Finger picks are a rather obscure accessory for anyone who is not an avid acoustic guitar player. Even then, only those who prefer the finger style are likely to be familiar with these picks. Today we are going to give you a short intro to finger picks, explain what they are used for and show you some of the best choices on the market. If you are interested in mastering the finger style technique, having one of these picks can help you get there faster and easier.
What Void Do Finger Picks Fill?
Playing finger style is on a whole different level as far as technique goes. With a standard pick, you are looking at a fairly uniform movement that is pretty straight forward. Once you remove that pick from the equation, it becomes much harder, with fine motor skills being involved even more. Each finger has a job to do and you have sync all of those actions perfectly. In a sense, finger style is challenging in its own way, which is why so many guitar players are attracted to it.
The problem is that fingers on their own aren't really a great pick. The standard at the moment is to grow your nails, shape them as you're growing them and use them to pick individual strings. This can be too much for some people as having long nails can make day to day life quite uncomfortable. One solution for this problem are finger picks. A finger pick is nothing more thana piece of metal or composite material which is shaped to form a ring piece with a pick on one end. By using a finger pick, you don't have to grow nails nor suffer discomfort that is implied.
How To Choose A Finger Pick?
Finger picks, just like regular picks, come in different formats. Material used is an important factor. Most popular choices in this regard are metal and various composites. Former gives a much more aggressive, snappier tone while the latter is soft and mellow. Then there is the matter of pick gauge. This works much like it does with standard picks. Thicker gauges are stiffer and sharper while thinner picks are soft and flexible. Figuring out which one of these attributes worksfor you simply takes some trial and error. There is no manual to follow, so just get yourself a variety and experiment. Now that we know a little about finger picks, lets check out some great.
Conclusion
Finger picks take some getting used to when you start using them. However, it won't be long before you realize just how much they can add to your tone, technique and overall performance. Models we have listed above are what we consider to be among the best. With that said, as long as you keep the size of the pick in mind, you should have no issues.