Is up down finger picking a thing?

[u/Ok_Tangerine_703]

So I just got to the up/down picking lesson on Yousician guitar course (which I’m enjoying a lot btw, despite yousician’s slightly naff aesthetic!!). The lesson talks about using a pick/plectrum to pick up down and speed up one’s picking rate. However I mostly play classical and use my fingers for picking, not a plectrum. So is up down picking also a thing with finger picking? Feels a bit weird twanging the string with flat back of nails on the way back up…!

[u/Ok-Chocolate804]

Sure. But look into Matteo Mancusco. He has a classical background (alongside jazz) and makes use of classical plucking technique for his fast runs. There's no reason you need to incorporate downstrokes into your playing if you're fingerstyle playing, if you can accomplish the same lines using your more standard technique.

[u/Ok_Tangerine_703 → u/Ok-Chocolate804]

Thanks - so I guess it’s probably more important for plectrum plucking (where you only have one plectrum and therefore limited speed) rather than finger picking, where more experienced guitarists pluck with five fingers? And I’ll check him out, thanks!

[u/Ok-Chocolate804 → u/Ok_Tangerine_703]

picking vs. finger picking is a spectrum. There are crazy flat pickers that use a plectrum to pick everything and have good control over it. On the other side, there are guys like Matteo and other classical guitarists who have great control over their fingers. Most other people fall somewhere in the middle and do something called hybrid picking, which involves using a pick and fingers. It really just depends on the style of music, the player, the genre, etc. There's no One answer here.

Up and down stroke control is useful for pick players since it helps even out the tone when playing and gives access to faster playing.

[u/Crack-FacedPeanut → u/Ok_Tangerine_703]

You can certainly pluck with 5 fingers, but it is not very common even among top classical guitarists. So it's not necessarily an indication of experience.

Up-down picking is typically talked about more frequently among flatpickers for obvious reasons -- it's a big component of economy of motion for that specific style. If you're classically focused, I definitely recommend seeking out instructional material tailored towards that. Striking with the back of the nail is not typical in classical playing unless employing some flamenco techniques (very broadly speaking).

[u/Ok_Tangerine_703 → u/Crack-FacedPeanut]

Thanks. That’s very helpful!

[u/grunkage]

When I'm finger picking, I just use my index finger for strumming up and down. Just pretend you're holding a pick, and use the tip of your finger. Or you can get fancy, since you have more fingers to use if you like

[u/TenaciousPrawn]

It's not common, but it is actually the "technically correct" way to play Blackbird by the Beatles (technically correct as in, it's how Paul McCartney plays it).

[u/magenta_daydream]

You absolutely can and the result depends on how much you like the sound of your nails against the steel strings. I see a lot people who do these types of trills by alternating two fingers on the same string. I can’t really do that, so I just use the same finger repeatedly on the same string. This obviously limits my speed, but I play mostly with a slow blues style so it’s inconsequential.

[u/pb429]

Haha. I had this same question a couple days ago, funny I stumbled across this. I was watching a Justin guitar video about alternate picking up/down with a guitar pick and I felt left out because I can only pick with my fingers

[u/jayron32]

Sure, there's no rule against it. You can pick with one finger in either direction. Try it out and see if you like how it sounds/feels.

[u/Ok_Tangerine_703 → u/jayron32]

Cool, thanks so much! But is it actually a common/standard approach in the same way thay up-down picking is ? It just feels less natural than with a plectrum, and I’m wondering if it’s just something to get used to ? Or whether it’s not really a very common way of picking ?

[u/jayron32 → u/Ok_Tangerine_703]

Common?, not necessarily. I do strum or pick with the back of my nails sometimes when I want a very specific tone that only the backs of my nails can give me, but i don't do it a lot.

The thing about music is, it's art. Like, you aren't engineering a bridge where if you fuck up, people die Music is art. It's also supposed to be fun. You literally PLAY it. You're supposed to try out new things, develop your own personal voice on your instrument, etc. etc. Like, don't worry about "does anyone else do this?" Worry about "does this sound good and am I comfortable doing it?" That's the only part that matters.

[u/Ok_Tangerine_703 → u/jayron32]

Thanks. Won’t stress about it for now then : )

[u/jayron32 → u/Ok_Tangerine_703]

Yeah, I can't tell you how many cool things I tripped over on the guitar just because I was willing to try something out or play around. Anything that expands your sonic palate is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

[u/grunkage → u/Ok_Tangerine_703]

You could check out Rasgueado, which is the Flamenco style of strumming with the back of the nails. The thumb is used for up strums, and you can use from one to all fingers for down strums. With one finger, you get a regular sounding strum, but when you add fingers, you hit the strings very quickly one after the other with the nails and it gives you a very different sound.

[u/crispy_broccoli]

Look up people like Mark Knopfler and Jared Dines. Both fingerstyle rockers, which involves a lot of fast playing/alternate picking. They both primarily “chicken pick”, which is alternating down with the thumb, then up on the same string with the Index finger. This is pretty difficult to get a feel for, but it’s VERY useful.

Another thing that I personally do, is actually use my index fingernail as a bit of a plectrum. I have a BIT of nail on my right fingers, and it ends up giving me nearly as much control as a plectrum, though with a completely different tone.

Between both of these, you gain a TON of options for straight lines while fingerpicking.