Playing With the Pick and Fingers
Lead guitarists sometimes use a technique of playing with both the pick and the fingers of the right hand. This is called Hybrid Picking. The right hand fingers are named as such:
Boogie Riff
The following riff is often referred to as a "boogie" and involves the use of the pick and the "a" finger. The pick plays the bass notes, while the "a" finger plays the A note on the third string.
To create a rest on the 2 and 4 counts, deaden the sound of ringing strings by lightly touch all of the strings with the 4th finger (see photo).
Here is a variation of the boogie, using the "a" and "m" fingers.
The following exercise combines the use of the pick with the "m" and "a" fingers. This exercise may be difficult at first, so play the first bar separately until the fingering becomes familiar.
This lick is played with the pick and the "m" finger in a similar manner to playing octaves. For more on playing with pick and fingers, see Progressive Blues Guitar Licks and Progressive Blues Guitar Solos.
