fingerpicking, 3 fingers or 4 fingers?

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frankie981

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I wanna ask a question,
when you do finger picking,
you will use 3 fingers or 4 fingers??
I trained 3 fingers before,
after I bought "ukulele for dxxxxxx", i find that it teaches 4 fingers.
As a beginner, I start to be confused.
:confused:
 
I mostly use 4 finger picking sometimes 3 if the song requires Scruggs style banjo 3 finger picking.
 
I have the other book in that series, the Exercises one...and they teach 4 fingers too...I can't manage it. My ring finger always gets caught in the strings (maybe it's abnormally long or something lol).

I use three.
 
Use whatever you find comfortable. theres all these stigmas on this is the right position this must be played this way. Most of it is for your own good later on, especially when changing between certain chords but if you dont have fun doing it, more than likely you just wont. I use three mostly, sometimes four but as long as you are comfortable and having fun thats all that matters and if its that importnat you will learn it later!!
 
I think we should standardize these fingerpicking discussions to make them clearer. The hand is often described as a thumb and four fingers. Using the thumb is a given. So one finger picking is thumb and index, two finger is thumb and index and middle, three finger is thumb, index, middle and ring. Very few use thumb and all four fingers.
 
I generally use my thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. So three or four depending on whether or not you count the thumb as a finger!
 
I don't really pay attention. I guess sometimes I use 'em all, and sometimes I don't.

If it sounds good, then who cares?

(Keeping in mind that I don't read music OR tab, and play strictly by ear...)


-Kurt​
 
A three finger roll

X-T-X-X
X-X-I-X
X-X-X-M
X-X-I-X
(Repeat over and over)

Is a great one to learn

(Don't know if that's the right way to depict)
 
I do thumb and index finger - that plus four strings is about all my brain can work with at this point.
 
ksiegel said:
I don't really pay attention. I guess sometimes I use 'em all, and sometimes I don't.

If it sounds good, then who cares?

(Keeping in mind that I don't read music OR tab, and play strictly by ear...)


-Kurt​
Click to expand...

Oh man, I wish I could be you on all of the above points :)

I'm... er... strictly paper-trained, and without standard notation I even find tab to be challenging. And I play with thumb on 3rd and 4th string, index on 2nd string, and middle on 1st string, and am starting to find this incredibly confining. Trying to break out of that pattern is hard, but sometimes it just makes sense.
 
If you want to use sheet music then low G Pima (4 finger) is the way to go.
 
mr roper said:
I think we should standardize these fingerpicking discussions to make them clearer. The hand is often described as a thumb and four fingers. Using the thumb is a given. So one finger picking is thumb and index, two finger is thumb and index and middle, three finger is thumb, index, middle and ring. Very few use thumb and all four fingers.
Click to expand...

Haha, sorry for asking question with unclear wording.
4 fingers =>P,I,M,A
3 fingers =>P,I,M
 
Chris Tarman said:
I generally use my thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. So three or four depending on whether or not you count the thumb as a finger!
Click to expand...

I just tested myself and I do exactly as does Chris T. My pinkie never touches a string.

So, what does that mean? Either that we are missing aural opportunity in that teensiest of digits, that we are overachievers in using a ring finger when most others do not, or that I need to get Chris's DNA off a mouth swab and see if his mama is my mama.
 
I only used my thumb and pointer for years and years (first on guitar, then on uke) but in the past three or so years I've slowly worked in my middle and ring fingers. Now I play with any combination, depending on the music. (I admit that thumb-only is my favorite.)

There's no "correct" way to fingerpick---just good-sounding ways and bad-sounding ways. My advice is that each player do her or his best to get whatever way comes most naturally to sound good. (If nothing comes naturally, try a few methods from various resources, and start with the least difficult way.) If someone can get one fingerpicking style to sound good, then she or he can work on other methods whenever they catch her or his interest.
 
I usually use the thumb with the index and middle fingers, because it feels the most natural. Occasionally I'll add my ring finger, or even just use use the thumb and index, just depends on what I'm playing, I guess.
 
I second RxFunk xD
If you're fingerpicking melodies over chords--which is what I usually do--then three fingers is probably easier because most of the time you'll only be picking the bottom three strings. If you're arpeggiating chords, however, then four fingers would be easier because you'll probably be playing the g string a lot more. Arpeggios are also usually played at a much steadier tempo, so you don't have to worry as much if your ring or pinky isn't as solid as your other fingers.

I also usually use four fingers if I want to sort-of "downstrum" a chord without that rough sound of fingernails hitting strings. I mean, you can use your thumb too, but if you're fingerpicking, you might as well use your other fingers lol
 
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