fingerpicking
noun
fin·ger·pick·ing
ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌpi-kiŋ 
: a method of playing a stringed instrument (such as a guitar) with the thumb and tips of the fingers rather than with a pick
Examples of fingerpicking in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s pushed along by his stout acoustic guitar strumming and David Rea’s sleek fingerpicking accents, which reinforce the lyric’s hauteur.
—
Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 2 May 2023
One woman’s courtly voice, accompanied only by her soft fingerpicking on acoustic guitar.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Apr. 2023
Watson was also an accomplished practitioner of fingerpicking, a guitar style involving plucking strings with the thumb and one or more fingertips using fingerpicks or fingernails.
—Ted Olson, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2023
The album, showcasing her probingly personal writing, affectingly understated voice, and magnetically dexterous acoustic folk-blues fingerpicking, is the work of an accomplished and distinctive artist.
—Steve Hochman, SPIN, 2 Feb. 2023
Doc Watson inspiring the young, hungry guitarist, Tuttle occupied herself with learning flatpicking and fingerpicking.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2023
Dolly Parton’s theme park gets into the holiday spirit in a way that rivals Radio City’s Rockettes — with fewer kicklines but far more fingerpicking.
—Melena Ryzik Stacy Kranitz, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022
Bob Dorobis in Middletown, New Jersey, worked intensely to improve his guitar fingerpicking during the pandemic after a long break.
—Leanne Italie, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2022
Larry could do certain fingerpicking, country playing.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2022
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Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 2 May 2023
One woman’s courtly voice, accompanied only by her soft fingerpicking on acoustic guitar.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Apr. 2023
Watson was also an accomplished practitioner of fingerpicking, a guitar style involving plucking strings with the thumb and one or more fingertips using fingerpicks or fingernails.
—Ted Olson, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2023
The album, showcasing her probingly personal writing, affectingly understated voice, and magnetically dexterous acoustic folk-blues fingerpicking, is the work of an accomplished and distinctive artist.
—Steve Hochman, SPIN, 2 Feb. 2023
Doc Watson inspiring the young, hungry guitarist, Tuttle occupied herself with learning flatpicking and fingerpicking.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2023
Dolly Parton’s theme park gets into the holiday spirit in a way that rivals Radio City’s Rockettes — with fewer kicklines but far more fingerpicking.
—Melena Ryzik Stacy Kranitz, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022
Bob Dorobis in Middletown, New Jersey, worked intensely to improve his guitar fingerpicking during the pandemic after a long break.
—Leanne Italie, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2022
Larry could do certain fingerpicking, country playing.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fingerpicking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1956, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near fingerpicking
Cite this Entry
“Fingerpicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fingerpicking. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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