So who here actually uses Brian's pick-tucking-away techique?

I've been learning rockabilly finger picking for a while now and it's difficult to choose an option. I've used thumb and fingers, thumb-pick and fingers, flat pick and fingers and herco flat pick and fingers. They all have + and -'s.
Then I watch Brian playing Mystery Train and i try the pick folded in the index finger trick. It's not the most natural movement to begin with but shit, if it's good enough for Brian then who am I to argue?
Has anybody actually mastered this trick? Is it worth the time or should I just go the Chet/Jerry route and sacrifice a bit of speed in the solo's.

And I just love the way on Mystery Train Brian slides into some pentatonic runs and then immediately steps back out into Rockabilly licks, it doesn't need saying I know, but the man is a card carrying genius.

I have clearly not mastered it but I get along with it quite good, although I prefer the so called hybridpicking as I get more punch on the bass strings that way. But still it's a good technique to learn and practise as it adds variety to your reportoire of styles.

Don't ry to do it like Setzer just because he does so!
You'll need to find out what works best for YOU!
I get along best with the Thumbpicks, because I can hit the Strings very exact than and, as chriy already mentioned, they've got more punch when you hit them with a pick. But it's also usefull to be able to do it without the thumbpick, either you hide your pick (I use to keep it in my middlefinger), or you do the hybridpicking. Anyway just do what feels best for you, and the rest is just practising!

Paul

yeah I used to tuck the pick in between my index and middle finger but then saw the way that setzer does it and picked that up pretty quick. and it has stuck. its way more comfortable than any other way ive used. when i first started trying to learn it i used to always keep a pick in my pocket, still do, and practice tucking and untucking the pick between my fingers. its addicting to do, just messin around with the pick in my fingers.
as for chet pickin, thats how i got into Setzer. I heard the Beginning of Lets Live It Up and gave Setzer maaad respect. but anyways, i have a pretty hard time doin even medium speed single line licks with a thumb pick on. tough tough

thumb picks are just impossible man, I dont get it.. I've tried! Even
with the metal banjo picks to make my banjo sound cooler..ITs like
driving with oven mitts on!

oh dude, those banjo picks. dont even go there. they scare the crap out of me

Thanks guys.
So far I find using those Herco flat-pick with a wrap around the best trade off between finger-picking and flat pick soloing, but I like to hold my pick with very little point protruding so I have to file the Herco's right down to get the same effect and it sort of spoils the feel of them. Incidentally, I'm having to send away to the States for those so if anyone knows a UK supplier I'd be grateful.

The real issue is that finger picking is a bitch to learn as TV says, and I want to take the right path now rather than have to re-learn it later. Using the Thumb and fingers feels really natural which is why I was interested in Setzer's technique but for Country and Rockabilly I really want to get that twang going on the bass strings.

Oh well, thanks for the help but it looks like there's no real answer, just have to keep trying everything!

My solution is to just tuck the pick between two tentacles!

...Seriously, though, I started out using the hyrbid-pick and finger method for hybrid-picking until catching Setzer's technique via some of his videos/concert footage (especially the Hot Licks video). Since then, I usually adopt his method as I like the sound of the thumb on the bass strings like fingerpicking, but with the flexibility to return to the pick for flatpicked runs. I still use the other method (mainly on songs like Moonlight in Vermont, where it's hard to switch from Setzer's style for the harp harmonics), but probably not as much as Setzer's style. I'm not a big fan of thumbpicks either, but I will occasionally play fingerstyle with no pick. TV is right about the travails of Travis picking. Part of the trick is to sort of teach yourself to bend your fingers/thumb only from the first knuckle (the one closest to your palm), but that is easier said than done. I still find myself reverting to things such as bending from the second knuckle, as well as using the free stroke instead of the rest stroke in flatpicking and fingerstyle when I should be using the rest stroke, when I'm playing. This doesn't even touch trying to play single notes and chords Wes Montgomery-style (with just your thumb, no picks or fingers), which is another great technique for one to try and master.

Anyway, I think the important thing is to try out all these different approaches and then use what works best and feels the most comfortable to ye.

Hope that helps ye out.

Capt. Jones

I took music theory lessons from a guy when I was in high school that was really into old school blues. I'm talking Robert Johnson, Son House, etc. He was also into Leo Kotke. He schooled me on Travis picking, but it was oriented to blues, open D tuning on acoustic with slide. That technique really broadened my horizons and was fun as hell! Since I was playing steel string acoustic, he taught me with steel finger picks with the wraparound plastic thumb pick. Years later, when I started studying Le Setz's style, I was able to pick up his technique rather easily for folding the flat pick into the index finger and hitting bass notes with thumb.

Hee Hee! I wish I could execute a fraction of what Setzer does with those fingers!

Brian's pick tucking technique will takes time to master, I myself was trying to get this technique down and just could not hold onto the pick, then it struck me like a flash of lightning, the pick I was using was made of Derlin... just like some of the nuts on guitars, it's one of the most slippery materials... there's no way you could hold onto it and move it back and forth between picking and tucked position without dropping it... I switched over to vintage Celluloid picks and now rarely if ever drop the pick. As far as which picking technique to use (Thumb pick, fingers, Hybrid...etc...) ... the right one, is the one that makes whatever your playing sound best... so practice them all.

Daddy_O

I picked up that tucking technique while learning Setzer's version of Sleep Walk. I don't know if I am doing the SAME way he does it, but it is rather nice to do. Very easy once you get the hang of it and you can get the softer fingersyle sound and not have to worry about backing off the pick so that it doesn't over power the fingers. I do, however, still do the hybrid approach as well. Just depends on what I am going for.