Hybrid Vehicle
WHEN IT COMES to guitar picking techniques, everything can be boiled down to three distinct approaches. The first and most common is what’s known as flatpicking, which involves using a plectrum, or flat guitar pick, to strike the strings. The second approach is fingerpicking, also known as fingerstyle, which involves using your fingers — primarily your thumb and first three fingers, the index, middle and ring — to pluck each note. Both of these techniques have their own distinct advantages: flatpicking is great for playing linear, single-note melodies and strumming chords, whereas fingerpicking is perfect for rolling arpeggios and sounding two or more strings at the same time.
If we combine these two approaches, however, we create a third and highly useful technique known as hybrid picking. Hybrid picking combines both flatpicking and fingerstyle in a way that exploits the advantages of both techniques, and, when mastered, it can make you a far more versatile guitarist than those who strictly flatpick or fingerpick exclusively. Hybrid picking is a staple of nearly all styles of guitar playing. You can see it being utilized by jazz greats, heavy metal shredders and country “chicken pickers” alike. In this lesson, we’ll explore the possibilities that open up when you master using your pick and fingers together. Hybrid picking can be a challenging technique to wrap your head around at first, but by the end of this lesson you’ll be fully equipped to play like the masters. But first, let’s break down…
THE BASICS
While flatpickers have the option of clasping their pick between their thumb and index finger, thumb and middle finger, or all three digits, hybrid picking requires you to hold the pick = middle finger, = ring finger, and = pinkie).
