A small tip: if the thumbpick is too loose or tight, put it in hot water for some time and then put it on the finger. It will change the shape of pick accordingly.
I'll have to try this. My problem isn't being able to use the thumbpick, it's that the thing cuts off the circulation to my thumb, and is incredibly uncomfortable.
I tried hot water, but it didnt work for me. I used a lighter to directly heat the plastic. Of course you have to be careful not to melt the plastic and ruin it. You can also file the clip of the pick down in width a little to take some of the resistance out of it.
Just noticed your second post. I used to modify right handed Nationals to lefthanded, and trim the tip a little with fingernail clippers. Try the Jim Dunlops. They make medium(9012R) and large(9013R). Amazon and eBay sell them too.
Just wanted to say I enjoyed the video. I've been using a thumb pick for a few years now (Black Mountain). I've also used the Fred Kelly picks as well. You're right. You have to find your pick. I find the Black Mountain feels most like a regular flat pick. I can use it in the traditional role (the way I learned so many years when I was studying out of Mel Bay books). I can also use it to go to finger picking mode and use it as you were showing. It's nice when you can use one tool for two different things. That makes using the thumb pick worthwhile. I also use metal finger picks (pro picks) on index, middle, and ring finger. It took awhile to get used to them. They add quite a bit of volume that I don't get with bare fingers. The combination of thumb pick and finger picks allows you to play fingerstyle, although you have to learn the proper angle to strike the strings with the fingerpicks on index, middle, and ring. If the finger picks drag the string with the edge of the pick, you hear an unpleasant scrape noise. You have to learn to strike the string completely with the flat face of the finger pick. Not impossible to learn. This is just a matter of practice. I would be interested to know if you have used finger picks and if you have an opinion on them?
Biggest tip that worked for me: just play around with the thumb pick. Don't expect to put it on and sound great right away. Instead have fun with it. The brain is very flexible and will quickly get used to the new feeling. It took me a couple of days of playing with the thumb pick to not sound awful and somewhere between 1 week to a month to really start to take advantage of the new dynamics I was able to put in my playing because of it. So yeah, main thing for me was to simply have fun and not be frustrated. Best of luck!
I've found that most thumb picks are much larger and bulkier than what is comfortable. I take them home and reshape them to my liking. I mix it up between all out fingerstyle, hybrid, and flatpicking. Been playing fingerstyle for more than 30 years, but finally getting the hang of using thumbpicks. I site Chet Atkins as my influence for this style.
Great vid -One thing that may be worth a mention is the angle of the pick to the string which can be determined by rotating the pick slightly around the thumb either clockwise or anti- clock wise . A slightly less vertical attack allows the pick too roll off the string more smoothly.
Thank you, ive had a thunp pick sitting in my collection for many years and just got inspired to start using it thanks to learning Tim Buckley's Song to a Siren. Takes some getting used too!
Nice one , playing finger style is definitely the best skill I learnt when I first started playing , Never thought of trying a thumb pick but I learn though playing classical and Spanish guitar , still play pick less most the time when I play electric too , even jammed with a band playing funk a few months ago pick less ,
Very interesting. I imagine these exercises would also be useful for learning fingerpicking (speaking as someone who knows neither thumbpicking nor fingerpicking).
Nice lowden I live down the road from the lowden factory mr gorge makes some nice guitars 🎸 thanks man I’m trying to get the thumb thing off it’s coming but it’s slow
I like to have a balance between my thumb licks and finger picks on steel. Same thing with bare fingers. Licking your fingers will make the picks stay in place. Vodka works well too. Scribing a couple lines with a pen knife inside the blade helps too. Wear them a lot to get used to them.
very good points indeed!!😊 I've been playing steel string acoustic some 40+ years now. my style quickly grew into fingerstyle only playing and used the thumb pick (National) extensively for many years and then slowly morphed into thumb-nail/flesh only, after reading about the styles of many prominent singer/songwriter artists; now I absolutely cannot go back to the thumb pick!! the hand position and the feel is entirely different and almost foreign to each other.
Chet Atkins over the course of years tried to use a fingerpick 4 times and couldnt get used to it 4 times, on the 5th try he finally pushed trough and we all know what happened.
Thanks for the lesson sir. I really need to get bit more volume out of my guitar, the thumb pick is the way to go. Btw, love your Lowden, I wish I still had mine... which was a more OM/Concert from the late 90's. I should have kept that one. :(
My problem and the reason I've given up is I can't reach cords ie can't reach c cord across all three strings I've been trying now for over two months I practice every day was getting some cords like e and em and a9 and am but c my fingers are not reaching so gone to Piano I can play a few songs in less than two weeks wow feel better about it but guitar I feel sad about spent 4 months only managed 4 cords I'm 60 so was expecting difficulty but piano wow it's brilliant so far
1. Put your thumb pic in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds on HI. 2. Take it out and put it on your thumb and form to your thumb. 3. Run it under cold water while still wearing it to set it. 4. Instant custom formed fit thumbpick to your thumb
I keep meaning to make a thumb-pick video. I think the biggest problem beginners have with them is not pushing it far enough back on their thumb. You really have to push them back until almost all of (but not quite) your thumbnail is showing. Then it feels like a part of you after a while. And the further back you push it means the shank gets shorter and shorter too, which makes it easier to play them. I really like Golden Gate thumb-picks personally.
I have about 3/4ths of my thumbnail showing but I"ve seen players wear them farther back. It's just not comfortable for me that far back. If you watch John Standefer it looks like his pick is over the joint. I've tried all manner of picks. Even the $50 pick (I cannot recall the brand at the moment). Eventually, I settled on Fred Kelly Slick Pick medium.
The real problem with a thumb pick is the disparity in volume between the strings plucked with the thumb (LOUD!) contrasted with the strings picked with the fingers ( . . . much softer). Is the only way around this to use picks on each finger as well as the thumb? By the way, what model of Lowden guitar are you playing? It looks & sounds great.
The Lowden is a 2004 O35 spruce/koa. My baby. :-) In terms of the volume difference between the thumbpick and fingers - it's not really an issue. With a little practice, it's pretty easy to achieve a good balance.
Great lesson, thank you. I have one question about practice: When I am introducing each successive finger and practicing with that for 15 minutes, should I also spend time working the other finger I already conditioned? Thank you in advance.
I have no trouble where or playing with it on my thumb.... i actually like mine very tight almost to the point my finger gets purplish haha. Not that bad but you know what i mean lol. I like it very snug with a very small tip almost the size of a short finger nail.... MY BIGGEST issue with the thumb pick is, that it changes the tones of the bass while my fingers 1 2 and 3 do not sound as good.... the volume of the thumb is much louder and crashes out the sound of the other fingers doing the melody or the licks or whatever... Ive tried finger picks but there to awkward for me
I just got a thumbpick to mess around with (a good bluechip one) and I'm curious if it's even meant to strum. I can get the down strum well but the up strum just doesn't seem right. I'm guessing your not suppose to strum with thumbpicks??
i'm looking online for thumb picks now, they are described as left hand or right hand, and medium, small, large, lol does the left / right really make a difference seems like you can use either on both hands or not really ? Thanks great video.
DARN,, I guess Merle Travis, Chet Atkins & Jerry Reed and Many Others, Never knew they were Pussy's. Glad You got that straighten out. You are a Genius.. Or Something...
That being said, I did enjoy the lesson. I started playing guitar when I was 14, but only progressed so far because I couldn't afford lessons. Also that was the 80s metal era, and with me being into country and folk (even at that age) there really wasn't anyone in my peer group to learn from. I basically put the guitar down for years, only picking up one once in awhile to fool around on it a little. I'm 46 now, and just within the last year have made an effort to learn as much music theory as I can and progress on the guitar as much as possible. That includes fingerpicking. RU-vid is a wonderful tool for this I like the thumbpick, find I get more volume out of my thumb with it. For some reason I don't have that problem with my fingers so I don't worry about fingerpicks. Anyway, thanks for the lesson, hope to see more soon.
I don't know that there is an intrinsic advantage, however it is my personal preference for the following reasons - 1) I can still get a pick tone if I need it, 2) I can play a lot faster with the thumb pick than just my thumb.
It's not the motion or the tone I need to get used to when trying a thumb pick. I struggle with the distance my thumb is from the strings and still striking the string...........it is just NOT natural.
Bill, I mean't to ask , do you shape the pick with fine wet/dry sandpaper to adjust the length and the shape of the blade on your Fred Kelly slick picks ?
Thanks Bill..it is very hard to find a thumb-pick that has a comfortable attack surface. They are mostly too long and pointed. The fred kelly slick pick is the best I have found also.
You can find them online. just Google it. I found a few on ebay www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/200926107408?chn=ps&dispItem=1 www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/151074886108?chn=ps&dispItem=1
Sophie Christie I think there's different levels of 'handedness', if I had been forced to play righty I would have given up. It bet it helped with complex finger patterns, however.
