how to get the sound i'm looking for

mthorntech · Newbie Alert Joined: 30 Dec 2006 Posts: 1

I recently started learning how to play lead guitar. I have a mex strat.
I like a country sound ( some call chicken pickin ) . I've been trying
to get that plucked string sound with a flat pick. can this fbe done. i
was told that most country players use finger picks. any suggestions?

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 815 Location: Texas

Try getting your bare fingers in there. You can try a hybrid approach by holding your flatpick between your thumb and index finger and pulling adjacent strings with your middle and ring finger. Or just throw away the pick and use your fingers exclusively. I personally don't like fingerpicks on electric guitars. Smile

quackzed · Not So Newbie Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 9

pluck closer to the bridge and use upstrokes with your pick.the you can pluck the double stops, the more it sounds like a simultaneous 'pluck'.
i also palm mute a little to keep a tighter controll over those strings. less ringing, more tight and articulate.. also a nice compressor helps give the attack some 'plunk!' lots of treble and a cleen tone...

Herb · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:35 am Post subject:

Some of them finger pick, some flat pick, some use a hybrid combination of the two. If you're looking for the chicken-pickin' twang, you will find that the Strat may get you close, but most of the guys that do that use a Telecaster. To get any twang out of a Strat you will need heavy guage round wound strings, and a heavy handed hybrid flat pick/bare finger picking approach, along with a good bright clean amp with lots of headroom. As said in the previous post, a compressor will help some, but don't turn it up to where it overdrives the signal. Fingerpicks don't work well on electrics, most fingerpickers or hybrid pickers are using long fingernails along with either a thumbpick or a flatpick - mostly flatpick.