2 finger picking advocates

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enzymerich

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hi,
any frustrated fingerpickers out there?
i've been obsessed with trying to learn fingerpicking on my baritone uke.
after over a year trying to pick with 3 fingers of my right hand (i'm lefty) and then 3 months of 3 fingers on my left hand, i switched back to my right hand with just 2 fingers.
though i haven't perfected it yet i find the 2 fingers for me much stronger and easier to control. i'm sticking with it for now and making good progress.
here are a couple of encouraging videos of famous 2 finger guitar pickers. Merle Travis and Reverend Gary Davis. if they can do this with 2 fingers and 6 strings there's hope for me with 2 fingers and 4 strings:

merle travis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go8x_1fD5vM
reverend gary davis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlQZwHcBqyQ

anybody know of any other good 2 finger uke or guitar pickers?

thanks for listening!
rich
 
Thanks for posting! I have arthritis and never even thought of using fewer fingers to pick, but I might try it and see if it helps.
 
Maybe there's hope for me too, thanks for sharing.
 
Now you've got me interested in how many fingers people use when they pick. I use four (one per string). I expect this is a rather common method, but I was never taught it; I picked it up on my own. Anyone use the three-finger method, like a bluegrass banjo player? Or are there other common uke picking methods? I get the sense most players evolve individual styles, and I wouldn't say there were "right" and "wrong" ways; if a two-finger pattern works for you, it works for you. I've internalised four-finger playing and wouldn't find it easy to switch (though oddly, I have no problems playing the banjo three-fingered).
 
I could be wrong, but I believe that Ohta San has used a two finger method of picking.
 
I play 2 finger or 3 finger depending on the song :x
 
i usually use 2 fingers. i am terrible at picking but also interested in moving forward. are there any good songs to start and practice with?
 
I think most everybody ends up picking with two fingers sometimes even if they usually use more or less of them. It's good to be able to switch picking styles depending on the situation. My approach is super random. I'll use just my thumb in some parts of a song and then thumb/two fingers and any other combo. Or maybe the second time around I'll even use different fingers. I must look like I've lost my mind if you study my picking hand, but I don't worry about what is the "right" way.

That Led...
 
Last edited:
The 3-finger method has always come naturally to me. 2 fingers seems to be too few and 4 fingers seems to be too many.
 
i think..

1 finger, too lazy
2 fingers, not too much possibilities
3 fingers, heaven
4 finger, a lifetime to master
 
2 finger style is a very traditional banjo picking style, and also a guitar one as well
 
Two finger for bluegrass and classical, three finger for blues, pop, especially piedmont style.
 
I tend to alternate between two and three fingers. Typically it's three for me though, as I began learning to play a little bluegrass banjo before taking up the uke.
 
patico said:
i think..

1 finger, too lazy
2 fingers, not too much possibilities
3 fingers, heaven
4 finger, a lifetime to master
Click to expand...

+1..... I can Travis pick on a guitar pretty well, so when I picked up the uke this spring, I naturally tried to translate what I could do with the 6 string to the little guy as well.... I'm so used to using my thumb on those two lowest guitar strings to pick out a bass line that I've had a hard time trying to translate it to uke.... something I work on everyday. I'm trying to force myself to use all the fingers on my right hand for guitar, so that is translating to four finger picking on the uke as well..... three comes pretty natural, but four is going to be a challenge for a long time.

As far as the OP goes.... do what feels natural. Plenty of incredible fingerstyle players only use their thumb and their index finger..... it's all about practice and consistency, being able to be musical with what you're comfortable with and good at doing. I will say that there are certain things that you will not be able to play with only two fingers - where you are playing three or four notes simultaneously - but do what you are comfortable with and adapt your personal style if you ever come up against something you are not able to do.
 
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