Tonefiend Forum

Welcome Guest 

Show/Hide Header

Welcome Guest, posting in this forum requires registration.





Pages: [1]
Author Topic: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
Jeff_H

Posts: 47
Permalink
Post Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 7, 2012, 07:50
Quote

Ok, I've been playing guitar for MANY years - but I've always used a pick. When I try to play fingerstyle, I feel as if my right hand fingers are trying to tangle up with each other - it's very unnatural. (Yes, I'll play with my thumb and first finger if I don't have a pick - but that doesn't really count as fingerstyle.) I feel very disadvantaged since I didn't start learning both picking and fingerstyle together. I'm an old dog trying to learn a new trick.

So, I'd like some pointers on how to start learning to play fingerstyle. Where do I start? What are some exercises that will help this to become more natural?

Thanks for any help.

dasein

Posts: 17
Permalink
Post Re: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 8, 2012, 15:40
Quote

If fingerpicking anything feels awkward, I would start from square one.

Take a look at your right hand technique. Is your hand relaxed and your fingers in a natural curl? Classical guitarists will insist that you:

- initiate the movement from your knuckles (the joint where your fingers meet your palm)

- keep the first joint in your fingers relaxed and loose, so that when you pluck a string, it has the same relaxed movement of a paintbrush stroke

While there are exceptions to these rules depending on the sound you want and the style of music you're playing, they're a good starting point. Too much unnecessary tension will make any technique feel awkward.

Next, I would just practice arpeggiating chords, using one finger per string. Old finger picking warhorses like "House of the Rising Sun" are good, but really you can use the chords to any song. Like anything, go slowly and focus more on accuracy than speed.

After that, try chords with different combinations of fingerpicking patterns. Play two in a chord strings at once. The intro to "Stairway to Heaven" - as cliche as it is for a guitarist to practice - requires you to hit the top and bottom note of the chord at the same time in order to sound right.

I would also strongly recommend learning how to Travis pick (also called alternating bass or playing with a dead-thumb). I don't know what kind of music you play... if you play only technical death metal, it probably won't be that useful to you. But Travis picking is such an integral part of American music (as well as a lot of African guitar playing and for players like Joseph Spence) that learning it well can open a lot of doors for you.

My book of choice for learning this is "The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking" by Mark Hanson. Very student friendly, starts out very easy and gradually builds in difficulty until you're playing fairly complicated pieces. And getting all those patterns down will be a real finger picking workout.

Also, if you're playing with a pick, try experimenting with hybrid picking. It may feel a little awkward at first, but mastering it allows you to play certain ideas that would be either very difficult or impossible with a pick alone.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.

Jeff_H

Posts: 47
Permalink
Post Re: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 9, 2012, 08:38
Quote

Thanks Dasein.

I really appreciate the tips. I'm definitely not a metal-head, so I'll try to pick up the book.

Best Regards - Jeff

joe
Administrator
Posts: 224
Permalink
Post Re: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 18, 2012, 12:39
Quote

Great subject. And as a classical player turned non-classical player, I second a lot of what Dasein says. 🙂

Classical exercises are great — and I've been wanting to do a modern adaptation of Guiliani's 120 arpeggio studies with tab and alternate chord progressions. (You'll find them in many classical guitar books, including Scott Tenant's superb Pumping Nylon.)

But you don't necessarily want to apply only classical technique, because it neglects many important alternatives, like picking with your little finger, or playing individual notes with downward strokes. Also, classical technique emphasizes the ability to play equally strongly with all digits, whereas most folk-based styles rely on the naturally greater strength of the thumb and index finger.

Jeff_H

Posts: 47
Permalink
Post Re: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 20, 2012, 06:20
Quote

Thanks Joe. I'll look for that book, too!

Jeff_H

Posts: 47
Permalink
Post Re: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 28, 2012, 07:44
Quote

Those of you that didn't notice - Joe published Fingerstyle Boot Camp on the front page.

Thanks Joe!

Digital-
Larry

Posts: 192
Permalink
Post Re: Help for Beginning Fingerstyle
on: August 28, 2012, 10:36
Quote

I find myself in much the same position. I have not really conquered "Freight Train" or "Stairway to Heaven". But I did compose my own fingerstyle piece just using a "let's see what happens next" approach. So, I know one fingerstyle tune at this time. If I keep on like this, I may develop a unique approach that excludes any commonality with "Freight Train" or "Stairway to Heaven".

Pages: [1]
Mingle Forum by cartpauj
Version: 1.0.34 ; Page loaded in: 0.093 seconds.

Comments are closed.