Neat trick from a jazz guitarist

[Harpymorgan]

Never seen this before. Watched a jazz show last night and the guitarist was seamlessly moving between a pick and finger picking. Not full finger picking, but the thumb and fingers style of country. I sometimes alternate like that and was keen to see what he was doing so I asked him afterwards.
He was slipping the pick with the ball of his thumb into the crease between the first two joints on his index finger, and then slipping it back using the same motion. It helps that like me he plays with the round edge of the pick and not the point. With a little practice you can get a real, smooth action.

 

[Jennifer]

Fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[walrus]

Although he definitely had the pick between his teeth a few times, I could have sworn John Pizzarelli did that when I saw him. So perhaps this is something jazzers do more than most?

walrus

 

[geoguy]

Quite a few guitar players do that, actually. Brian Setzer certainly does, & Jerry Garcia did, too. Setzer does what Harpymorgan described above. Garcia pinched it between his index finger & middle-finger stump.

Here's a Setzer example:

 

[griehund]

My son does that and keeps asking why I don't. I keep telling him I'm an old dog.

 

[Harpymorgan]

Brian Setzer differs from my description in that he uses his first finger not his index finger, actually making the first finger unusalbe for finger picking. My guy was using the finge that was holding the pick, albeit a little bent and lacking full movement. But its an interesting variation, and I think the Setzer version is easier to adopt.

 

[JohnW63]

I need a GIF animation showing how the OP's guy does it.

 

[guitarjamman]

I would imagine this is what you are talking about? (image is a little grainy but you can get the idea of how he keeps a pick tucked away for later)

At 0:28 you can see him pulling the pick out from his first finger and switch from fingerpicking to straight picking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSM3FL7zUdw

Here is another video of him where you can clearly see the pick tucked away in between his finger for the whole intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32GZ3suxRn4

 

[geoguy]

Ah. So it is held between two index & middle fingers. Yes, that's another option.

 

[Harpymorgan]

I would imagine this is what you are talking about? (image is a little grainy but you can get the idea of how he keeps a pick tucked away for later)

At 0:28 you can see him pulling the pick out from his first finger and switch from fingerpicking to straight picking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSM3FL7zUdw

Here is another video of him where you can clearly see the pick tucked away in between his finger for the whole intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32GZ3suxRn4

Thats exactly I

 

[poser]

I would imagine this is what you are talking about? (image is a little grainy but you can get the idea of how he keeps a pick tucked away for later)

At 0:28 you can see him pulling the pick out from his first finger and switch from fingerpicking to straight picking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSM3FL7zUdw

Holy cow. That 45 sec clip has been viewed well over a million times!!!