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novice player here. been taking lessons for a while now and next book i am going to be starting is a finger picking book. wondering if any of you out there have tried the alaska finger picks and if so what you thought of them, good and/or bad. i have short to med length fingernails and don't want to grow then longer. hate the upkeep and the look. i see estaban play and want to gag every time they show his fingernails up close. anyway, any thoughts? thanks
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welcome billyfresh,I finger pick most of my songs but I keep my nails as short as possable and clean I also use my thumb and it has a calous on it . If you ever get a chance watch Mark Knoffler ( dire straights ) he doe's not use a pick most of the time.
Last edited by dino48 (2012-04-21 20:10:23)
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Like Dino, I also keep my nails short and don`t use any kind of finger or thumb picks.I think that I get a better feel for the string on the meat of my fingers and thumbs. I do see a lot of players with long nails on the thumb and first two fingers too. It has nothing to do with looks for me.It just feels better playing with the meat of my fingers instead of my nails.
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I like the sound of using my fingernails. I don't keep them real long the way Esteban does, but I do grow them longer than most men would. I have not tried the Alaska picks, but I very much like the design. I just haven't got around to ordering them. I hate standard fingerpicks because I cannot feel the string with my finger, and judging the power of the stroke is very hard without the feel. The Alaska picks look like the best of both approaches. They'd permit meat and feel on the strings, but wouldn't require the longer nails.
If you try them, please write back with a review.
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I've tried the Alaska picks but didn't like them. I wasn't sure what size to order as I have some pretty hefty fingers so I tried both the large and XL sizes but neither worked for me. They didn't grip my fingers well and you have to have a fairly long fingernail already to keep them from slipping so I didn't see where much was gained. Maybe they work better with smaller fingers. I prefer both the feel and sound of metal finger picks made from lighter (.013 or .015) metal as they can be adjusted to stay on and bent so they barely protrude beyond the ends of my fat fingers. I use them in combination with a plastic speed-type thumb pick. If I ever decide to try playing a banjo, I'll be ready to go. I also use the pads on my fingers when I want a softer sound.
DE
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I have been finger picking for years. throw away your picks,kee your right palm on your guitar that gives you three fingers and your thumb. To me you extend your love of the picking from fingers to the strings and to the sound. Just my thoughts. Have fun and try to send your fellings from your mind thru your fingers to your guitar ENJOY
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