Chord Melody with only a pick?

[RonDen]

Hello,
Can chord melody be played solo with only a pick?
Perhaps hybrid picking in some places.
If yes, do you know of famous players that played chord melody with mostly pick only?
It seems that all I find in chord melody is fingerstyle.
I know I must learn chords first but I am trying to immerse myself in chord melody, at least listening for now
since I will only play solo.
Thanks,
Ronald

[targuit]

Barney Kessel comes to mind. I think it is nice to develop both styles.

[harrye]

Hi RonDen,

Django Reinhardt performed several solo-guitar compositions, many of which he used a pick for, including:

Echoes of Spain:

Improvisation #1:

Improvisation #6:

All the best

Harry

[matt.guitarteacher]

When you're starting out, it may be easier to play fingerstyle, simply because there are so many more chord voicing options. A lot of beginning chord melody lessons assume you're going to play with your fingers instead of with a pick. That's assuming you want a bass note on the lower strings. You can play chord melody different ways though, and the term itself is kind of used to describe a lot of different things.

[lawson-stone]

Hello,
Can chord melody be played solo with only a pick?
Perhaps hybrid picking in some places.
If yes, do you know of famous players that played chord melody with mostly pick only?
It seems that all I find in chord melody is fingerstyle.
I know I must learn chords first but I am trying to immerse myself in chord melody, at least listening for now
since I will only play solo.
Thanks,
Ronald

Sure. Here's a clip of me demo'ing the ES165 and 1959 VOS ES175 on the same song to hear the differences, and I play "Misty" chord-melody style all with a pick. The point of the clip was the comparison of the two guitars, but incidentally it speaks to your question. My chops are just average, but you get the idea anyhow.

[RonDen]

Beautiful way of playing it Lawson.
That's what I love about jazz.
How one simple note above or below change everything.
Ronald

[lawson-stone]

Beautiful way of playing it Lawson.
That's what I love about jazz.
How one simple note above or below change everything.
Ronald

I vacillate back and forth from pick and finger style. I started out finger style 50 or so years ago when I was a kid. Started on the pick sometime in high school in my John Denver stage... the folk music scare of the 1970's when it almost caught on... and in jazz I started as a finger style player. But it was jazz that really made me get serious about the pick starting about 20 years ago. Now I'm ambivalent. The pick does some things fingers don't do, and finger style gives you a precision that is hard with the pick.

So what do I do? Finger style or pick?

It's easy... I just listen to whatever the voices in my head tell me to do...

BWA-HA-HA-HA!

[mr. beaumont]

Absolutely you can.

I do all pick...all fingers...and mostly a combination.

It's all good.

[nick1994]

i can't think of any specific players that play solo with a pick. barney kessell and jim hall were strummers but I don't know if they played solo with a pick. plus, i don't even think i've heard jim hall play solo at all, but when he comped and played the melody, it was strummed

[mr. beaumont]

Kessel did a whole solo record, almost all pick. It's typical later Kessel...sloppy as all get out, but the notes are so good you don't care.

Hall played a lot of solo guitar on records like "dedications and inspirations"...all with a pick.

Don't forget Django's solo pieces either.

Pat Martino has played impressive solo pieces on several records. More pick.

[lawson-stone]

I think there is a DVD of Jim Hall's that features a solo piece done with a pick. Gotta hunt that...

[monk]

Johnny Smith The Man with the Blue Guitar
Howard Alden My Shining Hour

[wolflen]

john McLaughlin does some nice chord things with a pick..Kenny Burrell as well.. and Larry Carlton ..did I mention Howard Roberts

.. I can work with a pick (and fingers) on most standards doing block style chords..with some inner voice movement and bass lines..

there are many great players that don't use a pick..in many different styles..classical/flamenco seem to be the only styles that are fingers only

learning voice movement gives life to solo guitar..even minimal melodic embellishment gives a very different flavor to a simple chord progression..with or without a pick

[grahambop]

I think Peter Bernstein's solo stuff is all done with a pick.

I find I can do it either way. With a pick you just have to make sure you mute unwanted notes using the side of a left hand finger or thumb. Occasionally this will stop me using a voicing that I can do more easily with fingers, but not often.

Of course if you want to do walking bass stuff or bossa nova, or separate the bass note from the chord in a very rhythmic way, then fingers are better.

[Groyniad]

jl plays nicely here with pick and fingers

[pubylakeg]

Quite a few of the classic era Jazz guitarists would play chord melody with a pick, as mentioned above, Kessel did frequently, as did Jim Hall, IIRC, an example of JH would be his solo version of "I Should Care" from the record "Where Would I Be ?". Others that spring to mind would be Tal Farlow, particularly in the 50's, who would also occasionally incorporate hybrid picking in a CM (most usually on his amazing intros), and also Billy Bean, check out his version of "Lush Life".
Also Herb Ellis on many pieces, eg "My Old Flame" etc. In fact, I would say that it was actually more common for the guys from the 40s/50s to use the pick rather than fingers for CM playing.

[Dennis D]

Hi RonDen,

Django Reinhardt performed several solo-guitar compositions, many of which he used a pick for, including



Improvisation #6:

All the best

Harry

AND - - besides the music, the artwork is also cool as H***.

[dingusmingus]

Quite a few of the classic era Jazz guitarists would play chord melody with a pick, as mentioned above, Kessel did frequently, as did Jim Hall, IIRC, an example of JH would be his solo version of "I Should Care" from the record "Where Would I Be ?". Others that spring to mind would be Tal Farlow, particularly in the 50's, who would also occasionally incorporate hybrid picking in a CM (most usually on his amazing intros), and also Billy Bean, check out his version of "Lush Life".
Also Herb Ellis on many pieces, eg "My Old Flame" etc. In fact, I would say that it was actually more common for the guys from the 40s/50s to use the pick rather than fingers for CM playing.

I was also thinking of the older, swing-era guys. Forum member Jonathan Stout (campusfive) has investigated this at some length (playing starts around 13:30).

[Cunamara]

Johnny Smith was a plectrum-only player on all his recorded works.

The Man With The Blue Guitar was all solo chord melody with a pick, as was his playing on Legends. Interesting tidbit, Blue Guitar was recorded in the basement of Johnny Smith Music in Colorado Springs rather than in a studio. He played traditional classical repertoire with a pick, too.

And our own Joe DeNisco playing a Johnny Smith arrangement on a Heritage Johnny Smith:

[christianm77]

I aim to play with a pick in part because I can't be bothered to do the hybrid picking thing, and also because I think the limitation is interesting.

I tend to be either fingers or pick, sometimes swapping over to pick or fingers...

[christianm77]

Johnny Smith was a plectrum-only player on all his recorded works.

The Man With The Blue Guitar was all solo chord melody with a pick, as was his playing on Legends. Interesting tidbit, Blue Guitar was recorded in the basement of Johnny Smith Music in Colorado Springs rather than in a studio. He played traditional classical repertoire with a pick, too.

And our own Joe DeNisco playing a Johnny Smith arrangement on a Heritage Johnny Smith:

I didn't actually know that. That makes his achievement all the more amazing....

[RonDen]

really really good stuff guys.
Does the way you end up playing pick or no pick,
comes down to the way you hear it in your head?
When not trying to imitate others ...
Ronald

[monk]

really really good stuff guys.
Does the way you end up playing pick or no pick,
comes down to the way you hear it in your head?
When not trying to imitate others ...
Ronald

Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate-Clark Terry.

Another way I've heard it is "Copy, Claim and Create".

Everyone starts out imitating or copying someone. It's a necessary step in the process.

[Cunamara]

Everyone starts out imitating or copying someone. It's a necessary step in the process.

I'm still copying my heroes after 35 years of playing guitar. Not that you could actually tell because I'm not very good at it...

[lawson-stone]

really really good stuff guys.
Does the way you end up playing pick or no pick,
comes down to the way you hear it in your head?
When not trying to imitate others ...
Ronald

For me, maybe that's it. I wouldn't have said that's the way I hear it in my head, but that when I pick up the guitar, sometimes I just want to play with the pick. But maybe that's being driven somewhat unconsciously by the sound in my head that I'm hoping for. I also know sometimes I want to be able to play with a kind of drive and feel that for me comes from using a pick. Playing with fingers involves wanting to have more moving voices in the chords.

But really, it's kind of a "the voices in my head said use the pick" kind of thing for me.