I started guitar in 1959, fingerpicking and playing Carter-style - picking bass notes with a thumbpick and strumming across the treble strings with first finger.

In '64 or thenabouts I got excited by John Herald's stuff with Ian and Sylvia, and by my first exposures to bluegrass, then by Doc Watson. I proceeded to use a flatpick more or less exclusively for the next 40 years.

Just lately I've been fooling some with "fingerpicking" using a flatpick and a fingerpick on the middle finger. If I can get that under control, maybe I'll try one on the ring finger as well.

I still think flatpick is pretty much the way to go if you play with other instruments, or to accompany singing. Fingerpicking makes the most sense for solo playing.

IMO.

Peter.