I'm learning a rock song which has two brief instances where a chord is played very quickly (three consecutive 16th notes, at 152bpm). I have to use alternating strumming to play it at speed. Using the pick sounds choppy, so I 'discovered' that momentarily switching to my fingertips makes the fast strumming much easier and more fluid.
Is it a common technique to momentarily switch from the pick to your fingers for strumming or even picking single notes? I've never heard of anyone doing this before but I'm sure I'm not the only one. Thanks.
P.S. I obviously keep holding the pick while I momentarily switch to fingertips :roll:
It's not the most common technique (but check out Travis picking as a combined pick and fingerstyle technique) but it if gets the notes out then use it.
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Not that there's anything wrong with using fingers, but if you find fast and fluid strumming difficult with a pick, you are probably using one that is too stiff.
Very thin picks (.38-.56mm) are much easier for fast rhythm guitar than thicker ones. The thicker ones are often better for single note picking.
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Helgi Briem
hbriem AT gmail DOT com