Hey everyone,

I'm trying to play fingerstyle without a thumb pick a la Mississippi John. It feels very natural, however I'm having a hard time getting a clear, loud bass line going. Any suggestions?

Thanks

As someone who has played the banjo with picks on and off for many years, here is my suggestion:

Give it a little time. As the skin on your thumb toughens, you'll be able not only to get a clearer and definitely louder sound, but you'll be able to control the sound better. Unused bare skin is soft, sticks to the strings. After it toughens up, it is slicker and harder, kind of like a built-in thumbpick.

Two or three weeks will make a difference. But don't overdo it and get a blister -- will just set you back until it heals.

You will never get as loud as a thumbpick but you can get loud enough. Let the thumbnail grow out to 3/16" or more. My thumbnail is quite strong but if you need to it is simple to use the brush on type of crazy glue to add more strength.
Rick

howard: i have to angle my hand in such a way that my thumb is a little more perpindicular to the string. i also have to use more of a pinching motion with my thumb. it's harder than using a thumbpick, but i like the sound of it.

I agree with the previous post - changing your hand position will help. When I use a thumbpick (which is not too often for the style of music I play), I damp with the side of my hand, so the thumb side of my hand stays close to the bass strings. Otherwise the bass is too loud and notes bleed over into each other.

When I go without a thumbpick, my hand is out and away from the strings because I don't need to damp. Its closer to a classical guitar hand position. With a bare thumb you won't get the sharp attack that a thumbpick provides. If you want that sound, you'll want to find a thumbpick. The bare thumb gives a softer, mellower sound, and you need to get used to working your thumb harder to get the volume you want in the bass.

Also, if you use a bare thumb, you might want to grow your thumbnail a little (not too much though).

One of the tenets of fingerstyle playing, born out of classical style, is to have the thumb parallel to the strings, as if you could play all six strings without intersecting your other fingers. I also use four fingers, not three, and find that for blues, my first love, you can get that snap and rattle with the thumb in that position. It's persussive, really, and gives you some of that delta vibe. It is true that the skin thickens, but it's always going to be a rounder sound than a thumbpick. YOu get more feel; it's a tradeoff. Mostly, it's just way too much fun.