Fingerpick

Don Wayne Reno wearing finger picks while playing a banjo

Example of a bottleneck slide, with fingerpicks and a resonator guitar made of metal

A fingerpick is a type of plectrum used most commonly for playing Lap steel guitar and bluegrass style banjo music. Invented by Hawaiian steel guitar players to gain a stronger sound from their instrument. The National Finger Pick was patented on July 20 1928 by George Beauchamps and John Dopyera. Most fingerpicks are composed of metal or plastic (usually Celluloid or Delrin). Unlike flat guitar picks, which are held between the thumb and finger and used one at a time, fingerpicks clip onto or wrap around the end of the fingers and thumb; thus one hand can pick several strings at once. Generally three are used: one for the thumb, middle, and index fingers. Fingerpicks worn on the thumb are called "thumbpicks". Some players use a plastic thumbpick while using metal fingerpicks. Fingerpicks come in a variety of thicknesses to accommodate different musicians' styles of playing. Thin picks produce a quieter, more delicate sound, while thick picks produce a heavier sound. But as with standard plectrums, thumbpicks come in different styles and employ different materials.

Fingerpicks are also used by guitar, Hawaiian guitar, lap steel, autoharp, pedal steel guitar and Dobro players. Fingerpicks generally take quite some time to adapt to, even for people who come from the more common (bare fingers with or without fingernails) fingerstyle techniques. Tone wise, they are the most similar to standard guitar picks, as they offer a more consistent sound.

Some players combine a thumb pick and bare fingers/fingernails.

Classical guitar players, who traditionally use their fingernails to pluck the guitar's strings, may choose to use fingerpicks as an alternative to maintaining fingernails.

See also

• Fingerstyle guitar
• Hybrid picking