Playing Acoustic Guitar Without A Pick - How To Strum Without A Pick

Hey, guitar enthusiasts, in this video we're going to talk about how do you strum your guitar when you don't have a pick? So I have no pick in my hand here, you can see. And we're going to go over what to do to properly strum your guitar if you don't have a pick on hand.

Now, this technique I'm going to show you will work on both acoustic and electric guitar. I think it sounds better on acoustic guitar. And I actually do this a lot because I like to finger pick.

I like to do a lot of finger picking. So sometimes it's easier to go into strumming if you don't have a pick in your hand. So let's talk about the two fingers we're going to use for this technique. So the two fingers we're going to use are our thumb and our index finger. Those are the only two fingers you need. Some people, sometimes they'll incorporate the middle finger, but the thumb and your first finger, those are the two fingers we're going to be using in this strumming. Now, if you need some recommendations on strumming patterns, I'll put a link in the description below for you guys to go check out. Rhythm. Whether you're using a pick or whether you're using your fingers, the rhythm and the strumming patterns are still the same. The downs and ups are still the same. It's just how we do it. And the mechanics of it is a little bit different. So let's talk about that. So I'm going to have play a little G chord over here. When you're strumming, the thing to remember is that the thumb controls the down, 1, 2, 3, 4, and the index finger controls the up, which would be our ands. So if we had an eighth note strumming pattern, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, and the thumb would be 1, 2, 3, 4, and the index finger would be all the ands. So it would sound like this 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, and and where I'm actually picking. So I'm not picking. Like some people like to use their nails. I don't like to use my nails. I'm kind of using the pad of my thumb and the pad of my first finger. And I'm not digging, I'm not digging into the strings because if you dig into the strings, you hurt. It's not going to sound so good. I'm really just kind of gliding over the strings. And the same thing with my first Finger. I'm gliding up the strings with the pad, my finger. And strumming with your fingertips gives a much softer sound. And I think it's way more effective on an electric. Sorry. On an acoustic versus an electric. I prefer using picks for electrics because the strings are thicker on an acoustic, so I think it's a little more forgiving. So this is what it sounds like with just your fingers. A very nice soft tone. This is what your guitar sounds like with the pick.

So you can hear when I use the pick versus using the thumb and my fingertips, you hear the pick. I mean, the guitar rings through much clearer with a pick, but you'll also hear the sound of the pick. Can you hear that going over the strings versus just using your thumb and your finger? You don't hear that pick sound. So some people prefer they like that sound sound. And you can play fast. I mean, sometimes I feel like you can play faster with the pick, but I can play just as fast with my thumb and my finger.

So that's what I would recommend doing. Practicing. Just doing downs with your thumb. 1, 2, 3, 4. And then just doing ups with your index finger. Up, up, up, up. And then putting it together. Down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up. That's the basics of picking your guitar when you don't have a guitar pick on hand. If you found this video helpful, make sure to give me a thumbs up. Leave a comment below. And don't forget to subscribe to the channel. YouTube's going to pop up a couple more videos over here. Go check those out. If you're looking to get a pick and maybe what pick you should be using, I'll put a video down on the bottom for you guys to go check out. What picks might be worth it for you.