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Let me answer another question:
« Is it ok to play everything with the thumb, except parts that absolutely need a plectrum? »
Now, we could start with the usual platitude that everything is “ok” in music. Yeah, you can play with the thumb if you're satisfied with that.
But I will say that playing with the thumb alone is extremely limiting. Anything you can ...
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Second question first: your options shrink when you go 12-string. They always shrink options. They can be cool, but they are specialized gear.
I asked my rep at Sweetwater about adding a piezo bridge to a Fender Player Tele, and the quote put an $800 guitar to a $2000 guitar, with the custom wiring, the routing, etc. If I did it myself, the labor costs go ...
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There are two reasons to use this or that technique:
It's easier.
It adds an additional tool for expression.
You may be able to play to your satisfaction using only your thumb. That's good-- maybe you will be extra good at it and it can be your signature sound.
However, what's the advantage of NOT learning to use a pick (or pull-offs, or finger-tapping, ...
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There is no one way. I probably use 5 or 6 different ways, depending on what/where/how I'm playing.
I agree with the good Doktor - hold it tight enough so you don't drop it, loose enough to have flexibility.It also depends on whether you're stumming or picking single/double strings, skipping strings and a myriad of other ways to play.
It sounds like you ...
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Without seeing a picture, it's hard to say exactly what you are doing, but honestly, if you look at 20 guitar greats you will find 20 different ways to hold a pick. It really doesn't matter as much as you think. You just need to make sure you can hold it tight enough to not drop it, and loose enough to be able to move it/angle it as needed. Some folks have ...
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I was a left-hand-only player like you for about a year. I knew a ton of chords and theory up and down the neck, I just still "sounded" like a beginner. Even with all the theory in the world, my right hand was sloppy, and the right hand is what actually sounds the notes you grip with your left hand.
On to your actual question, Do I need to use a ...
3
I know you said no dry exercises but IMHO there are some "dry" exercises you should be doing away from the guitar that will greatly help you with pick control and speed.
Back in the 1990's I was facing a crisis, of sorts. I was in a rock band and having trouble keeping up and as the lead guitarist I needed to be able to shred at least a little bit. ...
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...it's way easier and so I play a lot better by just using my thumb as a plectrum...
Hey, same! Nice to meet you.
I've been playing rock and blues for a little over ten years (self taught). Never once seriously picked up a pick; it's basically all thumb. It looks like this.
Whether your chosen technique handicaps your playing is completely up to you!
Not ...
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Your thumb looks perfectly fine. Yes, it is different from the thumb shown in the second photo, but just based on this photo I don't see it as a problem. That person bends the thumb back, because that's their natural range of motion, yours is different.
The most important message from the second photo is that in classical guitar technique the basic hand ...
2
I don't think you will be able to id it from that video. There doesn't seem to be a mark on the headstock so the next most likely place to check is a label inside the guitar, usually right under the sound hole. The video doesn't seem to have any close ups that would let you see any such labels.
This page gives an interview where Robin Pecknold talks about ...
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Note that it is a very common style to wrap your thumb around the neck of the guitar to fret or mute the fifth and six string. Like Tim said, even when playing with your thumb on the back of the neck, fully extending it like pictured isn't necessarily correct technique. It can be a sign of tension, which will only slow you down. My guess is that your thumb ...
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If you're strumming chords to a song, using a pick will be a good move. It may even save your thumb from getting worn down to the bone!
For just about any other sort of guitar playing, you, and you alone, will have to decide what's appropriate. And that may incorporate thumb, several fingers with/out thumb, pick alone, or hybrid picking, where both come into ...
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If the musicians you are trying to imitate don't use a pick there is no reason to use a pick. Imagine a classical guitarist wasting time with a pick when not liking any style of music that it produces.
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There are a surprising number of things you can do with a pick. I recommend YouTube videos about it-- they are quite fascinating.
One common suggestion I've seen is that the pick is held such that it's not parallel to the string-- it's on an angle, and this makes it easier to slide the pick through the note, instead of it getting "caught" on the ...
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I've made my acoustic steel string sound like a solid-body electric for years by using a soundhole electric pickup and carefully-tuned effects, especially EQ, sustain, overdrive and cabinet simulator. I like the Markley Pro-Mag magnetic pickups a lot for this. I run the pickup through a multi-effects pedalboard which works as well as individual pedals. The ...
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Because the standard notation above the TAB shows two unison notes the most logical thing is to say the notes on the G string are meant to be bent up a whole step to match the pitch of the notes on the B string. This is not the way bends are typically written in TAB and I have never seen W.C. before. Bends are usually written with a curved upwards arrow and “...
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I'd say that the circles around the numbers mean half notes (minims). Quarter notes would get no circle and a stem, eighth notes would get a stem and one flag, and so on.
No idea about W. C., though. I also wonder about the tuning of the guitar — if it is supposed to be standard tuning, then the tab does not match the score.
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Besides the other great answers, I just want to add that I once was teaching a beginner who was similarly frustrated with the pick. It turned out they were using an extra stiff pick. When they switched to a softer one they had a much easier time. I see Tim also suggested playing around with materials.
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Get someone else to look at how you're playing - what handicaps you is just bad technique
Could be a teacher, could just be a friend who's got a decent command of both pick and fingerstyle playing. You want someone who not only knows how to play themselves, but who knows what parts of the techniques available do what.
My partner is learning guitar right now....
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If you ever want to play Van Halen songs (or similar), learning to use a plectrum properly is probably compulsory.
I have seen some very fast finger players in my life but none who could play a Dragonforce solo.
That's not to say it can't be done.
I would also suggest, anything like a David Gilmore solo also looses something when played finger style.
However,...
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TL;TR: Be careful not to pick bad habits
The simple fact you ask this question tells that you have no guidance (teacher, friend or whatever). I recommend you find one for the very start at least: it's quick to pick bad habits but long to loose them. Been there, done that, the bad habits I had from beginning 6 months alone took several years to correct ...
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The arm really needs to be aligned behind each finger which requires constant adjustments while playing. Do you play "quietly" from the flexors or from your shoulder and elbow? Improper technique can exacerbate other disorders and I am a firm believer that proper technique can promote healing. I would suggest finding a Taubman teacher and never ...
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Does the spacing of frets on a guitar solely depend on the length of the string? Meaning if I have multiple guitars of different shapes and materials, but all of the guitars have the same length of string, will their fret spacing be identical?
Yes.* ‡ Two guitars with the same scale length will have the same fret position.
You may find that, on a perfectly-...
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Following Tim, I'm not sure there's "perfect" when playing guitar. There's playing the music you want to play and playing the music you can play.
Django Reinhardt, Jerry Garcia, Phil Keaggy and Tony Iommi are four musicians I can name who went forward after their hands were damaged. I'm sure there are a number of others with just as inspiring ...
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I'm a fingerstyle player with a 48mm Furch. Can't imagine going back to a 43mm nut. Barre chords were a bit challenging at first but you quickly get used to the wider neck.
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I also have a 339 by Epiphone. It has the same situation that you show. When I purchased it the stop bar was screwed down to the body both ends. That gave a very steep angle over the bridge. I adjusted to achieve a shallower angle at the bridge and the result is just like yours. The angle of all strings is about the same over the bridge. I put spacing ...
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