hammer40
Well-known member
Unfortunately, I have some manual labor in my job so I end up breaking nails more frequently than I would like. A couple of weeks ago I tore my middle finger nail pretty good, it went all the way down below the finger pad flesh. Now, I really enjoy finger picking and I use the three finger stye to do it, so I have a couple of patterns that always practice as I'm trying to learn this instrument. Suffice it to say, that when I tried to finger pick on that particular finger after that, all I got was a "thud" sound.
I've actually gotten pretty good at picking, if I do say so myself, and didn't want to not keep up with practicing it, so I figured I would give the two finger style, the thumb and first finger a try. Well, it was brutal, couldn't really string together any continuous pick at all and had a hard time just picking more than two strings in a row, let alone a "travis" pick of 4,1,3,2. I really had no choice, so I just kept at it and struggled through it. Surprise, surprise, I've actually gotten pretty good at the two finger style now, still break down eventually but only after a longer sequence. In fact, I think I seem to do better using just two fingers now for some pick patterns, so it's great to have two ways to try and play them.
Well, a couple of weeks later now and the nail is finally getting long enough to pick on it again but I will definitely continue to practice the two finger method as well. This may seem pretty simple to a lot of those experienced players out there but for a beginner it's a great learning experience. I guess the moral of the story for me is to not be afraid to try new ways of playing, it just might make you a better player.
I've actually gotten pretty good at picking, if I do say so myself, and didn't want to not keep up with practicing it, so I figured I would give the two finger style, the thumb and first finger a try. Well, it was brutal, couldn't really string together any continuous pick at all and had a hard time just picking more than two strings in a row, let alone a "travis" pick of 4,1,3,2. I really had no choice, so I just kept at it and struggled through it. Surprise, surprise, I've actually gotten pretty good at the two finger style now, still break down eventually but only after a longer sequence. In fact, I think I seem to do better using just two fingers now for some pick patterns, so it's great to have two ways to try and play them.
Well, a couple of weeks later now and the nail is finally getting long enough to pick on it again but I will definitely continue to practice the two finger method as well. This may seem pretty simple to a lot of those experienced players out there but for a beginner it's a great learning experience. I guess the moral of the story for me is to not be afraid to try new ways of playing, it just might make you a better player.