Revitalize Your Licks: Transforming Old Licks with Hybrid and Fingerstyle Picking

Did you know that you can take your old and classic blues licks and turn them into something fresh simply by deploying your right-hand fingers? Today I'll show you what hybrid picking is, how to get started with it, and introduce you to fingerstyle picking.

Hybrid Picking Basics

The first thing I often notice among students attempting to hybrid pick—using both the pick and fingers—is their reliance on wrist movement. This can lead to issues because every time you pick, you're also moving all the other fingers on your hand. This unintended movement can cause your fingers to be too far from the strings when you need them. The solution is to rely on thumb joint movement when picking. This allows your pick and other fingers to act independently, ensuring you're always prepared to hit the next string.

Starting Without a Pick

Changing your picking technique can take time. For this video, I suggest putting the pick away to focus on honing your finger technique. This approach reduces the temptation to fall back into wrist movement and helps you start doing other things with your right hand.

Assign one finger per string when using your right-hand fingers. For instance, if you're playing on four strings, you might use your thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. However, I suggest skipping the index finger initially. Many find it easier to manage the space without the index finger, using the thumb, middle, and ring fingers instead. This gives you more space and makes the technique smoother.

Tone and Feel Differences

Using your fingers gives a totally different feel and tone compared to a pick. The flesh of your fingers produces a warmer sound, while nails give a tone closer to a pick but still distinct. The attack is also more interesting—less snappy and more warm and growing.

Example Lick: Mark Knopfler Style

Let's explore a lick to get you started. This lick has a Mark Knopfler feel and uses thumb and finger picking. 

Taken from the C minor Pentatonic scale (8th fret):

This pattern can lead into classic blues bends and other licks, allowing you to improvise on the fly using small building blocks.

Practicing and Improvisation

Think in small segments to make improvisation easier. For instance, a bend on the eleventh fret supported by three fingers, and then moving the thumb to the B string, playing the eighth fret with the middle finger. This method lets you piece together licks in real time, much like many of your guitar heroes do.

Conclusion

Putting the pick down can help you practice and develop fingerstyle picking. Once you’re comfortable, you can start integrating hybrid picking, working on your thumb joint movements to ensure independence between pick and fingers.

To help you practice, I'll link a backing track and an example tab of what we've covered here. Good luck, and happy playing!

Cheers,
Kris

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