Scarborough Fair
Most of this song involves simple patterns that are repeated during each verse. There is some very interesting and intricate fingerstyle guitar playing.
Finger picking, or fingerstyle guitar, is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers. These lessons cover techniques such as Travis Picking and include several songs arranged for picking.
Most of this song involves simple patterns that are repeated during each verse. There is some very interesting and intricate fingerstyle guitar playing.
This simple arrangement of Green Day’s “Time of Your Life” is a great lesson on letting the notes dictate how you pick them, instead of relying solely on downstroke picking or alternate picking.
This lesson will help you develop your upstoke picking techique and show you the best way to get a better sound, increase your pick speed and improve your timing.
There’s a little bit of everything in this lesson, from easy arpeggios and strumming to some basic Travis style finger picking patterns. As always, David picks the song apart into small pieces that even many beginners can get with some concerted practice. Have fun learning this Harry Chapin classic!
Andrew DuBrock, one of the best when it comes to guitar tutorial books, discusses the challenges and rewards of learning fingerstyle guitar playing.
Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s is a great pop song that will help you pick up some solid technique whether you use a pick or play finger style.
Guitar Noise contributor and Forum Moderator Vic Lewis lists his reasons for not playing guitar with a pick, or “plectrum,” if you prefer.
Learn how to play the sparse and spooky (but very easy to learn) version of Scarborough Fair that Nick and David came up with while working on The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Guitar.