How to Strum Guitar Without a Pick
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- Giving a few quick pointers on how to strum without using a pick by employing techniques using your thumb and fingernails while keeping a dynamic feel. And of course check out the song:
• Sean Daniel - Buried -...
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A little about me:
Sean Daniel is a man. A man of simple needs and desires. And the one desire, no, the one NEED, that stands above all is to spread the challenges, joy and intellectual stimulus of music to people of Earth and beyond.
Born on the mean streets of upper middle class suburban Chicago, Sean learned the ways of the world through the dizzying heights of success to the lonesome depths of failure and emerged with the promise of a better tomorrow reflecting in his eyes and fiery passion in his belly.
He plays and teaches guitar on his UA-cam channel where he regularly releases original music and projects to the adulation of legions of fans, who often compare him to Chris Pratt and one time Ryan Reynolds. He’s currently in the market for a nice leather jacket.
I started out only using my fingers and now for the life of me cannot play with a pick and whenever I hand my guitar over to someone else to show me something they get upset that I don’t own a pick and cannot play with their fingers. It kinda sucks sometimes because a pick makes an acoustic louder and I definitely like the sound produced by a pick, but whatever. Great lesson. Dynamics are a such a huge help in building your own sound
Me too. Trying to learn to use a pick now. It is awkward!
Same
I played for 2 years without ever using a pick and it was a big challenge incorporating it. It's tricky at first but I found it was worth it.
You all prolly dont give a damn but does anyone know a trick to log back into an Instagram account??
I somehow lost my account password. I appreciate any help you can offer me.
@Nolan Nova Instablaster :)
Another great tone is derived from a technique called the Carter scratch. Developed by Maybelle Carter in the 1920’s. She used a thumb pick (borrowed from a banjo player) and her fingers. Generally, she would pick the root with the thumb pick and play the rest of the strings by brushing down the strings with nails on her fingers brush style on the down strokes (scratching). Then picking or strumming the upstrokes with the flesh of her finger tips. She doesn’t get enough credit for the influence she had on a young Merle Travis. Chet Atkins honed his chops by playing along side Maybelle during the eight years he played guitar with the Carter Family when he was very young. I’ve often said that the most important guitar in country music history was the Gibson L5 Mother Maybelle played from the 1920’s through the 1970’s.
Any video I ever see of Maybelle is amazing. What a player.
Well, I'm a self-taught guitarist. And your videos are helping me a lot! Thank you so much Sean!
So happy to help!
Yes!!!! Finally! Thanks so much Sean!!!
Thanks for watching!
This has inspired me to add striking with my nails for dynamics in fingerstyle thanks!
Thank you for sharing. I use my thumb to strum, and never use a pick, but for what I play, I don't need a sharp attack. Mostly like Fingerstyle and thumb strum depending on the hymn or song. I guess everyone has to find their own comfort level and fix it to their playing goals.
I like playing guitar with my fingers, therefore an essential lesson! Thanks a lot!!
Happy to help!
Excellent video Sean! Thanks
Always happy to help!
The picks I was finally able to conquer are Clayton-triangle shaped picks, 0.50 - 0.63, with a gel pads stuck on either side of the pick to help me control it a little better. I've also applied little round cork stick ons to the pick that help me.
another great video lesson thank you so much.
Always happy to help!
Great tutorial by the way. I'm always looking how to play guitar best way without a pick.
There's a dude named Andy who does demos over on Premier guitar, and he is awesome at the "imaginary pick" technique. Until now I honestly did not know how he was doing it. That dude plays hard rock and punk stuff to where you would swear he was using a pick. Pretty cool.
I've seen him before! He's great I never noticed til you pointed it out!
Yeah, sounds like he is actually using a pick, but you look and.....nope....just how is he doing that??
Wow, this is gold!
Thanks so much Adrian!
Great explanation!
I rarely use a pick, especially since I've developed arthritis in my fingers. Plus I go back and forth between strumming and fingerpicking. I may use a pick if I'm doing a chop with palm muting on the top strings. It does have a mellower sound using nails and flesh. The trade off is injuries to your nail bed, my fingernails on my picking/strumming hand stay worn down to the flesh which can be painful. I've started using Alaska picks on my 2nd and 3rd fingers to protect the end of my nails and it sound good enough for me to sing along with.
Hi Sean, I usually play with my fingers pretty much similar to what you showed in the video. But for some reason, I cant play with my hand completely afloat, and my pinky finger either keeps in contact with guitar continuously or eventually touches the guitar at the end of every down stroke. I am struggling to play fast and also with pick due to this. Any tips or video that you recommend?
Love your videos man. Great stuff.
Those strings look like they're overdue for a change in the closeups...
Haha, yeah a string change is coming :)
Thank you Sean for yet another great video. One question: what are your thoughts on playing individual strings for fills, mini solos etc, as per your excellent lessons on scales and arpeggios? Keep the jokes coming too- making mi or chords more interesting is my current front runner.
I'll answer this one next week :)
I'm almost always playing without a pick.
It's just that I enjoy the sound and the feel more like that.
When I was staring out, my guitar teacher used to ask if I didn't want a pick, but I always said I didn't need it.
Then one day, my teacher picked a song where I couldn't stay in time without a pick, and then smilingly gave me a pick "Do you need one?"
Granted, I can't shred that way, but to me it's more flexible.
I can fingerpick Sweet Child O' Mine in time, which is quite fast.
(Fingerpicking Sweet Child O' Mine on a Stratocaster.... I guess Ian would have a heart attack if he were my teacher)
Haha, the more grief for Ian the better! And hey, if you're happy with the way you're playing, who gives a f how you do it!
Good stuff! Thanks Sean. What model Taylor is that?
Number 3 skill... Wicked outside jumper.
Money.
have you got any tutorials on palm muting? I'm not ever sure that I'm doing it correctly. I think I'm muting with my arm and not my palm
Sean could you do a tutorial on jazz chords .Maybe a maj and min 251 please.Great lesson as always,Thanxs
Great idea!
I've always preferred strumming without a pick. I've found you can play around with the sound a lot more (by either using your finger nails or the flesh of your thumb), and using a pick sounds generally a bit too harsh for me.
Definitely have a lot more tonal options.
Truly excellent lesson Sir 😁👍.
To me, using a pick on an acoustic guitar just seems so wrong. Again, to me.
Good job..
I'm like you, always loosing my pick. i end up many party trying to out loud with my guitar a bunch of drunk guys singing loud above your shoulder and systematically end up with a bleeding pointer finger, which is good to inflate my rocker ego and impress the girls but is pretty painful the next morning :)
We suffer for the rock!
Cool video. Thanks for sharing. Sometimes, after I finish dinner, I don't use a pick.
You have a little bit of parsley caught.... just there...
Rebel!
How will i increase the sound of my thumb because i am used of my thumb but i want to make it a little more louder pls help
It's all just practice my man. The more you use it, the greater control you'll have to adjust the attack on the strings.
Sean Daniel Thanks for the advice man, I appretiate it
Wear some suncream bro
;)
Hey man, thanks for the video. Can you please do one on the full song of Mexico by Incubus? Would really appreciate it! Btw, sweet Taylor! I just got a 412 and loving it so far! 😁
Thanks so much! Been getting a few requests, might have to do that one soon!
Sean Daniel Your very welcome! Have one more song for you to check out, it's called Bridges Burn by Paul Otten. Would love it if you could make a lesson on this one. It's a really pretty song. Great for acoustic lesson! 😁
Which model of Taylor is that?
It's a GA3, love that guitar.
Thanks Sean, do you use 12's or 13's on there?
Finger picking is tricky business . I've practiced it for years , it took me a long time to catch on . It demands total concentration to master it . For me at least . Depending on what you want to do, it can be very complex .
It definitely is. Best thing is always just to slow it down, painfully slow even to build those patterns into your muscle memory.
"Painfully slow" ha,ha, I know the feeling !! But it pays off in the long run . Excellent video buy the way ;)
I don't know why I even bother looking anywhere else anymore; thanks.
I wish I had that Taylor guitar. I'd definitely be a better player if I had that, lol.
I'd recommend it ;)
What I meant to ask Sean was what are your thoughts and ideas on playing arpeggios and fills etc without a pick?Would love a lesson on this.
Thanks once again for all the time you give to helping others.
Cheers from Brighton, England.
I'm on it!
I prefer to play without a pick. I am a beginner and feel more comfortable without the pick. But for whatever reason I can't seem to get the good tone and sounds that you have. Sure my skills are nowhere near yours but I can't get the tone and it sounds so choppy, or string 1 is just coming off as way too loud for me. Thank you for your video and I'll try to incorporate it into my practice.
Sean, I am teaching my son that just turned 11. He refuses to use a pic though and I reading about this economy picking which was not around when I was a kid, and I heard that music theory guy Rick beats say that if you don’t learn how to economy pick before 13 you will never know how to do it. Do you think I should force my son to play with a pic and take a step backwards or do you think he can eventually pick it up? No pun intended. Is economy picking over rated?
We share our number one skills when it comes to Guitar, :)
It's a popular skill.
Very good job, Sean ... Does Hanz de Fuko make nail varnish? The next topic might be: does the color of your nail varnish change the tone? OMG... would I have made the salty "nail"comment?Just joke inside,I have a lot of respect for you.
I use Sally Hanson Hard as Nails. $8 on Amazon.
www.amazon.com/Sally-Hansen-Triple-Advanced-Fortifier/dp/B0046MLZWU?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffsb-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0046MLZWU
Haha, I'll have to consult my Hanz de Fuko contact.
If my chords aren't as bright sounding without using a plectrum as they are when I use one does that mean my guitar sucks? Or is it I suck on the guitar?
Only way to find out is buy more guitars!
What kind of Taylor guitar do you have and how much does it cost in US currency?
I come for the sarcasm and stay for the lesson. For the life of me, I just can’t get used to using a pick. Thanks for the lesson. ⬅️ not sarcasm
I can strum without a pick, and need to learn how to strum with one.....
Now is the time!
Happy Day!
Thanks for checking it out!
I always play acoustic without a pick. Always. Picks are for electric, but for acoustic, they're just too harsh. I use my thumb to strum.
I hear ya :)
Me too,as always though sean,great video.
Elliott Smith almost always played without a pick. So if you want the real "Elliott Smith sound", you gotta learn how to strum with your fingers.
Someone over on the Elliott Smith subreddit wrote a pretty useful analysis of his strumming and fingerpicking technique: redd.it/7v2k15
To summarize it, Elliott Smith mostly used the technique where you strum with the fleshy part of your fingers (thumb on the downstroke, index finger on the upstroke).
Nice! I never really put that together! Thanks so much for sharing!
I always strum without a pick!
Whatever works for you!
Always Intro 🤪✌️
How many pairs of jeans do you have? I'm trying to get a better tone.
This is an interesting question for me, because I have never worn a pair of blue jeans. However I have 2 pair of grey 'pants' in rotation that have a denim component. People are trying to convince me they count as 'jeans'. I consider them 'pants' but I'm amending my 'I've never worn jeans' statement to 'I've never worn blue jeans' to try and satisfy all parties.
If your pants have a Denim component ... they are jeans! Check on the web the story of blue jeans ... yours are grey ... certainly ... but they are still jeans ... "grey jeans" if you prefer ... Even Lacoste makes jeans! ;)
If they are not blue they are not jeans. I pronounce you jeans free.
Tell that to Löb Strauß' family...
This video shouldn't be 11 minutes long
Could've been 12, you're right.
Anytime I’m playing only chords, I never use a pick. Down strum with pointer finger, up strum with thumb. I’ve never been able to hold the pick correctly without dropping it, or having it go flying while strumming. 😐
Nothing wrong with that! Keep strummin Shandra!
I've always had issues with picks spinning around in my fingers while I'm playing, so that the pointy part no longer points to the strings. I get Jim Dunlop Tortex picks and drill 3 holes (about 1/8"-3/16") in a triangle pattern in the center of all my picks. It makes them stay put.
Pete Davis I’ll have to try that, thanks!
I pretend I'm holding a pick. So I'm using my pointer and/or middle finger and back up with my thumb like you showed on the video. It feels natural. I read that the singer Jewel does not use pick. Dolly Parton does not use a pick (long fingernails). I also read that James Taylor has some kind of acrylic fingernails over his natural nails and he finger picks alot. I also read an opinion that a guitar is a natural instrument made of natural wood, so why not use natural God given picks?
Now do one with how to strum with a pick
The best thing is to split your finger open and have blood flying everywhere - especially when you perform on that rooftop with all those well-dressed folks. :-O
Haha, the final gig.
Why don't you cover a RHCP song with kindred?
This could be the week!
+Sean Daniel which one ?
How do you find people for a cool project without seeming like a spammer?
Man you're talking to someone who does every project solo, so I really have no clue.
I guess the only way is to contact people directly and get lucky.
Your talented and funny like Steve Martin. He is not funny anymore. He is sour. Thank you and keep it up.
What’s a pick?😎
It's a tool for mass rock destruction.
First
Abdeali Dholkawala p
Winner!
I know guy that could strum with toothbrush
Interesting approach :)
Staying woke lol jeeez..
Even with short nails they catch the strings. Really annoying!
Cutting yourself might not be good for you, but it looks awesome on a stage. Maybe not if you're in a boy-band and you scream like a little girl that saw a spider on her Barbie doll
Pro tip.
I think you've been teaching guitar too long...
Mikkel Pilgaard inside joke brother
Not long enough!
By experience ! Don’t do it ! It hurts your fingers
1016 not if you got sum nice fingernails
Erwu 1337 true but , I don’t have fingernails , I bite my nails :(
no! if u start slowly and get used it will be awesome
to be a good musician you gotta give your blood, sometimes it gotta be literal
Never had any problems with strumming without a pick, I even prefer strumming acoustics without a pick. So keep practicing! This video has great tips.
Lost me at "staying woke." See ya.
byeeeee