when I to play Bach (try to!). However, I think over all the tone without picks or nails is superior especially when recording.

When playing jazz I have always loved the thumb-picking sound of Wes Montgomery and George Benson, and I believe you're right when it comes to confidence-building. I always know "where" I am when thumb-picking. Of course, l love listening to players like Tommy, that use a thumb-pick, but jazz guitar is my "thing" (mio cosa LOL).

Great tips.

Thanks Adam!

Hi Adam, totally agree with all you say. I use short ima nails so I plant on flesh and just flesh for thumb and I just find I like the base treble volume balance more. You have articulated really wisely all the other reasons. Long time fan- keep groovin' Adam. Love your work.

Adam, could you please do a video on the other four fingers one day. Cant find any videos on it and they are just as important. Thank you

Hey Adam - Great video! I have struggled for years with trying to use a thumbpick. (I started out using all fingerpicks, like a banjo player). I would always end up ditching the thumbpick as it just felt cumbersome. There's something about actually feeling the strings, not to mention the tonal implications! Thanks again. Groove on!

I must admit I got a real chuckle after watching this one Adam. I was at at performance of yours at Chalker's in Toronto.... 2012 ish!! Heck you even had a beer at our table during the intermission. On the way home I told my buddy I am going to dig in and give that thumb pick at try. Many instances of that Dunlop piece of plastic being launched across the room followed, but I persevered. Now here we are... its alway in my pocket just in case someone passes me a guitar to play..... LMAO.... cheers mate, love the videos!!

I am playing on a Gibson LG2 made in 1954 which sat dormant for about 65 years. My music school went out of business when I was about 10 yrs old. I've picked it up again and went to Tune University to reteach myself. I always used a flat pick when I was young but got onto fingerstyle and dropped the picks altogether. I never thought about it much but did love the sound that I was making.

Thanks Adam! Really enjoy your videos! I play with my bare thumb 80% of the time. It seems to be a better tonal match to what my fingers are doing. I have acrylic extensions on 3 fingers of my right hand, but they’re relatively short. When I’m playing something like “Time” by the Pozo Seco Singers I wear a customized thumb pick to produce more tonal contrast between the base and the treble. But I really prefer that feel of the bare thumb much more than using a pick.

Just right on time. I was thinking, should I start using thumb-pick... Now I know - not at all

Hi Adam....I'm straddling the fence as well. I've always played pickles, but getting harder to keep my nails (work/job). You've inspired me to dive deeper on the groove and feel...Thank you!

Another great lesson from the master of groove.I use a thumbpick and fingerpicks purely for volume when playing background music in noisy venues,mainly so i can actually hear what i'm playing.I do much prefer bare flesh but it's just not practical for the gigs i do.Thanks for the lesson Adam

Thank you!

The naked thumb feels and sounds so natural. Yet with the thumbpick the pronounced articulation (particularly with harmonics) and the other notes that it allows me to hear make it tempting to use. However, if you hit a wrong note with the thumbpick it is also amplified 😁Without amplification of any kind I would go with the thumbpick for volume. I dislike the feel of the pressure it applies to my thumb, though.

OK, thats a very good explanation, so I will not buy the thumbpick yet, and now I have to find a video of you playing with your thumb :-)

Thanks a lot for the video and sharing your thoughts and experience, Adam. Coming from the finger picking corner I always used a thumb pick when playing "publicly". In a private more relaxed setting (particularly when playing on my own) I often play without and - although there is a perceived lack of "speediness" and crisp sound - it feels more natural to me and the groove is much better. I will give it a try and explore in more detail how it feels and sounds using my bare thumb only.

Excellent Adam. Really Love your style. I started playing w a thumb pick couple years ago. Mostly Tommy songs also Tommy, Ed Gerhard and other songs with thumb only. The challenge I have had using my thumb and getting crisp sound is that it tends to sit behind my fingers not in front. To my pleasant surprise you also have your thumb behind fingers not in front....and it sounds great! Looking forward to diving deeper into your playing 😊

Interesting video. I've given this a lot of thought and go back and forth. I always come back to the thumbpick. Biggest reason beside the precision of the attack is that the hand position it dictates is much more comfortable for me. Thanks for the vid.

I don't just play bass with my thumb. I also use it for non-bass rhythm notes, especially in passages where I'm when letting strings ring. I learned without a thumbpick, so never noticed that these arrangements sounded "wrong" until I started using one. So, reason #6: it allows my thumb to sound like my other fingers.

it's same happen to me. thanks for revealitation. more confidence it's important.

I've been playing for 57 years. Started by strumong with a flat pick. A few years in I started finger picking using several styles. I now play mostly classical, flaminco, folk, country, and blues. Learned a lot watching Chet Atkins but found I favored his teacher's style (Meryl Travis) and play largely Travis picking or my own modification of the same. Still use some flat pick for rhythm beats (or hold my index finger between my thumb and middle finger and use the nail as a pick). The majority of the time however is finger picking. I have short nails on the left hand for use on the keyboard and about 3/8" nails on the right which allows me to play either with a nail or flesh depending on the tone I am looking for on a particular song or section within a song. I may also deaden the note with either the heel of my right hand or by slightly lifting my fingers on the left hand.

Thanks for this great video. I’d add another reason for bare thumb over thumb pick is better tonal balance. When I use a thumb pick, those notes are so much louder than the notes played with my other fingers. With just my thumb, the volume seems more consistent

I was going to get my first thumbpick and went to youtube to learn something about them, and this is one of the first videos I found. Thanks for great insights, I decided I would just use my bare fingers :)

Great lesson Adam. As you know, I use my natural nails but I also use the flesh of my thumb for exactly what you are talking about. I’m also happy using a thumbpick and using UV nails. I’ve done every combination. I always tell my students that they need to find what works for them. When using my fingernails, I like to keep my fingernails short enough that the flesh of my finger touches the string before the nail. It makes me feel more connected to the guitar. I can totally understand what you are getting at. Especially when people are using bright sounding pickups, they might consider the flesh as opposed to picks. On the other hand, I also love the precision that comes from using a thumbpick and fingernails. In a bigger hall it helps define the notes better. For example, Robin Bullock gets a pristine sound by using plastic fingerpicks on every finger and his thumb. But I’ve also heard him play without the picks and the sound is much sweeter. Not as loud and clear, but sweet. When I play that Chet Atkins style, I lean toward using a thumbpick so that I can get the proper muting technique in the right hand. Without the thumbpick, I don’t really need to mute as much so I guess it can work either way. My entire album “It’s Only the Blues” was recorded using my nails and thumb without a thumbpick. I went through a phase where I basically didn’t want to be caught in a situation where I was asked to play and didn’t have the right picks to use so I learned to do everything with what I had already attached to my body. If you watch any of my Dream Guitars videos, you’ll see that I rarely use picks unless the guitar is already scratched up. I hear people like you and Laurence Juber play with the flesh of their fingers and it’s obvious that it doesn’t hold you back. Vicki Genfan played a few online shows without her nails shortly after the pandemic shut us down and she sounded great. The pandemic has caused all of us to reassess the situation. I decided to go back to natural nails while Amy bought a UV nail kit online. It’s all individual and it really does become a part of your own sound, no matter what you choose. Thanks again, Al

Oh my God, what you just said about "nervousness" really hit home to me. Wearing you're thumb pick "walking in your shoe's mentality", and doing so for over 55years I believe you may be right. I think my right-hand position might have to open up a bit to be able to use the end and get a good contact with the string though.

I've tried thumb picks and they just never felt right to me. I feel perfectly comfortable playing with a flat pick but for fingerstyle, it's no pick for me.

I've tried thumb picks. I've tried finger picks and nails. I keep coming back to flesh on strings -- and for me it's mainly about feeling in control. Anything between my nerve endings and the strings just makes me nervous and unsteady. I thank you so much for this video because I've often harbored guilt feelings for not mastering those techniques. But the truth is, I never enjoy my playing enough to work hard enough and long enough to master. And now I know that's okay! I'm playing my style. And it's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. (And I do! ;-) )

It is clear you put a lot of thought into this question, Adam, and came to a reasoned decision. Learning to play classical guitar is my foundation with the instrument. Even when playing a metal string acoustic or electric guitar, I have always preferred fingerstyle. When I was young, I listened to and loved Mark Knopfler of Dire Straights long before I found out he was finger picking the electric guitar the whole time! So I have never considered using a thumb pick. The question I have grappled with is flesh versus flesh/nail. Until I was 40, it wasn't a question because I chewed my nails. So flesh alone it was. After a two week vacation in Hawaii, unplugged from the news, I was able to quit the nail-chewing habit. 15 years later I was near the end of a slow-mo journey completing a BS in Mathematics degree I started at 52 and the courses were so hard and the stress of exams was such I started chewing my nails again. Topology was the course that did it to me. This semester I am completing my last math requirement for the degree (abstract linear algebra) and I'm in solid shape going in to the final and have quit chewing my nails again. So, in the next few months I will be back wresting with how to trim my nails to get the right combination of flesh and nail. Will let you know how that goes.

I play with flesh since I learned to play guitar more than 20 years ago. At the beginning, I used my thumb flesh because I liked it more than thumbpick and I spent the first 15 years without touching any pick. Also, I had the feeling that I should focus only on one of them, I though that learning both would be to much work and hold me back. At some point, after watching great performances on yt, I decided to learn to use it. Unfortunately, it did not work for me, maybe I am already too used to flesh but I am very OK with it because it is the sound I like the most. Thanks Adam. I always enjoy your music and words!

Using a thumb pick has revolutionised my playing, but this is a very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.

wow excellent video i have/had this issue. You are so right!! i have competed in thumbstyle competitions and for many years i was absolutely a thumbpick guy or i didnt want to hear it. I do play with my nails they're all grown, and bass with the flesh of the thumb. a thumbpick keeps me from doing things i would normally be able to do w/o them. anyways...i typed too much already, great vid thank you!

Hey Adam I really appreciate this video. I’ve been playing for many many years and was very proficient with the pick playing electric before I even picked up the acoustic and tried finger style. I never was comfortable with the thumb pick but I also love players like Tommy Emmanuel and Joe Robinson. I’ve gone through several attempts of trying to get comfortable with the thumb pick but it still feels foreign to me. It also never sounded quite right to my ears and this helps to bring it home That it just may not be my thing.

Hey, Just find you for the first time. Love your advice. I will follow you for shure. I am having a hard time with the Thumbpic. Norman Farrell, Montreal

Great video Adam. I've tried several times over the past 40+ years to develop my use of a thumb pick and even finger picks but I've always come back to just fingers. I've also gradually trimmed my right hand nails back further and further to get more of a flesh sound and less nail in my playing and I now rarely use a flat pick even on an electric guitar. I just prefer the precision and the tone of flesh on the strings but at the end of the day it's all about what you're trying to achieve and a pick is just a tool.

Nice discussion of reasons not to use a thumbpick. I don't either, but I use combination of flesh and nail. You didn't mention tendonitis that occurs more frequently w fingerpicks, but I expect thumb tendons can also get damaged. I find certain blues styles rely on thumb strum grooves. I have trouble w that w my thumbnail. I tend to hit specific bass strings, not strum several to create grooves. Thanks again, Adam!

I've used a Flat/Thumbpick for a very long time playing mostly electric guitar - adding Propik Fingertones for dobro and lap steel. However I never was totally comfortable with the Flat/Thumbpick as it felt a tad stiff (even after 20+ years of using it) and while I went back to regular plectrums once in a while, my technique for up/downstrokes just never was great. I tried to use bare fingers again and again and it felt great but I was kinda afraid of going all the way. What finally made me do was THIS VERY VIDEO and also discovering Richie Kotzen, who uses bare fingers in a rock context. So I just want to thank you very much! The points listed here are 100% my experience too: Lack of bass with the thumpick, groove and - yes - nervousness. I played my first short acoustic set with bare fingers about a year ago supporting a band. My pickup system was lacking, the soundman didn't really care and the audience was rather noisy. However, it felt GREAT. I realized I had a long way to go but the connection with the strings i.e the music was there just like you describe it here.

Great video Adam! Thanks for making such great content. When I started learning finger style, I tried the thumb pick route because in the end I thought that was what one "had" to do. However, I found that because I have very small hands, using a thumb pick caused me to adjust the angle of my hand so drastically that I couldn't comfortably reach the strings with my other fingers. I tried cutting the pick down to a shorter pick size, but that didn't work. I also found the thumb pick painful. I have nerve damange in my right hand and the thumb pick just added to the pain in my right hand. In fact, (long story) but I initially took up finger style guitar as an experiment to see if I could reverse some nerve damange and regain motor control in my right hand. Sometimes the brain can reroute its connections if you're paitent and give it the correct stimulation. I'm happy to report the experiement worked, even though I don't use a thumb pick. The final reason I don't use a thumb pick is that I like to feel the strings. So for now anyway, I've opted for the flesh of my thumb with a little bit of my thumb nail to help lengthen my extremely small hands. Thanks for giving us permission to ditch the thumb pick! Peace to you and groove on!

I'm not a very advanced player (and I haven't played guitar for years), but I used a thumb pick to accompany myself playing folk songs with alternate bass notes patterns (Dylan, Paul Simon...). It allows for a comfortable hand position, and naturally amplifies the bass. Later I became more interested in playing fingerstyle arrangements of songs (any style for that matter), which was a more free way of playing, and I found that it bothered me that the thumb would have a different treatment than the other fingers (and therefore a different sound). I would also insert some strumming in the fingerstyle, but any strum done with the pick would really stand out as too loud and bright compared to the rest.

I’ve never used any pick. Firstly, I wasn’t taught HOW to use a thumb or flat pick and over the 50+ years of trying it out on all levels, I equate playing with a pick to wearing snowshoes on my fingers. I’m so much more relaxed and fluid in both my strumming and finger style without the hindrance. I guess I should add that strumming I use my nails and finger style I use a sort of hybrid nail/flesh attack as I keep right nails trimmed at just at barely above the top edge of finger flesh. When they get longer, sometimes they get caught up on the string. Cheers.

Hi, makes sense. I play nylon string guitar no nails. Thanks