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Finger picking style

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(@steve-saunders)
Active Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 6
Topic starter  

Hi all,

Im not sure if this is a daft question or not, but its been bugging me, so help wouldbe appreciated :-)

Bit of background - Ive been playing the guitar for 20 years, and have spent many a happy hour entertaining in bars and on the beach as well as busking - but my downside is, ive been self taught with very little exposure to other players.

Now Im trying to refine my playing and have gone back to the drawing board so the speak - even buying lots of 'books' and surfing the net for articles etc - and boy, have I been doing a lot of things wrong!

But, to get to the point of this quesiton - I have a concern over my finger picking.

Everything that Ive read talks about how you can use your thumb and then fingers to pick the notes of a chord etc - so taking Am as an example, you'd probably play a bass 'open' A note with your thumb, then the D# with your 1st finger, G# with the 2nd and finaly C with your third. (the notes dont always follow this exact path, but lets keep it simple at this stage)

Ok, that seems clear enough - but when I finger pick an Am, Im off from this on two accounts:

1) Being self taught, I missed the idea of 'fingers' and pick only with my thumb and 1st finger (the rest take a tea break!)
2) When picking chords, I tend to play the base note with my thumb, and then follow up the strings from the top note to lowest - the opposite to what I see in guitar books

EG - on the Am, I play A followed by (top) E, C and then G# (or sometimes I skip the E, and go C, G#, D# for a more sombre sound)

Ive never seen this in any of my books etc so must assume that im making a great mistake - the only problem is, if Im so wrong - why does it sound ok?

I play a lot of folk and classic finger pick stuff, and ive played it like this for years - am I alone or is this a classic error?

Also, if it sounds good - why should I change it? (am I really holding myself back in some way)

Sorry for the long post - bit tricky to ecplain, but I hope ive put it across ok.

Thanks and all the best

Steve Saunders


   
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(@bennett)
Reputable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 297
 

Ok, I've only got a whopping 1.5 years experience under my belt ;) but I can't see anything wrong with the ORDER in which you fingerpick your chords. At the end of the day it's just like an upstrum. :)

As for using just your thumb and index finger, I think you might be limiting yourself. By this, I mean you wouldn't be able to play, say, all four strings in a D chord (ie. you could only play TWO strings simultaneously with thumb and index finger).

You might wanna check out Kirk Lorange's (aka. "planetalk") lessons at Guitar For Beginners and Beyond. Kirk has a load of fingerpicking lessons on there but at the very least, seeing Kirk play in his videos might prove useful to you.

Good luck. :)

From little things big things grow - Paul Kelly


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

Hi Steve and Welcome to Guitar Noise.

Picking with 2, 3, or 4 fingers? I don't think there is anything wrong with picking with just your thumb and index. It gives you your own sound and style. Probably most people fingerpick with the thumb and 2 fingers, the famous "Travis" style. I fingerpick with the thumb and 3 fingers. Why? I first started fingerpicking seriously with some Ragtime books and that's the style that was recommended. Now it's a habit.

As far as picking patterns, it's the same. If it sounds good, it is good. I do think it's good to practice different patterns, but you shouldn't worry yourself to death over it. Really, when you think about it, famous guitar players are known for their particular habits and playing style. BB King picks all downstrokes with his thumb. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fingerpicks electric which is fairly unusual. So what I'm saying it that playing guitar a little different from most folks can be a very good thing that makes you stand out as a guitarist.

Check out the lessons on the Home Page here. You should find a few good fingerpicking exercises and songs. And if you are interested in the Travis style, here is an easy lesson I found.

http://www.guitarland.com/Travis.html

But don't be afraid to just be yourself and play the way you always have. Originality is good. :D

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@fretsource)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 973
 

Also, if it sounds good - why should I change it? (am I really holding myself back in some way)

Yes, you're holding yourself back if this is the only pattern you use. There's nothing wrong with what you're doing (except three fingers could do it more efficiently than one). It's one of many valid patterns that can be used in fingerpicking - maybe not as common as the ones you saw in the books and that's why you haven't come across it. There's no need to change it, especially as you can do it fluently and it sounds good - but you can expand your picking styles from one to many and have access to a vastly enlarged repertoire of songs. There are a lot of songs that won't sound good with that particular style but need a different rhythm, such as Travis picking.
So, by all means, keep your style, but expand it by learning some new patterns. Start training your other fingers to 'earn their keep'.
By the way, in case anyone's confused, two of your A minor chord notes are E (not D#) and A (not G#)


   
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(@dogbite)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 6348
 

wes. thanks for bringing up the great two finger player...Merle Travis.
he wore a thumbpick and a finger pick.
his choice of notes and phrasing are great to work on.

we all develop our own manner of playing just because of who we are. proper lesson really helps at the very start. Ive had that, yet I have developed my own 'bad habits'.
and in many ways, that isnt so bad after all; I like alot of them!

in learning a particular style or better, genre of music, then study is needed.
good technique will give a copy.
just remember at some point feel free to make the song your own.

let your thumb move to a strum after your finger follows that first thumb bass note. the strum can fill things out and lead you to other strings in the scale.
after stumbling onto this years ago I ended up getting into flat picking instead of fingerstyle.

I flatpick fingerstyle songs and find it a blast.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=644552
http://www.soundclick.com/couleerockinvaders


   
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(@sargent-pepper)
Active Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 8
 

i tought myself and have been playing for about 3 years now with just my index finger, and my thumb like you, but i play electric.

when doing chords, i just usemy nail and pick down on the guitar.
and like you, the other three fingers take a "tea break" lol.

now i picked up a guitar pick and realise its alot easyer on my index finger that way... lol
so im slowly getting into picks.

but realy, there's no rule on how you "have" to do it..
like someone else said, it gives you your own style and sound.

if your used to it, i guess there's no point in swiching.

me, im only doing it to save my finger. lol :D

when your strange, faces come out of the rain
when your strange, no one remembers your name
when your strange when your strange when your strange


   
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