This is a quote from Tommy Emmanuel.

"You can either choose to grow your nails and play like so many fingerstyle player do. They either use their nails or they use the acrylic nails. I play with calluses that I've developed on the tips of my fingers. You could do that as well. Some people play with finger picks instead of nails. So there are a lot of choices out there."

There are a lot of choices, but they do not all sound the same. Metal finger picks have a unique sound for example.

My preference is to use what is known as hybrid picking some of the time. That entails holding a flat pick with thumb and first finger and use acrylic nails on the other three fingers. You can palm the flat pick and go back to straight finger picking. I also sometimes play with a Dunlop thumb pick that I modify to the length I want.

There are many things that are not obvious about playing guitar.

Cheers,

Billy

Last edited by Planobilly; 09/16/20 12:05 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”