How do I pick with my fingers?

In a previous post that someone made they talked about a picking style used by Michael Angelo, Michael Romeo, and Yngwie Malmsteen. They said that they picked with their fingers. I am not sure how to do this and I wonder if any of you could explain it to me. Are there any videos I could watch that would clearly show me this technique, in a teaching fashion or just a concert video with a good close up of the picking hand? Also, is it necessary to pick with your fingers to reach maximum speed or can I achieve similar speed from picking with my wrist with hours of diligent practice? Thank you.

i dunno how to pick with fingers but for ur seconds question u can achieve the same speed with wrist..go with what you tink feels best..there is no certain way to pick..picking with fingers has its advantages and disadvantages allong with the other styles of picking

I think you can actually get alittle faster by picking with the fingers, just because of the control of motion you have. What I mean is the distance at which your pick travels is easier to control at small distances with the fingers than the wrist. If your precise enough the distance you pick a string may only be fraction of a millimeter greater than the string you picked, which is pretty much a picking distance on the width of a string. The shorter the distance you pick the faster you'll be.

Ok since I don't know any videos, the way I would show you is. Take a pick and hold it like you normally would between you thumb and index finger. Set you picking hand to the strings like you were going to palm mute a single string. Now instead of using your wrist to pick the string. Push your thumb down to play a down-stroke, and push you index finger up to play a up-stroke. Play only one string, and try to play a consistant alternate picking pattern on that one string. That's picking with your fingers. It's takes alittle practice, but it's very easy once you get used to it. If you still need a video, just check out someone who plays like that and watch them. Even someone on MTV. ;)

In the end, you should learn how to pick with both your fingers and your wrist so that you can take the advantages of both when they are needed. Instead of settling with the disadvantage of only knowing one. Also learn to strum with your elbow, that will also come in handy.

Each one of the guitarists you mentioned got an instructional video , Malmsteen got more than one .
Also you can notice that picking style from some concert clips , go search for some on Kazaa .

The main advantage of finger movement picking is the relaxed comfortable playing at higher speeds , but that doesn't necessarily means that picking from wrist is bad (John Petrucci picks from wrist exclusively)... Effectiveness of picking comes from less motion wether you pick from fingers,wrist or elbows , but when you move your fingers , it takes less momentum and energy , thus easier and more comfortable.

Don't be so nervous or force yourself so hard to pick from fingers , it's all about being comfortable ... Also , people who are mainly using finger picking do some wrist or elbow picking sometimes.

When I try to pick from my fingers, my wrist still moves. It's uncontrollable and has a mind of its own.

EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though, I can't do it without my wrist moving.

Pantallica1 - Try it slower ... The main thing is to minimize your wrist & elbow movement , you can't have you're whole arm freeze like concrete and your fingers still moving, remember that we're not machines .

Concentrate on just using your thumb and index fingers. Finger picking is the hardest of the picking techniques, so it may take sometime if your already accustomed to another technique. If your talking about your wrist moving when you change strings when your finger picking. Take it slow like SLY but always make sure your pick is flat when it hit's the string, you don't want that scratchy picking sound that you get from hitting it at an angle. Just relax man and be patient, you keep working at it and you'll get it.

It's not when I string skip, just when I'm on one string. I'll keep trying.

Sly - wouldn't it be damn cool if we could move like that.

do what feels best to you..they all have advantages and disadvantages..yngwie malsmteen said in a interview or somthin that he doesnt think about picking it just ocmes..do somthin like that..dont think about it just do what naturally comes to you..or force yourself to learn another technique

I fingerpick 90% of the time as Im much more comfortable with this than using picks.

Ive said this before and i'll say it again, I advise anyone to pick up Albert Lee's' Star Licks' vid where he goes through 'Country Boy', praps the classic chickin pickin track of all time. He uses a pick between thumb and forefinger and picks with the others.

Other top fingerpicking stylists are Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, the Hellecasters, Leo Kottke, Mark Knopfler and Tommy Emmanuel. Some of these guys use thumb picks but I find them to rigid, preferring to use my thumbnail in a classical style.

Keep this quiet, but i ..ahem...use the wife's clear nail varnish to keep my nails tough. you may prefer salmon pink, purple..that's your choice. you dont wanna let your nails get too long so that you start to resemble some kind of mad witch. about 2mm should do it.

Pantallica1 - Sure it would . :D


Grub - (No offense of course) you should have read the posts a little more carefully ;) ... We were talking about different kind of motion for picking using a "PICK" (you know , elbow,wrist or finger motion) , not spanish, classical or country "Finger Picking" style.

Originally posted by SLY
Pantallica1 - Sure it would . :D


Grub - (No offense of course) you should have read the posts a little more carefully ;) ... We were talking about different kind of motion for picking using a "PICK" (you know , elbow,wrist or finger motion) , not spanish, classical or country "Finger Picking" style.

Except the question was 'How do I pick with my fingers?'

Hmm.. Grub, it isn't finger picking, it's picking with your fingers.;) It is two different things, and we're talking about picking with your fingers, like SLY said.

How do you pick wiht your fingers?Well,with your fingers.:D
I'm only kidding,like a guy who can't answer a question would.

Originally posted by Grub
Except the question was 'How do I pick with my fingers?'

Actually when I first read the thread's topic I thought it was about classic fingerpicking style too !! :D

classical finger picking is a pain if u ask me.. but im a wrist picker..could someone one day put up pics or a vid on finger picking..(visual learner)im sure im not the only one confuzed with picking with the fingers..