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
In the home recording of the song, Guthrie is heard talking the lyrics over basic fingerpicking, without the more developed melody Hoffman later added.
—
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
Cunningham, celebrated for her sophisticated fingerpicking and intricate compositions, joins forces with Bird, whose distinctive violin work and plaintive vocals have earned him critical acclaim.
—Charlie Harding, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
With just the Punisher singer on guitar and Baker on a mandolin, their gentle fingerpicking uplifted their tender, romantic vocals and made the song sound like one that could’ve fit seamlessly onto their debut album, the record.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2023
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
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David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
Cunningham, celebrated for her sophisticated fingerpicking and intricate compositions, joins forces with Bird, whose distinctive violin work and plaintive vocals have earned him critical acclaim.
—Charlie Harding, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
With just the Punisher singer on guitar and Baker on a mandolin, their gentle fingerpicking uplifted their tender, romantic vocals and made the song sound like one that could’ve fit seamlessly onto their debut album, the record.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2023
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
Cite this Entry
“Fingerpicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fingerpicking. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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