Finger Picks and Thumb Picks

How do you know if you should use finger picks or thumb picks?

Many fingerstyle guitar players use them, and many don't. As I was learning to play and started to play the acoustic guitar into a microphone, it became more of a necessity if I was going to control the volume and tone. Like other beginning guitarists, I started out using bare fingers which were fine for playing at home, but when I needed more volume and balance it just didn't work. Next came just the thumb pick, and that made bass notes that overpowered the treble strings. After several attempts I decided one pick on my thumb and one pick on my index and middle finger was the solution.

Can't I just grow my nails longer?

A lot of people do that, but I really hate having long fingernails. For some really cool videos and advice, I'd recommend you visit http://www.jamestaylor.com/guitarlessons/ to see what James goes through to play with bare fingers. One of my guitar students recommended the site which is not only interesting but very well made. Check it out! (I love the camera they have inside the sound hole so you can clearly see how he picks.)

What kind of picks should I use?

Everyone's different, so my best advice would be to experiment and see what works for you. I use Zookies thumbpicks which have a 10 degree angle, and Dunlop .0225 picks for the fingers. You can watch my short instructional video here: Fingerpicking Guitar Lesson.

Be patient when using the picks.

I tried several times before I could get comfortable with the picks since you have no feeling with them. Once you commit to using them, use them all the time. Switching back and forth from picks to fingers will make it even more awkward and more difficult to get used to them.