Finger picking technique?

[Rick Rienks]

I played guitar professionally for better than 20 years. Left, came back to and now, at 80, my hands don’t work so well. When a really nice Supro lap steel came into my life I thought, “This could work.” Came up with a tuning with a m3 (gBE G#BE) and began working scales. Have the finger picks but discovered I may be using them incorrectly.

After watching the “Sheik of Araby” on the Tri-cone I noticed that I might have too much plectrum technique, not correct for finger picking. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts:

Watching his hands closely, I concluded I was picking across the horizontal plane of the strings, as I would with a conventional guitar. It occurred to me that perhaps I would have better success if I plucked vertically to the string bed. Something similar to the way a harpist would play. I realized my horizontal pick movement was responsible for my finger picks hooking on the strings. There goes any chance of playing in rhythm. Can this be a fix for my quandry?

[Michael Kiese]

I played guitar professionally for better than 20 years. Left, came back to and now, at 80, my hands don’t work so well. When a really nice Supro lap steel came into my life I thought, “This could work.” Came up with a tuning with a m3 (gBE G#BE) and began working scales. Have the finger picks but discovered I may be using them incorrectly.

After watching the “Sheik of Araby” on the Tri-cone I noticed that I might have too much plectrum technique, not correct for finger picking. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts:

Watching his hands closely, I concluded I was picking across the horizontal plane of the strings, as I would with a conventional guitar. It occurred to me that perhaps I would have better success if I plucked vertically to the string bed. Something similar to the way a harpist would play. I realized my horizontal pick movement was responsible for my finger picks hooking on the strings. There goes any chance of playing in rhythm. Can this be a fix for my quandry?

Aloha Rick,

The beautiful part of playing Steel is that there really is no official "school of thought". It's really all just up to your own preferences and journey of discovery.

You're referring to Sebastian Muller's Shiek of Araby video. He likes the dunlop fingerpicks, they stick out way far. That's how he likes it.

I use metal (brass) fingerpicks and I bend them all the way back, because that's how I like it. It allows me to have a very comfortable "claw" hand position when I play. With the picks bent all the way back, it allows me to comfortably use "rest strokes" when I play. That's the way I like to play. I discovered this method of bending the fingerpicks all way back from one of my guitar teachers, Craig Wagner. He plays 7 string Jazz guitar ala George Van Epps, but with a thumbpick and 3 fingerpicks. Craig said he got the idea from banjo players, apparently the banjo players he played with were very good and they liked to bend the picks all the way back like that. Much later on, I took lessons from Doug Jernigan on Steel, and Doug bends his fingerpicks the same way, all the way back. After trying out both ways, I much prefer bending 'em back. The main advantage to me is comfort. I like being able to comfortably rest my fingers on the strings, and I'm immediately in a playing position with a rest stroke.

Most players are some way between me and Sebastian. It's all just personal preference. Sebastian and I are just on the extreme ends. Just goes to show there is no "right" or "wrong". It's what you like, and what works for you.

As far as picking planes and angles, just experiment, experiment, experiment. When you play with fingerpicks and a steel bar, different timbres of the string become very apparent on where you pick on the string, and how you pick on the string. Hours of fun of self discovery.

I noticed country pedal steelers like to rest their picking hand near the bridge. They pretty much keep it there the whole time. Consistent right hand placement helps them play those killer-fast picking lines. Also picking at the bridge end produces a certain sound on the string. There's more tension towards the end of a string.

Hawaiian steelers on the other hand like to move their right hand and pick at the "50 yard line" from the steel bar and the bridge. The timbre/tone of picking in that area is a sweet spot, and it's a very beautiful sound. I find it captivating.

There is no right or wrong. It's what you like.

Use whatever technique you like as long as it doesn't cause you any pain. When pain happens, take a break. Rethink your approach, and get back at it.

There are no solutions, only trade offs.

You'll be fine, especially being the old pro that you are.

Enjoy!

[Mark Evans]

Being the Supro is amped up with a pickup, try using bare fingers. I used fingerpicks all my playing life, on regular guitar and lap steel. I now mostly use bare fingers. Lots of pinching harmonics with fingers, and just looser. Still use finger picks on the weissenborn

[Rick Rienks]

Hello to Mike and to Mark as well.
I appreciate you both responding to my query. Mike, when you talked of “bending back” I was curious, then I saw your photos and realized that my first two finger picks are bent to a similar angle. So I will give them more practice time for the tone they give and the positional challenge

Mark, your suggestion of bare fingers has been my default method. I need to feel the strings to know where I am. In general, I need more practice since the knuckles are pretty stiff. Previously (years ago) I would rest the heel of my pick hand on the bridge area so I could “choke” the notes. The Supro pick-up to bridge area is too small for that to work so I heed the various methods others use to control stopping the strings and avoiding excess noise.

I tell acquaintances that the steel guitar is the guitar family’s version of the violin or trombone - an instrument of no fixed pitch. True pitch is in the hands of the player. Quite a challenge. Skilled practitioners are to be admired.

So both of you have given me a perspective that should keep me developing for some time now. Many thanks.

[Michael Kiese]

Hello to Mike and to Mark as well.
I appreciate you both responding to my query. Mike, when you talked of “bending back” I was curious, then I saw your photos and realized that my first two finger picks are bent to a similar angle. So I will give them more practice time for the tone they give and the positional challenge

Mark, your suggestion of bare fingers has been my default method. I need to feel the strings to know where I am. In general, I need more practice since the knuckles are pretty stiff. Previously (years ago) I would rest the heel of my pick hand on the bridge area so I could “choke” the notes. The Supro pick-up to bridge area is too small for that to work so I heed the various methods others use to control stopping the strings and avoiding excess noise.

I tell acquaintances that the steel guitar is the guitar family’s version of the violin or trombone - an instrument of no fixed pitch. True pitch is in the hands of the player. Quite a challenge. Skilled practitioners are to be admired.

So both of you have given me a perspective that should keep me developing for some time now. Many thanks.

Happy to help, sir! I hope to still be playing at your age, so I wish many more happy years of playing!

[Mark Evans]

Hello to Mike and to Mark as well.

Mark, your suggestion of bare fingers has been my default method. I need to feel the strings to know where I am. In general, I need more practice since the knuckles are pretty stiff. Previously (years ago) I would rest the heel of my pick hand on the bridge area so I could “choke” the notes. The Supro pick-up to bridge area is too small for that to work so I heed the various methods others use to control stopping the strings and avoiding excess noise.

My pleasure.
Im finding with the amped lap steel, I can play with bare fingers more subtly. Less is more for me. Play in front of the pickup, if possible. Palm on top of pickup cover or palm mute just in front.

Have fun!
Mark

[Tim Whitlock]

I find that having the pick strike the string at a slight angle (< 45 degrees) helps mitigate pick attack noise, vs striking it square on.

[Rick Rienks]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the angle idea. Thinking how that would work I can see that I would be less likely to “hook” the string on the reset, coming back through the picking stroke. There is a limited music community where we live, though a few years we had an event in the park and an older gent was playing lap steel off to the side. I sat there and listened and chatted. I found his playing and his yarns fascinating. T his was before I had acquired my Supro steel.

Since then I have looked around town at other events but haven’t seen him. So these pages are valuable by bringing players together. I know that progress comes as it comes. I am grateful for everyone here, willing to share tales of their experiences.

[Sebastian Müller]

Hey guys, thanks for mentioning me on that topic, I will share some pics, hope this will be helpful.
This is my default position for the right hand:

IMG_9120.jpg

I just put my hand as close to the bridge as possible and the angle to the bridge is about 45 degrees.
I don't force myself into a artificial position, that angle appears if I just rest my hand on the bridge.
When I play, my right hand is not 'nailed' to that position, I play up and down the neck, mostly for
tone reasons, but it is also a rather unconscious process. Lots of Hawaiian player do that, watch
videos of Sol Hoopii.
And here you can have a closer look on my Dunlop Plastic Fingerpicks, as Michael mentioned, they
stick out quite a bit. This not something I particularly like, but I got used to it, I just like the sound of plastic
fingerpicks on Tricones because they sound louder and warmer.
Here are some closeups of the fingerpicks.
Hope that is helpful, if you have further questions please ask, happy to help.
best
Sebastian

IMG_9116.jpg

IMG_9118.jpg

[Michael Kiese]

And here you can have a closer look on my Dunlop Plastic Fingerpicks, as Michael mentioned, they
stick out quite a bit. This not something I particularly like, but I got used to it, I just like the sound of plastic
fingerpicks on Tricones because they sound louder and warmer.

Aloha Sebastian,

Ah, the things we do for tone. lol.

You do get a nice pick attack with those plastic Dunlop picks, thus my comment to you on the other thread.

I'll most likely stick to my brass fingerpicks, but I'm definitely going to try out those Dunlops even know I know they'll drive me crazy. haha.

Do you like to use those picks on your A25 frypan?

[Sebastian Müller]

Hey Michael, I am too lazy switching picks going from one steel to another, so I use the Dunlops plastic ones one acoustic and electric steels, even on my Emmons pedal steel.