guitar question

[Special K]

Does rock music use more picking or fingerstyle? My first teacher taught classical guitar only, so I never used a pick for his classes, but now I'm trying to play rock and trying to decide whether I should primarily use a pick or just keep using my fingers. Does rock rhythm guitar use a pick, and soloing uses fingers, or do they both use picks? Picks seems harder for soloing to me because I don't have my other fingers to use as a reference as to where my hand is relative to the strings.

 

[BatmanNate]

My fingers spend a lot of time on the G string.

 

[mobobuff]

Yeah if you want a more crispy, louder sound a pick's gonna be good. Get a variety of thicknesses, harder ones are great for lots of straight picking while thin bendy ones are much better for strumming.

Once you practice a lot with the pick you'll get the feel for the position of the strings. It's like typing, after a while you can just fly and not have to think about where each and every key is.

 

[imported_Strang]

95% of stuff probably uses picks. The only guitarists that I can think of who regularly used fingerstyle w/ electric guitars are Robby Krieger from The Doors and Randy Rhoads.

That said, if you like fingerstyle, I'd stick with it (although rhythm would probably be much easier with a pick).

 

[Mr N8]

Yeah, most rock guitar is played with a pick. Guys like Satch, Vai, Petrucci, etc use a heavy pick for more accurate picking for soloing. Rythm guitarists usually use a medium pick for more flex in strumming. Light picks suck, IMO.

 

[Fritzo]

Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac is probably one of the most famous finger style electric players. He's amazing----does ripping solos using all of his fingers. Don't know how he does it.

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac is probably one of the most famous finger style electric players. He's amazing----does ripping solos using all of his fingers. Don't know how he does it.

Fleetwood Mac amazes me on the sheer fact that Lindsey is a man and Stevie is a woman.

 

[Fritzo]

Fleetwood Mac amazes me on the sheer fact that Lindsey is a man and Stevie is a woman.

LOL!!! I've never noticed that before!!!! 😀


Stevie is a much better singer than their former leading lady- Fred. She stunk!

 

[NesuD]

Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) plays fingerstyle exclusively always has as far as i can remember. I would say play in whatever style you are most comfortable with. I will sometimes just for fun put the pick down and start playing things fingerstyle just to hear something played differently.