Fingerstyle Guitar - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Players do not have to carry a plectrum; but fingernails may have to be maintained at the right length and in good condition.
• It is possible to play multiple non-adjacent strings at exactly the same time
• It is more suitable for playing polyphonically, with separate musical lines, or separate melody, harmony and bass, and therefore more suitable to unaccompanied soloing. Fingerstyle players have up to four (very rarely five) surfaces striking the string independently; however, that does not equate to four plectrums, since plectrums can strike strings on both an up and a downstroke, which fingers generally cannot.
• It is easy to play arpeggios; but the techniques for tremolo and melody playing are more complex than with plectrum playing.
• It is possible to play chords without any arpeggiation, because up to 4 strings can be plucked simultaneously.
• There is less need for fretting hand damping in playing chords, since only the strings that are required can be plucked.
• A greater variation in strokes is possible, allowing greater expressiveness in timbre.
• A wide variety of strums and rasgueados are possible.
• Less energy is generally imparted to strings than with plectrum playing, leading to lower volume when playing acoustically.
• Playing on heavier gauge strings can damage nails: fingerstyle is more suited to nylon strings or lighter gauge steel strings (but this does not apply to fingerpicks, or when the flesh of the fingers is used rather than the nail - as is the case with the lute.)