Hey all,
Lately, i've really gotten into fingerpicking and i like it a lot! For the songs that I can play now, i use my thumb on the bass strings (E A D) and my other fingers on the treble strings (index on G, middle finger on B and my ring finger on the E string).
However i'm now trying to learn a song posted in a guitar magazine that tells me where to use the thumb and where to use the other fingers. It says that i should use my thumb on the G string sometimes and my other fingers on the bass strings at some parts. This way, a play the bass line (that sometimes uses the G-string) entirely with my thumb and the melody line with my fingers.
I'm finding i quite hard to step away from my trusted "thumb on bass-strings system", but i'd also like to develop some thumb/finger-independence and i guess the way the guitar magazine posted i the way to go...
Can someone please give me some advice? Thanks in advance!
There are a number of ways to fingerpick, but they break down into just two basic categories: pattern picking and melody picking.
In pattern picking, you have a regular, repeating pattern for the order strings are picked... you might go P-I-M-I-A-I-M-I or some other arrangement - your picking hand is essentially on auto-pilot, and all you have to worry about is which string the bass note is on (which is always picked by the thumb). Pattern picking pretty much always devotes a finger to a specific string or two, and the thumb stays in the bass.
In melody picking stlyes (like classical guitar technique) you're following the notes... and they don't need to follow a string pattern. You might have two or three consecutive notes on the same string, which makes it very awkward to pick three in a row with, say, your ring finger. So in general, the faster passages will always be I-M, M-A, I-M-A, or A-M-I - your thumb isn't well suited for fast picking. Even a really fast thumb is only going to do about 170-180 notes per minute at the top end (with Wes Montgomery being the exception that proves the rule!)
So for a melody, you want to work out an efficient fingering, and then concentrate on the notes more than the fingers. Your thumb will still play the bottom three strings more often than not, and your other fingers the three treble strings more often than not... but sometimes you'll be playing a G string with your thumb, or even the low E with your index and/or middle.
Pattern picking is definately 'easier' as a beginner, but after a bit of practice you probably won't find melody picking 'hard'.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
thumb/finger-independence > your "thumb on bass-strings system"
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