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How you can Strum An instrument With no Pick

acoustic guitar - How you can strum a guitar without a pick is really a question beginners and advancing guitarists often ask, specially as they become excited by the discovery of recent guitar styles. Definition of strumming versus plucking

"The left-hand is the smart one, while the right executes"

This famous phrase was the response given by Paco de Lucia on a Spanish tv show a few decades back. It did indeed cause him a lot of suffering when it comes to physical injuries. Those injuries were inflicted with a number of extreme right wing fanatics because they decided that Paco's response had political connotations.

The question resulting from the interviewer was: "As a guitarist, which of these two hands carries the largest challenge?"

As with Paco's answer, it is indeed correct that the best hand executes the notes prepared (or fretted) by the left hand, in addition to open strings. (Please be aware the example covers right handed guitarists, obviously the opposite is true for a lefty guitarists).

If we want to learn how to strum a guitar without a pick, there are various techniques by which this can be done, but they all belong to either of the following main groups:

Plucking and
Strumming

Plucking is when each string is picked individually. You can do this in succession, as with executing arpeggios, or concurrently, as with "claw hammer" style.

Strumming is when the strings of an instrument are took part in fast succession, one by one, inside a sweeping motion, which may be descending, ascending, or a combination of.

With the possible exception of some "rasgueado",( I'll come back to this later) strumming is definitely done over several strings consecutively. Plucking can be achieved either using claws and thumb picks, as with banjo styles, or with bare fingers or natural nails, as with classical and flamenco guitar styles.

Strumming can be achieved using a plectrum, aka pick, or with bare fingers or natural nails. We will focus on this short article regarding how to strum an instrument with no pick.

Bare hand strumming styles

The basic finger strumming styles could be split into three main groups:

Thumb strumming Index or index and thumb strumming "Rasgueado" or ripping style

Plus all combinations of any of the three in the above list.

Thumb strumming

This is perhaps the standard from the bare hand styles. Thumb strumming is performed by resting either the small finger or both little and ring fingers from the right hand on the body, underside of the strings and running the end from the thumb over the strings.


The motion can be descending only ( most typical), ascending and descending (less frequent) and ascending only ( rare). As we grow the nails around the right-hand, the descending stroke is going to be done by the nail striking the strings, which gives a more percussive tone and sharp attack.


The ascending motion is always made by the nail punching the string. This technique doesn't involve any wrist movement, hence the little finger resting on the body from the guitar. Some typical uses are in playing jazz ballads, specially one chord per bar type songs. The very notorious jazz player Wes Montgomery used thumb strumming as his main right hand technique. If we want to learn efficiently how to strum a guitar with no pick, it will likely be very beneficial that we observe such players and grow from them.


Index or index plus thumb strumming

This is perhaps probably the most widely used way of strumming a steel string electric guitar, but not necessarily exclusive to. The basic motion is, since it's names indicates, done with the index finger alone, or both index and thumb pressed together.


acoustic guitar lessons - When playing with the index finger alone, the ascending stroke will attack the strings with the back tip from the finger, or nail, depending on whether we have grown it.

The downward motion always involves the finger nail striking the strings. When using finger and thumb together, the ascending stroke will always attack the strings with the thumb's nail.

Again, nail attack is sharper and brighter. The most important part of this technique is the wrist movement. The right ways of executing the strokes are: Before starting the down stroke, the rear of the hand is facing slightly upwards. To complete the down stroke, the arm must descend gently as the cuff is rotated inwards and the index finger attacks the strings starting in the The upstroke is done exactly reversing the down stroke, starting to rotate the cuff first, then raisin the forearm while the finger begins attacking the strings We can choose to grow the finger nails depending on what sound and tone we're attempting to accomplish

"Rasgueado" or ripping style

Probably the most difficult of the strumming techniques may be the "rasgueado". The reason for the reason being it involves more muscles of the right-hand compared to other kinds, although it does not require a rotation from the wrist for that down stroke.



The fundamental technique starts by looking into making a fist with the thumb extended away from the hand. The palm from the hand holds the tip from the fingers, that are primed to spring out. Then, as the arm lowers the hand onto the strings, we spring each finger with force in rapid succession, starting with the index. Some players will release the index first, as the most typical way is to produce the little finger first and index last.



This creates a ripping effect since four fingers are hitting several strings, causing a very percussive, drumming and dry sound.

The upstroke, if required, is done usually using the upper area of the thumb, the nail, requiring then for the wrist to become rotated. Styles completed with only the down stroke would be tango plus some flamenco "palos". Styles completed with both are mostly flamenco styles or "palos", rumba, along with other South American styles such as milonga. Just about all players possess a solid foundation regarding how to strum a guitar without a pick.

Combinations of the above mentioned

guitar chord charts - Most flamenco guitar players, for example Paco de Lucia have developed very advanced right-hand techniques in accessory for the ones explained above

This concludes the description from the basic styles for how to strum a guitar with no pick.

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