Hey, All You Blues Pickers Out There

This one is more for you guys who love the music that flowed out of Dockery Plantation, the Mississippi Hill Country, Texas or the Piedmont - whether ya play it on acoustic or electric or both.

How many of you acoustic players flatpick rather than use your fingers? I can only really think of two pre-war blues players who used a flatpick - Lonnie Johnson and Willie Brown (the very same who Robert Johnson refers to in "Crossroad Blues").

Any hybrid pickers out there?

Any Dead Thumb guys out there, particularly you folks from Texas?

Do ya prefer a small body like a Martin 000-18 (ala Big Bill Broonzy), a big body Gibson (following the example of Gary Davis), or a resonator (too many to name). Any hardcore traditionalists playing Kay Crafts or Kalamzoos?

Anybody fingerpicking a Tele or other electric? Playing clean or distortion drenched? Plenty of folks playing Chicago style while there are more SRV clones than I can count. But at least in these parts - fingerpicking an electric is a rare bird.

I'm going out today to pick up some thumb picks. I have always played fingerstyle with my bare thumb but lately I haven't been satified with the mere brush stroke produced with the side of the thumb. I always had a fear of thumbpicks thinking they were for bluegrass and banjo players mostly but I now Know many fingerstyle blues players find them indispensable.
As far as finger picking on electric guitar I find it a necissity on certain songs but use a flatpick 95% of the time.
martini

This one is more for you guys who love the music that flowed out of Dockery Plantation, the Mississippi Hill Country, Texas or the Piedmont - whether ya play it on acoustic or electric or both.
Hey, Zomby! I play mostly electric, but acoustic, too.

How many of you acoustic players flatpick rather than use your fingers? I can only really think of two pre-war blues players who used a flatpick - Lonnie Johnson and Willie Brown.
Lonnie used a pick in his later career, but I'm pretty sure he used fingerpicks, or fingers, on his early recordings. Willie Brown didn't use a pick on his solo recordings, but when he played "second" behind Patton or Son House, he used either a thumbpick or a plectrum.

I don't use thumbpicks or fingerpicks, just my fingers.

Any hybrid pickers out there?
(I was just getting there...) But when I do use a pick, I'm a hybrid picker.

Any Dead Thumb guys out there, particularly you folks from Texas?
Well, I'm from Sweden, but I use "dead thumb" a lot when I play old style country blues.

Do ya prefer a small body like a Martin 000-18 (ala Big Bill Broonzy), a big body Gibson (following the example of Gary Davis), or a resonator (too many to name).
I prefer a small bodied guitar, when playing old style blues. I would like a resonator, but can't afford one right now.

Anybody fingerpicking a Tele or other electric? Playing clean or distortion drenched?
When playing old style blues, I'm fingerpicking my Telecasters. My amp sound is probably clean for 75% of my repertoire, and the other 25% is "just breaking up".

It's nice to hear from someone else who's playing old time Delta stuff!

/ Tony

Thumb picks can be very handy, try the Dunlop medium in shell color/pattern.
Most thumb picks are so damn stiff like for banjo,etc., but these work well.
Very similar to a standard pick but with a thumb loop.
Support the underside with your index finger for the upstrokes.

:cool:

Willie Brown didn't use a pick on his solo recordings, but when he played "second" behind Patton or Son House, he used either a thumbpick or a plectrum.

Well, I'm from Sweden, but I use "dead thumb" a lot when I play old style country blues.


I prefer a small bodied guitar, when playing old style blues. I would like a resonator, but can't afford one right now. Tony


Oh yeah, on Willie Brown I was thinking of Charlie Patton's "Dry Well Blues."

Gotta love someone in Sweden using the dead thumb techique - that Mance Lipscomb and Lightnin' Hopkins kinda sound. I tend to use it but also am in the habit of using a drone string quite a bit.

I play a big body Gibson - a 1960 J-200 with a DeArmond 210 pickup slapped across the soundhole. Last week though I got a chance to play a 1942 Martin 000-18. While the neck was a bit slim for my taste, I was surprised at just how well that little guitar projected. Like you, I am hoping to get hold of a resonator. Back in the 1960s and 1970s I played an early 1930s National Duolian but like a fool sold it off in the 80s.

I have been fingerpicking electric with a bit of midrange snarl dialed in. The other week I sat in with some folks and played House's "Death Letter Blues" and R.L. Burnside's "Long Haired Doney" and, after re-tuning, Mississippi Fred's "You Gotta Move" and Elmore's "Shake Your Money Maker." My favorite electric for playing this kinda stuff is my Rice Custom Tele style. It has a humbucker in the neck and a 5-way switch. When the humbucker is tapped it is in "half-tapped" mode - the bass comes from both sides and the treble only from the screw side which gives the pickup a nice warm and slightly gnarly overdrive without having to roll the tone all the way off and the volume all the way up.

I, like you, love to hear of other folks playing some Deep Blues.

I have tried all my life to NOT sound like an SRV clone. So i never studied much into his style. I really dig Led Belly and Sun House. I love sun house's stuff cause it is just so groove oriented not a ton of notes spit at ya.

Sun House is a major influence, just from songs like "Grinning in your Face" and "Death Letter". He just wrote and played GREAT music. And it was nothing fancy. Which is right up my alley. Everyone seems to quote Robert Johnson as an influence, heck even I sound a little like him. But Robert Johnson at one point use to follow Sun House around and ask if he could play with him. So Sun House is where I really began to get a feel for the roots of delta blues.

I really dig Lightnin' Hopkins. I just loved how he used one guitar and played the dead thumb rhythm and then rip you apart on the treble strings with some catchy fills. Heck he was kin to Albert Collins, who learned to play from Lightnin'. Heck if you listen back to alot of Lightnin's electric work. That WAS rock n roll.

I know he wasn't an acoustic player. But ALOT of T-Bone Walker comes out in my playing. Just his jazzy feel and single note runs. Not to mention his awesome hemiola riffs which you could ride for an entire 12 bars. He could make that one sound with his guitar and just melt faces.

These three people REALLY influenced my own sound. I cant play blazing fast. My dead thumb is the greatest. But these three people really showed me the most important concepts of expression. Melody, Rhythm, and Storytelling. Thats all I need to know IMO.

I do alot of fingerstyle stuff, slapping popping the strings, dead thumb, and alot of slide work. But i always have my pick tucked in my hand for pinching harmonics and such. So I am a hybrid picker. I think my right hand technique is alot better than my left hand IMO. I really can do ALOT of different sounds with just my hand.

I am down to limited gear lately so I use a Silverface Twin Reverb with my 60's Style Tele which has decently high action for slide and chord work. It also has a rosewood fretboard which I feel gives me a more mellow tone in the neck for some T-bone stuff. And the bridge pup just snarls for me.

Acoustically I use a Larrivee 000 Style guitar. Which has the same dearmond pup as Zombywoof across the soundhole. I even plug into my twin reverb when I need that kind of volume.

I usually play with three different sounds. The famous twin clean, from my twin. Then I have a Big Muff and a Bad Bob Boost for my distorted tones. I also have a Digitech Whammy, Volume Pedal, Wah, and a Phaser for a vibe sound. Lately I have just been plugging straight in and just using the muff when I need dirt.

Most of my gigs are with my acoustic in which I do delta blues syle covers and my own twist on the delta soun originals. Mostly tuned in open tunings and using my heavy brass slide and finger picking.

So do any of you guys have some tabs or chord diagrams for some of your influences I would love to see them. I would also like Zomby love to hear if anyone else shares similar influences. Heck even books and such you would recommend.

Ok I am done rambling.

Most of my gigs are with my acoustic in which I do delta blues syle covers and my own twist on the delta soun originals. Mostly tuned in open tunings and using my heavy brass slide and finger picking.
So do any of you guys have some tabs or chord diagrams for some of your influences I would love to see them. I would also like Zomby love to hear if anyone else shares similar influences. Heck even books and such you would recommend.


I seem to be playing far more acoustic gigs than electric the last couple of years. Never wote an original though - my hat is off to you.

I do love the pre-war guys but Son House is my favorite I first heard him on a friend of my father's 78 rpm records "Dry Spell Blues" and "My Black Mama" back in the early 1960s. I agree with ya on his style. He wasn't flashy like Bukka White or as technically skilled a player as others but he played with such raw emotion. While I do not try and play their style, I admire the 12 string wizards - Blind Willie McTell, Barbecue Bob and Curley Weaver.

I also listen to alot of the classical blues singers - Bessie Smith, Lucille Bogan, Lil Armstrong, and the like. I love their voices and have actually learned quite a bit from listening to the clarinet and horns.

Over the years I seem to be playing less slide (I used a Coriciden bottle). Main reason is I started to play more complex chords in open tuning and need my fingers free.

Not sure what to recommend in books or whatever. If you do not have it already, order yourself the "Deep Blues" DVD. Amazing Mississippi Hill Country stuff - R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Jessie Mae Hemphill and a whole host of others.

I cannot tell ya how many times folks have asked me to tab out stuff. I start and then never seem to finish. I have been working on making up charts for the chords I use. Not really sure what they all are - I mean I know it is a A7th something or the other. My goal is to tab out the chords and then use individual songs to show where I use them. If I ever get it done would be glad to send ya a copy.

But again, these are my representations of certain songs and are not note for note renditions of the original recordings.

Good luck and am glad to hear from another blues guy who loves the pre-war stuff.

But again, these are my representations of certain songs and are not note for note renditions of the original recordings.

Yea I could not do an exact rendition of anything. I really like hearing other peoples takes on things. I can play "Death Letter Blues" one way, but I bet you play it a little different or even alot different. But we still both get the "feel" across. This is why I play the blues. I dont have to be just like the next guy. Its all in how I want my interpretation to be at that certain moment.

I would definitely like to see some of your open tuned chords. So definitely PM those charts when you can. I would definitely use them.

I fingerpick and do hybrid on electric. Interestingly enough, I do it more out of convenience. I don't always have a pick handy, and will just play with my fingers. I took a few years of classical and studied Chet, Tommy Emmanuel and others for awhile too. The absolute best way to learn hybrid or fingerpicking is to lock up all your picks for 3 months. Do your normal practice routing and songs without a pick. You'll be amazed how good you can get his way.

Daniel Auerbach from the Black Keys is a young guy who plays electric blues fingerstyle. From a few pictures on his website, it looks like he uses a bare thumb but a pick on his index finger.

I saw these guys live: one guitar, one drummer, no bass, and they sounded like a really rocking band, just the two of them. That's the beauty of fingerstyle--two guitarists for the price of one.