The Best Guitar Strings for a Finger-Picking Guitar
Finger-picking guitar style technically refers to a style of playing that involves a constant bass pattern picked with the thumb and accompanying treble notes picked with the other fingers. Nonetheless, many players use the term "finger-picking" to refer to any type of playing in which the strings are picked with the fingers as opposed to a guitar pick. Finding out what the best types of guitar strings are for finger-picking guitar is a good idea if you wish to get the best feel and sound for finger-picking.
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Material
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Finger-picking guitarists traditionally use steel strings. Stainless steel strings provide a bright, biting tone and provide good sustain. "Sustain" is the amount of time a note sounds out when it is picked. Stainless steel strings are also very durable and so require changing less often than other strings. A more common choice for string material nowadays is phosphor bronze, which provides a bright sound but a warmer one than you would find with steel strings. Using 80/20 bronze strings is also a possible choice for finger-picking guitars, but these lose their brightness more quickly than phosphor bronze or stainless steel strings. However, if you frequently change strings or like the tone after the strings lose some brightness, these may be the best choice. Experiment with different materials to see which suits your desired sound best.
Gauge
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Generally, lighter gauge strings are considered the best for finger-picking guitar because they can be played more easily than thicker strings. "Gauge" simply refers to a measurement of string thickness and is usually displayed as either the gauge of the high E string or the range between the high and low E strings. The best range of gauge for finger-picking strings is .012 to .054. If you've been playing guitar for a while and are able to handle slightly thicker strings, medium strings may be preferable because of the increased volume level they provide.
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Coating
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You can buy some strings that have a special thin plastic coating, designed to improve the durability of the strings. Generally, these strings are said to keep their brightness for twice as long as ordinary strings. However, they also are considerably more expensive than normal uncoated strings. When you play finger-picking guitar, the strings are exposed to more corrosive oils from your fingers, so buying coated strings is still generally unnecessary unless you have particularly sweaty fingers.
Flexible Core
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Some strings, specifically designed for finger-picking guitar, have a thinner, more flexible core. The top three or four strings on a guitar are comprised of a core with a coil wrapped around it. Flexible core strings reduce the density of the core and use other materials such as zinc to make them more flexible and nice to play. These strings also increase the sustain of each note. Test out some flexible core strings to determine whether you prefer them to ordinary strings.
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References
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