Really okay to strum with my thumb? 😅

The Fundamental 1 talks about strumming with your fingers (not a pick) and Anders says that it's okay to strum with your thumb. Is that true? The reason I'm asking is that I was told once that you shouldn't (for acoustic guitars) and should always use the nails, but I've never liked the sound of it and prefer my thumb. But then I'm thinking I'm creating bad habits so I'm forcing myself to do with the nails and end up not liking what I'm playing 😅🫤

So, if it's perfectly fine to use my thumb (and it's not just a beginner's technique), I would be super happy! :D Can someone please enlighten me on this (the advice came from a guitar course I took, but I can't remember what genre they were teaching).

It is okay to do.  It obviously has limitations & depends on what style, music, songs you want to play.  It is sort of an introductory, beginner approach taken at the beginning of learning.  Some students do better just focusing on fretting notes & chords, but not having to worry about picking.  Then after they get some fretting hand skills built, they add the next layer of complexity with holding & using a pick.  Other students are able to learn all those skills simultaneously.

If you keep working through the course Anders will introduce playing with fingers & a pick.  Hope that helps!

Thank you both! What are the limitations long-term to only strum with my thumb (I'll only play acoustic guitar, not electric)?

Learning to play with your fingers & a pick will greatly increase your ability to be precise striking the strings & as a result give you a wider range of musical options:  fingerstyle/fingerpicking, strumming full or partial chords more precisely, playing single note lines more precisely, playing bass notes & chord tones simultaneously.

As I passionately played the guitar, despite my zero experience, my thumb curled under the strings. The pain was overwhelming and my musical dreams were dashed. Surgery and a long recovery forced me to put the guitar down and focus on my coursework. Thus began my new melody - the sounds of the keyboard and words on paper.

Hi Guys,

Absolutely, Strumming with your thumb can create a unique and warm tone, especially on acoustic guitars. It's a technique used by many great musicians. Just remember, there are no strict rules in music – it's all about personal preference and the sound you want to achieve. So, go ahead and thumb-strum with confidence.

The perfect response. Music is all about sound.

One day, while learning to play the guitar, I dislocated my finger, as a result of which I stopped playing for a while. But I wasn’t upset, because I had to write a term paper! Since my hand was faulty and I could not write with it, I had to ask for help from the https://customwriting.com/buy-term-papers service so that they could write the work for me. Professional authors quickly got to work, so I think it will be done in the coming days! So I had something to do, especially since the doctor said that I would soon be able to play the guitar again.

My story of learning to play guitar is the path to musical passion. The beginning was difficult for me, and I encountered notes and chords as if they were mysteries that were unknown to me. Then I realized that sometimes it is better to turn to professionals. I found a teacher and attended classes, which was key to my progress. Likewise, in life, sometimes it is better to use the services of services to solve problems of any type of task, from writing a term paper to some project that you were assigned at work.

I am also before writing a paper course, I play with a thumb on the guitar, I damaged it, as a result of which I could no longer write work with my hand! And yes, a game with a thumb in the upper part is possible. I have an experience of playing the guitar for six years, I know what I'm talking about.

How long can you really play with your larger finger without getting tired and without it starting to hurt? who tried it? :)