[Acoustic guitar] Finger style pick selection

Hello. I'm Yoshitaka. I like acoustic guitars.

When playing three finger style or arpeggios, it is difficult to play with a flat pick, so I think that many people use their fingers to play finger style or arpeggios. I also use my fingers, but I couldn’t get the volume of a flat pick, and I wanted to do something about it.

➡︎ List of thumb picks

Thumb picks and finger picks have been used since the folk generation, but I could not use them properly, and gave up. If I use only a thumb pick, then I could do Carter family picking, but I could not do arpeggios and three fingers using finger picks at all, so I was looking for something that could complement the thumb pick.

I would like to introduce the following two items.

Aria Nail Kit = A “nail" kit for guitars. Use the double-sided tape that comes with the nails to attach the “nails".

■ ARIA / ANK-100

They’re easy to use, and I think you can play the guitar almost like you are playing with your bare fingers. However, it is necessary to cut the nails to the length you like and then sharpen them. They’re a little thick as is, so I think the tone will be a little calm instead of giving a gorgeous sound. You can get the tone you like by sharpening the tip of the artificial nails according to your taste. This kit includes nails in each size, double-sided tape, nail files, and some sandpaper, and you can use them if you have nail clippers at home.

However, since they are attached with double-sided tape, the strength of the adhesive will decrease when you wash your hand or bathe, so it is necessary to replace them as necessary.

aLaska Pik = This item is used by covering the tip of the finger.

■ aLaska Pik / FINGER PICK L

■ aLaska Pik / FINGER PICK XL

■ aLaska Pik / FINGER PICK M

Pls note that these cannot be used without your own nails grown a little because are hooked on the tip of your nails, but unlike the nails introduced earlier, these can be easily removed. I think it will take some time to get used to them, but I'm quite addicted now. I got used to slow arpeggios first, and now I can play three fingers and difficult arpeggios with the aLaska Pik. They can produce more volume than the above nail kit. I also play the bass, so the aLaska Pik suits me more since it can be removed easily.

The thumb pick size is XL, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger picks are L. I'm small and my fingers are thin, but I still feel XL and L are the right sizes for me. I think M might be a little too small, though I haven’t tried it.

Pls see below for the image of using alaska pik, which I also uploaded on Twitter.

If the conventional finger picks and thumb picks do not work for you, I recommend the above two picks.