Billy Kemp

Greetings from Liberty. My apologies for my long break from posting. With the new year started I’ve been thinking about different things to write about. Since my last post, I have been carrying on with the music. Not being on the road, I have been able to practice about three hours a day Monday to Friday, and it has been a joy for me. I feel very fortunate that I still and always have enjoyed practicing.

Many of you know that my main instrument is the guitar and that I play with three different right hand techniques; flat pick only (p), pick with two finger (p+2) and thumb with one or two finger (t+f). When I started playing I learned with a pick.

The pick certainly has its place, and I’m glad that I have spent years with it. Next I added the middle and ring fingers to the pick. That would have been years after playing with a pick only. Then I discovered playing with thumb and fingers only, no pick.

For decades I have spent small amounts of time practicing with t+f but never exclusively until now. For the last three months I’ve been playing and practicing with t+f only, and it has been very rewarding. Playing with skin against the strings versus a pick gives the guitar a rounder, warmer sound. With nothing in between you and the strings, you feel more connected as well.

Another technique item I’ve been working on is not anchoring with my picking hand (my right hand) with my little finger on the top of the guitar. Here are a couple of pics showing the right hand with and without the anchor.

Over the years I have thought at times that the anchor might have an impact on speed. Plus, how is having your finger leaning on the top of the guitar affecting the sound? There is much discussion online about anchoring if you’d like to go deeper.

Playing without an anchor changes how you move your picking hand over the strings, it feels more free. The connection to the strings feels different as well, at times more connected.

Another thing I should mention is how many fingers I use with the thumb. Before I do, I must mention that there is another technique that I use that I failed to mention. As I said above, one of the techniques I use is p+2. Sometimes a song calls for a switch in the middle of a song on your right hand technique. You may want to use a pick on the verses and choruses, but on the solo you may want to use just t+f. I developed a habit of slipping the pick underneath of my index finger in order to switch from p+2 to t+f. Then I’m playing with my thumb and middle finger only. I have read that that’s how Taj Mahal plays. The point being that I’m only using one finger. There are many blues players that play with t+f using thumb and index only. There is a video that a fan recorded in North Wales when I performed there in 2014 that talks about this style.

When you play with t+f, and you only use one finger, it seems less complicated and more manageable. So I’ve been working on playing with my thumb and index finger and no anchor. It’s been fun to have a focus like this. Feel free to write if you have any thoughts or questions.

Happy New Year and happy music making…

Billy