fingerpicking - attack angle

[RJVB]

I was experimenting with my right-hand technique today, on the archtop, seeing if I could benefit from my shortish nails without actualy using them and how that would affect the sound. Usually I make free strokes with the fleshy part of the top, a bit down from the actual tip. Not only can that slow me down when I "catch" on the string but it also can give a very nasal/jingly sound on the plain trebles.

I ended up with a RH position that almost reminds me of clawhammer technique, where I can use the very tip of my fingers with my nails maybe just touching the strings. On nylon strings this kind of stroke tends to make the sound sharper/brighter, but on my archtop I seem to be getting a rounder sound. It sounds louder too. Rest strokes are a bit tricky though, as I'm used to making those with relatively straight fingers.

FWIW, I keep my nails as described here by Michael Watts (though without the obsession about buffing and smoothness):

To the fellow fingerpickers here: what does your technique look like in these aspects?

[RLetson]

I keep my right-hand nails so that the tips are visible from the palm side and position my hand so that the nail-wear shows up on the thumb side--quite a bit longer than Watts'. I also try to keep the nails reasonably smooth, though I'm not obsessive about it. I think that on my acoustics, I've wound up with a flesh-and-nail sound--though, again, I don't think about it a lot.

I've played with my fingers for more than 50 years--the first 30 or so with no nails at all (I bit them), and that might have affected my right-hand habits.

I wonder how much my ancient ears (which have lost about 8K of high frequency response) mean that I just can't hear the nuance that Watts cares about. And if that's the case, maybe I don't have to aspire to a really high-end instrument. (So I should sell the Goodall and buy a Seagull?)

[RJVB]

I wonder how much my ancient ears (which have lost about 8K of high frequency response) mean that I just can't hear the nuance that Watts cares about.

If you mean the nuance allowed by his meticulous nails ... I have no idea either because I don't think he demonstrated the difference. I do know that perusing a classical guitar forum can give the strange feeling of witnessing often 50++ males discussing manicure details with great interest and sincerity

And when I see Michael playing (kissing the strings but definitely not french-kissing to paraphrase an old friend) I wonder how much of the full sound he gets comes from meticulous recording technique (and how he'd sound in a room without active assistive acoustics)... But that's a different topic.

[DawgBone]

On acoustic I use the side of my thumb, index, and middle finger with the pinky side edge of my palm resting on the bridge area and count on built up callous to provide some brightness to the attack so it's a long way from the typical classical position. I like to brace my pinky and ring finger somewhere on the pickguard to some degree. I don't have meticulous nails so without picks I just use the meat of my fingers. When I am playing electric I use picks and I ditch the middle finger and just run thumb and index but basically am picking the same way. I haven't played with a flatpick in almost ten years now.

[GuyBoden]

I fingerpick with all five fingers, using the flesh of my fingers and have the shortest nails possible. Using a floating hand, but my relaxed wrist resting on the guitar body

The finger attack angle is dictated by the angle of my hand position, so the little finger uses more top flesh attack compared to the other fingers, then gradually increasing right side flesh up to the index finger. I use the side flesh of the thumb on the two lowest strings (the three lowest strings on 7 string.).

Flesh gives a different sound than nails. A very nice sound in my opinion.

My hand position can be seen in my picture below.

[RJVB]

That looks more or less what I think my experimental position the other day must have looked like from that point of view.

It doesn't really work as nicely on my "classical" (the Cabaret), and I'm also not certain that using the very tips improves the sound there - at least not when above a good mp. Evidently I also don't control my rest stroke rythm as well as with my usual technique so more experimentation is needed

I use a padded sleeve when playing my nylon-stringer, which allows me to keep my hand floating; on the archtop I have an Armadillo armrest that lifts my forearm so it is a bit more like I'm playing a deeper flat-top rather than a thin-rim one with a very high saddle. In my usual position the side of my palm tends to rest on the corner of the saddle. with the newer position more on the top of the saddle (which I don't really like when I'm not intending to palm-mute).