Maybe someone's got an idea that would help

[kgarkie]

I put this on ask Griff but there are more of you than him so here's what I asked:

Last February, I was working in my shop setting up a box joint jig and had a major accident. My right hand found the 3/4" straight bit spinning at 10,000 rpms. I ripped off the top of the nail bed on my middle finger and messed up the index finger. I had to have the middle finger amputated just behind the nail bed leaving me with a shortened and somewhat sensitive finger. The index finger healed just fine. After years of neglect. I've finally picked up my guitars and started over again on your courses. My problem is trying to figure out how to finger and hybrid pick with this shortened finger. I tried a finger pick even taping it on. Not so good. Yesterday, I tried modifying a metal finger splint so it would fit once again resorting to tape to hold it on. Kind of works. Have you got any suggestions? I'm going through SWS and Acoustic BGU.

 

[glynnd]

I put this on ask Griff but there are more of you than him so here's what I asked:

Last February, I was working in my shop setting up a box joint jig and had a major accident. My right hand found the 3/4" straight bit spinning at 10,000 rpms. I ripped off the top of the nail bed on my middle finger and messed up the index finger. I had to have the middle finger amputated just behind the nail bed leaving me with a shortened and somewhat sensitive finger. The index finger healed just fine. After years of neglect. I've finally picked up my guitars and started over again on your courses. My problem is trying to figure out how to finger and hybrid pick with this shortened finger. I tried a finger pick even taping it on. Not so good. Yesterday, I tried modifying a metal finger splint so it would fit once again resorting to tape to hold it on. Kind of works. Have you got any suggestions? I'm going through SWS and Acoustic BGU.

Have you tried fingerpicking just using the index finger, that's the way Merle Travis played so it can be done.

 

[kgarkie]

Have you tried fingerpicking just using the index finger, that's the way Merle Travis played so it can be done.

Thanks, I've been trying to use the ring and little fingers with hybrid picking which I'm getting used to but if three strings to be plucked it's difficult. Maybe just ignore a string. "Helplessly Hoping" is the first song I finger picked and I miss that finger tip for it.

 

[david moon]

you could try a thumb pick to leave 3 fingers available.

 

[kgarkie]

I decided the best course of action is to use what I have. That gives me 2 fingers to hybrid pick and 4 to finger pick. I'm retraining middle finger to stay out of the way because it just picks air when it tries to work. And I've had a great day working on it.

 

[brent]

I decided the best course of action is to use what I have. That gives me 2 fingers to hybrid pick and 4 to finger pick. I'm retraining middle finger to stay out of the way because it just picks air when it tries to work. And I've had a great day working on it.

This is actually what I was going to suggest. Find your own way through experimentation and develop your own style, rather than trying to copy what others have done with different circumstances. Best of luck.

 

[snarf]

I don't have any insight for you, but I'll leave you with a vid of a guy that is one of my all time fave players. He doesn't have a middle finger on his right hand (you can see it's not there in the vid), although he lost his as a kid. So no great ideas for you, but here's some inspiration for what you can still do without that digit.

 

[kgarkie]

He has an abundance of what I have a tiny bit of--talent. But, I'm having fun anyway.