FingerstyleGuitarForBeginners
TableofContents:
1 Section1:
Fingerstyle101
Techniques
Exercises
BeginnerSongs
Section1
WhatIsFingerstyle?
Ok Firstthingsfirst IfyouhaveapickanywhereNEARyourcomputer,hideit!
Fingerstyle guitar is thetechniqueofplayingtheguitarbypluckingthestringsdirectlywiththefingertips,fingernails,or picks attached to fingers,asopposedtoflatpicking(pickingindividualnoteswithasingleplectrumcalledaflatpick)or strummingallthestringsoftheinstrumentinchords.Thetermisoftenusedsynonymouslywithfingerpicking.Musicarranged forfingerstyleplayingcanincludechords,arpeggiosandotherelementssuchasartificialharmonics,hammeringonandpulling offwiththefrettinghand,usingthebodyoftheguitarpercussively,andmanyothertechniques Physically,“Fingerstyle”refers tousingeachoftheright(orleft)handfingersindependentlyinordertoplaythemultiplepartsofamusicalarrangementthat wouldnormallybeplayedbyseveralbandmembers.Bass,harmonicaccompaniment,melody,andpercussioncanallbe playedsimultaneouslywhenplayingFingerstyle.
Fingerstyle Vs.Flatpicking
Thereisamajordifferencebetweenusingyourfingerstopickandusinganactualplectrum(pick)formanyreasons Though manyartistswillemploytheusageofboth,whichwe'llgetintolateroninthisprogram,theideahereistoforgetthatyou've everevenlearnedtouseapickwhenplayingfingerstyleguitar Afewkeydifferenceswhenplayingwithyourfingersinsteadof apickare:
1 Usingyourfingersallowsyoutopluckorpickmultiplenotesthatusuallyaren't'pickable'usingastandardplectrum Though therearetimesthatyoucandothis,oftenwhenplayingfingerstyle,itismuchtoodifficultto'stringskip'inawaythatislogical andeasytoaddress So,we 'use what we have' infingerstyle,allowingusuptofivefingersatanygiventimetoplaymultiple notes.ArtistssuchasLindseyBuckinghamandChetAtkinsemploythismethodanditcanbeheardonsongssuchas "Landslide"and"BigLove"(Buckingham)aswellas"Wheels"(Atkins)toprovideabeautifulnon-plectrum-picked'airy'or 'open'sound.
2 Whenplayingfingerstyle,usuallythestringsyouplayondon'tsoundquiteasharshastheywouldwhenplayingwitha plectrum.Thisgoesbacktotheavailabilitywhenplayingfingerstyletoprovideabeautiful'airy'soundasopposedtoa methodicalplectrumsensation.
3 Yourfingersnaturallywanttocurveevenwhenholdingapick,andbelieveitornot,yourmusclememorywillalmost alwaysretainthisopenpositionofholdingapickevenwhenyouareplayinginfingerstyle.Thereareexceptionstothis, dependingonhowyouwouldusuallyholdapick,butforthemostpartitringstrue.
Trythisrightnow:FindthatpickItoldyoutohide(hopefullyyoudidn'tthrowitaway!)Holditlikeyouusuallywouldwhen playingarifforarticleoftab,oftenwithyourthumband1stfinger.
WithPlectrum:
WithoutPlectrum:
Now,keepyourhandexactlyinthesameposition,andwithyourotherhand,removethepickfromthegraspofyourfingers. Morethanlikely,youareforminga"C"formationwithyourpickinghand.Your1stfingerandThumbareprobablymore 'towardtheaudience'thanyourotherfingers.Your2nd,3rd,and4thfingermayevenberightupagainstthebodyofthe guitar.Arethey?
Ifso,thenyou'vealreadyfoundtheperfectpositiontofingeranypieceoftablaturethatyou'llcomeintocontactwithinthis program.
Sincemostguitarshavesixstrings,andyourhandusuallyonlyhasfivefingers(countingthethumbasafingerinfingerstyle guitarplaying)you'llprobablynoticethatmostofyourfingersalreadylooselylineupwiththesixstringsonyourguitar,minus ofcourseonestringforthelackofanadditionalfinger.
Thekeyhereistolearntocompletelyseperateyour1stfingerandyourThumb Doingthiswillhelpyoustarttodevelopthe musclememorythatyourfingersneedinordertofingeramultiplestringattackusingfingerstyle Yourotherfingerswillstartto naturallycooperatebyslowlyspacingthemselvesawayby'feeling'thestrings
Themaindifferencebetweenfingerstyleandusingaplectrum(pick)isthatwhenplayingwithapick,youtendto'feel'the stringsbyusingthetiporsideoftheplectrum However,withfingerstyle,youractualfingersneedtobetheguideforeach other Youmustforceyourselfto'feel'thestringswithyourfingersbecausewhenyoudoso,yourfingerswillstarttolineup withtheappropriatenumberofstringsyouneedinordertoplayagivenmelody.Inthenextlesson,Iwillshowyouhowto properlyapplyyourfingerstothestringsonthebodyoftheguitarsothateverystringlooselylinesupwithyourfinger
placement.
ThePickingHand
Ourpreviouslessondealtwiththemaindifferencebetweenusingaplectrumandusingyouractualfingers.Hereishowwecan learntoretainthat'musclememory'thatIwasreferringto.
Inthevideoreferencefile,you'llseetheplacementofmypickingfingersinrelationtothestrings.NoticethatI'mkeepingmy 1stfingerandThumbrathercloseattimes,butalsoratherfaraway,alleviatingtheneedtoformapositionthatwouldusually applytoplectrumpickingwitha'pinch'formationofyourthumband1stfingertogether.
Takenoteofthepositionofmypickinghand Iliketorestmy4thfinger(pinky)attimeswithanarchrightunderthesound holeontheguitarbody,dependingontheoverallpatternofagivenpassage.Inthissimpleexampleoffingerpickingwiththe pickinghand,alsotakenotethatamajorityofmyfingerpickingcomesfrommythumband1stfinger.Iaddthe2ndfingerand 3rdfingerwhenitcallsforit,butwhenfirstlearningtofingerpick,it'salwaysagreatideatostartoffsimpleandthenmove forward.Ialsoliketomovemythumbfromtheloweststringstothehigheststringsalmostconstantly,asIammuchmore comfortablewithplayingnoteswithmythumb
Notes:
1 Byfocusingonkeepingmythumbin'starter'position(meaninganchoringmyhandneartheloweststring,dependingonthe passage)I'mactuallyabletoplayuptotwostringseasilyusingonlymythumb.Neathuh?
2 Bykeepingmy1stfingeralittleclosertotheHighEstring,I'mabletoquicklyplayonanyofthefollowingstrings:HighE, G,andD Inallhonestly,youcanactuallygetbywithONLYfingerpickingusingyour1stfingerandyourthumbinsome cases,butwewanttomoveoutofthatnormalroutine
Beforewetryoutanexample,let'stakealookatthefrettinghand,asthereissomeinformationherethatyouneedtoknow about
The Fretting Hand
Sowe'velearnedwhatfingerstyleguitaris,thedifferencebetweenitandplectrumpicking,andhowyoucaninitiallystart workingupyour'musclememory'inefficientlyplacingyourpickinghandontheguitar.
Nowlet'stakealookatyourfrettinghand
Thereareafewimportantthingstounderstandaboutthefrettinghand Manytimesinfingerstyleguitar,youwillbe'thrownoff' or'outofyourelement'whenfingeringagivenstandardchord,becauseduetotheaddingandsubtractingofcommonopen chordnotes,yourfingerssometimeshavetoadjusttothetablatureprovided
Forexample:
Asyouwillrecallinthebeginnerexercise,therewasaGchordthatcouldhavebeenplayednumerousways,eitherbythe mostcommonwayinwhichyouuseyour2ndfingerontheLowEstring,1stfingerontheAstring,and3rdand4thfingerson theBandHighEstringtoplaythethirdfrettednotes.Someevenbarrethethirdfrettednoteswiththeir4thfinger.Itjust dependsonhowcomfortableyouare.
Hereisthemorecommonway,withrednumbersindicatingfingerplacement:
You'reprobablymoreaccustomedtothismethod,asittendstobeeasiertostrumthanthemethodbelow.
Hereisthemoretraditional/classicalway,withrednumbersindicatingfingerplacement:
FoodForThought...
Ifyou'veeverwonderedwhysometimeschordshavevariousfingerplacements,here'swhy.Originallythe'standard'or 'theory'behindfingeringchordswasbasedonthe1,2,3,4,andsometimes5rule.Thisofcoursegoesbacktodeciding whichfingerstouse.Forexample:
IntheGchordabove,noticethatthefingeringsfortheLowEandAstringaretheexactsamenumberasthefrettednotes. Thisgoesbacktologics.Sincemusic(andmath)isa'universallanguage',thelogicinfrettingrelatetoyourfinger 'construction.'Whenyouplaceyourfrettinghandonthefretboard,your1stfingeristhefarthestfromyou,andyour4thfinger istheclosesttoyou,right?Mathematicallyspeaking,thatwouldmeanthatthe1stfingerisasfarbackonthefretboardasit canbe,soitwouldbeimpossibletofingerthethirdfretontheAstringfromtheGchordwithyour1stfingerandthentryto forma"C"chordwithoutmovingallofyourfingers
Tryit!It'snotpossible.YoumustmovevirtuallyallofyourfingersinordertoformtheCchord.However,ifyoutryitusing themoreclassicalmethod,youactuallyCANdothis.It'snoteasy,butit'spossible.Youjustsimplymoveyourfingersdown totheAstringasyourroot,anditstillremainsaCchordformationifyouremoveyour4thfingersandaddyour1stfingerto theBstring Neathuh?!
Inthevideoprovided,I'mplayingastandardchordprogressionusingonlyafewfingersandonlyafewchords.Takenoteof thepositionofmyfrettinghand.Itisveryimportantnotto'anchor'yourfrettinghandatanypointinthewaythatyoudo sometimeswithbasicchordprogressions Whenplayingbasicstrummingchordprogressions,wetendtopressdownhardon thestringstoguaranteethatthestringsringthroughinfull Thebeautyoffingerstyleisthatmanytimesyoucanbegintoforma chord,withoutFULLYformingit,anditcreatesamuchhighersenseoffluidityinyourplaying
TheoverallpatternhereisC,Am,Em,andAmwithvariationsbasedonfingerstyle.Iwillplaypartialsandattimesaddnotes, andthiswasdoneonthefly Youcanseethatmyhandrarelyformsafullchord,mainlybecausethatallowsforquick movementandpartialnotesthatareaddedtoastandardchord OfcourseyoucanseetheC,Am,Em,andAmpatterns,but
theyaresolooselyplayedthatyoucanjustmovearoundwithitwithoutfeeling'stuck'or'anchored'toagivenchord.
HowWillIKnowWhich'Version'ToUse?
That'swhereitgetstrickywhenplayingfingerstyleguitar.Sometimesyouhavetolookfurtheraheadinagivenpieceoftabor sheetmusicinordertocalculatelogicalfingeringpositionsforeaseoftransitionintothenextphrase.I'lltouchbaseonthatin thissectionunder"FingerstyleInUse."
TheHistoryofFingerstyleGuitar
Becausenotesarestruckbyindividualdigitsratherthanthehandworkingasasingleunit,fingerstyleplayingallowsthe guitaristtoperformseveralmusicalelementssimultaneously.Onedefinitionofthetechniquehasbeenputforwardbythe Toronto(Canada)FingerstyleGuitarAssociation:
Physically,“Fingerstyle”referstousingeachoftherighthandfingersindependentlyinordertoplaythemultiplepartsofa musicalarrangementthatwouldnormallybeplayedbyseveralbandmembers.Bass,harmonicaccompaniment,melody,and percussioncanallbeplayedsimultaneouslywhenplayingFingerstyle.
Steelstringacousticguitars
Fingerpicking
Fingerpicking(alsocalledthumbpicking,alternatingbass,orpatternpicking)isatermthatisusedtodescribebothaplaying styleandagenreofmusic Itfallsunderthe"fingerstyle"headingbecauseitispluckedbythefingers,butitisgenerallyusedto playaspecifictypeoffolk,country-jazzand/orbluesmusic Inthistechnique,thethumbmaintainsasteadyrhythm,usually playing"alternatingbass"patternsonthelowerthreestrings,whiletheindex,orindexandmiddlefingerspickoutmelodyand fill-innotesonthehighstrings.
Thestyleoriginatedinthelate1800sandearly1900s,assouthernAfricanAmericanbluesguitariststriedtoimitatethe popularragtimepianomusicoftheday,withtheguitarist'sthumbfunctioningasthepianist'slefthand,andtheotherfingers functioningastherighthand ThefirstrecordedexampleswerebyplayerssuchasBlindBlake,BigBillBroonzy,Memphis MinnieandMississippiJohnHurt.SomeearlybluesplayerssuchasBlindWillieJohnsonandTampaRedaddedslideguitar techniques.FingerpickingwassoontakenupbycountryandWesternartistssuchasSamMcGee,IkeEverly(fatherofThe EverlyBrothers),MerleTravisand"Thumbs"Carllile.LaterChetAtkinsfurtherdevelopedthestyle.
Mostfingerpickersuseacousticguitars,butsome,includingMerleTravisoftenplayedonhollow-bodyelectrics.
Travis picking
Thisstyleiscommonlyplayedonsteelstringacousticguitars Patternpickingistheuseof"presetright-handpattern[s]"while fingerpicking,withthelefthandfingeringstandardchords
Americanprimitive guitar
Americanprimitiveguitar'orAmericanPrimitivismisasubsetoffingerstyleguitar ItoriginatedwithJohnFahey,whose recordingsfromthelate1950stothemid1960sinspiredmanyguitaristssuchasLeoKottke,whomadehisdebutrecording of6and12StringGuitaronFahey'sTakomalabelin1969 Americanprimitiveguitarcanbecharacterizedbytheuseoffolk musicorfolk-likematerial,drivingalternating-bassfingerpickingwithagooddealofostinatopatterns,andtheuseof alternativetunings(scordatura)suchasopenD,openG,dropDandopenC.
Ragtime guitar
Asmentionedabove,fingerpickingwasprobablyoriginallyinspiredbyragtimepiano Anearlymasterofragtimeguitarwas BlindBlake,apopularrecordingartistofthelate1920sandearly1930s.
Inthe1960s,anewgenerationofguitaristsreturnedtotheserootsandbegantotranscribepianotunesforsologuitar.Oneof thebestknownandmosttalentedoftheseplayerswasDaveVanRonkwhoarrangedSt.LouisTickleforsologuitar.In 1971,guitaristsDavidLaibmanandEricSchoenbergarrangedandrecordedScottJoplinragsandothercomplexpiano arrangementsfortheLPTheNewRagtimeGuitaronFolkwaysRecords ThiswasfollowedbyaStefanGrossmanmethod bookwiththesametitle AyearlaterGrossmanandEDDensonfoundedKickingMuleRecordsacompanythatrecorded scoresofLPsofsoloragtimeguitarbyartistsincludingGrossman,TonvanBergeyk,LeoWijnkamp,DuckBaker,Peter Finger,LasseJohanssonandDaleMiller.Oneoftoday'stopragtimestylistsisCraigVentresco,whoisbestknownfor playingonthesoundtracksofvariousTerryZwigoffmovies.
"NewAge"fingerstyle
In1976,WilliamAckermanstartedWindhamHillRecords,whichcarriedontheTakomatraditionoforiginalcompositionson solosteelstringguitar.However,insteadofthefolkandbluesorientedmusicofTakoma,includingFahey'sAmericanprimitive guitar,theearlyWindhamHillartists(andothersinfluencedbythem)abandonedthesteadyalternatingormonotonicbassin favorofsweetflowingarpeggiosandflamenco-inspiredpercussivetechniques.Thelabel'sbestsellingartistGeorgeWinston andothersusedasimilarapproachonpiano Thismusicwasgenerallypacific,accessibleandexpressionistic Eventually,this musicacquiredthelabelof"NewAge",givenitswidespreaduseasbackgroundmusicatbookstores,spasandotherNew Agebusinesses Thedesignationhasstuck,thoughitwasn'tatermcoinedbythecompanyitself
Folkbaroque
AdistinctivestyletoemergefromBritainintheearly1960s,whichcombinedelementsofAmericanfolk,blues,jazzand ragtimewithBritishtraditionalmusic,waswhatbecameknownas'folkbaroque' PioneeredbymusiciansoftheSecond Britishfolkrevivalbegantheircareersintheshortlivedskifflecrazeofthelater1950sandoftenusedAmericanblues,folk andjazzstyles,occasionallyusingopenDandGtunings.However,performerslikeDavyGrahamandMartinCarthy attemptedtoapplythesestylestotheplayingoftraditionalEnglishmodalmusic.Theyweresoonfollowedbyartistssuchas BertJanschandJohnRenbourn,whofurtherdefinedthestyle.Thestyletheseartistsdevelopedwasparticularlynotablefor theadoptionofD-A-D-G-A-D(fromlowesttohighest),whichgaveaformofsuspended-fourthDchord,neithermajoror minor,whichcouldbeemployedasthebasisformodalbasedfolksongs.Thiswascombinedwithafingerstylebasedon Travispickingandafocusonmelody,thatmadeitsuitableasanaccompaniment Denislow,whocoinedthephrase‘folk baroque’singledoutDavy’srecordingoftraditionalEnglishfolksong‘SevenGypsys’onFolk,BluesandBeyond(1964)as thebeginningofthestyle DavymixedthiswithIndian,African,American,CelticandmodernandtraditionalAmerican influences,whileCarthyinparticularusedthetuninginordertoreplicatethedronecommoninmedievalandfolkmusicplayed bythethumbonthetwoloweststrings.ThestylewasfurtherdevelopedbyJansch,whobroughtamoreforcefulstyleof pickingand,indirectly,influencesfromJazzandRagtime,leadingparticularlytomorecomplexbaselines.Renbournbuiltonall thesetrendsandwastheartistwhoserepertoirewasmostinfluencedbymedievalmusic.
Intheearly1970sthenextgenerationofBritishartistsaddednewtuningsandtechniques,reflectedintheworkofartistslike NickDrake,TimBuckleyandparticularlyJohnMartyn,whoseSolidAir(1972)setthebarsubsequentBritishacoustic guitarists.PerhapsthemostprominentexponentofrecentyearshasbeenMartinSimpson,whosecomplexmixoftraditional EnglishandAmericanmaterial,togetherwithinnovativearrangementsandtechniquesliketheuseofguitarslides,representsa deliberateattempttocreateauniqueandpersonalstyle MartinCarthypassedonhisguitarstyletoFrenchguitaristPierre Bensusan ItwastakenupbyinScotlandbyDickGaughan,andbyIrishmusicianslikePaulBrady,DónalLunnyandMick Moloney CarthyalsoinfluencedPaulSimon,particularlyevidenton‘ScarboroughFair’,whichheprobablytaughttoSimon, andarecordingofDavy’s'Anji'thatappearsonSoundsofSilence,andasaresultwascopiedbymanysubsequentfolk guitarists.Bythe1970sAmericanssuchasDuckBaker,EricSchoenbergwerearrangingsologuitarversionsofCelticdance tunes,slowairs,bagpipemusic,andharppiecesbyTurloughO'Carolanandearlierharper-composers.Redbourneand Jansch’scomplexsoundswerealsohighlyinfluentialonMikeOldfield’searlymusic.Thestylealsohadanimpactwithin electricfolk,where,particularlyRichardThompsonusedtheD-A-D-G-A-Dtuning,butwithahybridpickingstyleto produceasimilar,butdistinctiveeffect
Slack-keyguitar
Slack-keyguitarisafingerpickedstylethatoriginatedinHawaii.TheEnglishtermisatranslationoftheHawaiiankiho‘alu,
whichmeans"loosenthe[tuning]key."Slackkeyisnearlyalwaysplayedinopenoralteredtunings--themostcommontuning isG-major(DGDGBD),called"taropatch,"thoughthereisafamilyofmajor-seventhtuningscalled"wahine"(Hawaiianfor "woman"),aswellastuningsdesignedtogetparticulareffects
Basicslack-keystyle,likemainlandfolk-basedfingerstyle,establishesanalternatingbasspatternwiththethumbandplaysthe melodylinewiththefingersonthehigherstrings.Therepertoryisrootedintraditional,post-ContactHawaiiansongand dance,butsince1946(whenthefirstcommercialslackkeyrecordingsweremade)thestylehasexpanded,andsome contemporarycompositionshaveadistinctlyNewAgesound
Slackkey'soldergenerationincludedGabbyPahinui,LeonardKwan,SonnyChillingworthandRaymondKane.Prominent contemporaryplayersincludeKeolaBeamer,MosesKahumoku,LedwardKaapana,DennisKamakahi,JohnKeawe,Ozzie KotaniandPeterMoonandCyrilPahinui
Percussive fingerstyle
"Percussivepicking"isanemergingtermforastyleincorporatingsharpattacksonthestrings,aswellashittingthestringsand guitartopwiththehandforpercussiveeffect.Flamencoguitaristshavebeenusingthesetechniquesforyearsbutthegreater resistanceofsteelstringsmadeasimilarapproachdifficultinfingerstyleuntiltheuseofpickupsonacousticguitarsbecame commonintheearly1970s MichaelHedgesbegantousepercussivetechniquesintheearly1980s Currentpercussive fingerstylistsincludeTommyEmmanuel,PrestonReed,KakiKing,JustinKing,ErikMongrain,PhilKeaggy,ThomasLeeb, EricRoche,DoyleDykes,MichaelGulezian,DonRoss,AndyMcKee,AntoineDufourandNewtonFaulkner.
Nylonstring
Classicalguitarfingerstyle
Awiderangeofmusicalstylescanbeplayedontheclassicalguitar.Themajorfeatureofclassicalfingerstyletechniqueisthat ithasevolvedtoenablesolorenditionofharmonyandpolyphonicmusicinmuchthesamemannerasthepianocan.The thumb,index,middleandringfingersareallemployedforplucking.Chordsareoftenplucked,withstrumsbeingreservedfor emphasis.Theclassicalguitarexcelsinsuchperformanceandallowsahighdegreeofcontroloverthemusicaldynamics, texture,volumeandtimbralcharacteristicsoftheguitar.Therepertoireisveryvariedintermsofkeys,modes,rhythmsand culturalinfluences Alteredtuningsarerarelyemployed,withtheexceptionofDroppedD
Flamencoguitarfingerstyle
Flamencotechniqueisrelatedtoclassicaltechnique,butwithmoreemphasisonrhythmicdriveandvolume,andlesson dynamiccontrastandtoneproduction.FlamencoguitaristspreferkeyssuchasAandEthatallowtheuseofopenstrings,and typicallyemploycaposwhereadepartureisrequired Theyoftenstrengthentheirfingernailsartificially
Somespecializedtechniquesinclude:
Picado:Single-linescalepassagesperformedapoyandobutwithmoreattackandarticulation
Rasgueado:Strummingtypicallydonebybunchingalltherighthandfingersandthenflickingthemoutinquicksuccessionto getfoursuperimposedstrums Therasgueadoor"rolling"strumisparticularlycharacteristicofthegenre
Alzapua:Athumbtechniquewhichhasrootsinoudplectrumtechnique.Therighthandthumbisusedforbothsingle-linenotes andstrummedacrossanumberofstrings.Botharecombinedinquicksuccessiontogiveitauniquesound.
Tremolo:Donesomewhatdifferentlyfromtheconventionalclassicalguitartremolo,itisverycommonlyplayedwiththeright handpatternp-i-a-m-i.
Electricfingerstyle
Fingerstyle jazzguitar
Theunaccompaniedguitarinjazzisoftenplayedinchord-melodystyle,wheretheguitaristplaysaseriesofchordswiththe melodylineontop.Fingerstyle,plectrum,orhybridpickingareequallysuitedtothisstyle.
Truefingerstylejazzguitar,withouttheuseofaplectrum,datesbacktooccasionalusebyplayerslikeEddieLang(19021933)andCarlKress(1907-1965),butthestyledidnotreallyfullydevelopbeforetheinventionoftheelectricguitar.George vanEps(1913-1998)wasreveredforhispolyphonicsologuitarplaying.TedGreeneandLennyBreauwereothermasters.
AprominentmasterofmodernjazzguitarfingerplayingwasWesMontgomery(1925-1968).Hewasknownforusingthe fleshypartofhisthumbtoprovidethebasslinewhilestrummingchordalormelodicmotiveswithhisfingers.Thisstyle,while unorthodox,waswidelyregardedasaninnovativemethodforenhancingthewarmtoneassociatedwithjazzguitar.Certainly WesMontgomery'sinfluenceextendstomodernpolyphonicjazzimprovisationalmethods.
Today,fingerstylejazzguitarhasseveralproponents,fromBritishplayerMartinTaylortothepianisticJeffLinsky,whofreely improvisespolyphonicallywhileemployingaclassicalguitartechnique.EarlKlughhasalsorecordedseveralfingerstylejazz projectsonthesologuitar.CharlieByrdplayedfingerstyleinalatinamericanstyleontheclassicalguitar.
Thereisnosingletechniqueoffingerstylejazz,butplayersgenerallyavoidtheuseofcaposandalteredtunings
Solid-bodyelectricguitar
Thesolid-bodyelectricguitarisrarelyplayedfingerstyle,althoughnogreattechnicalchallengesarepresented Well-known exponentsoffingerstyleelectricguitarincludeMarkKnopfler,JeffBeck(afteryearsofpickplaying),DuaneAllman(when playingslideguitar),RobbieKrieger,LindseyBuckingham,AlbertKing,AlbertCollins,JohnLeeHookerandRyCooder.
Some notable guitarists
ChetAtkins,DaveyGraham,JerryReed,JohnJorgenson,DoyleDykes,TommyEmmanuel,MichaelHedges,JerryDonahue, LeoKottke,WillRay,BertJansch,PierreBensusan,DannyGattonandMerleTravis
FingerstyleInUse
Here'swherethefunbegins!We'lltakealookataverysimplebutsometimesmisunderstoodfingerstylesong
"Landslide"byFleetwoodMac
Hereisanexcerpttabfromthishitsong.NowweallknowthatLindseyBuckinghamisnotoriousforonlyusinghisfingers. Whenviewingthetabbelow,you'llseewhy:
Thesongistraditionallyplayedwithacapoonthethirdfret,butthat'sofnoimportancerightnow
HerewehaveastandardCchordbeingplayed,whichmovesintoaG/Bchord.You'llseethetransitionasnotedbythe changeofthe"3"ontheAstringtoa"2"ontheAstring
Ifyounoticeabove,thisCchordcanbefingeredasyounormallywould,sothereisnoissueonfingerplacementhere It's standardandeasytoplay.Ifyouweretotryandpickthisoutusingaplectrum,oddsareyou'llgetstumpedduetothestringskippingthatisrequiredbetweeneachfrettednote.Instead,trytoplayalongwiththevideoprovidedandwatchmyfingers:
Inthevideo,IDONOTuseacapoonthe3rdfret Thisisjustanoptionwhenlearningthesong Ifyouwanttoplayitinthe appropriatekey,you'llneedtoplacethecapoonthe3rdfret
Asyoucansee,I'musingONLYmy1stfingerandmythumb.I'measlyabletotransitiontotheG/Bchordbecauseofthe initialplacementofmyfingersusingthestandardCchord.What'sevencooleristhatyou'llseethatthe'hammeron'fromthe opennoteontheDstringtothesecondfretonthesamestringactuallyworksquiteeasilybecauseI'vepositionedmyfingers correctly WhenIhammeronI'mabletoimmediatelyformtheAmstylechord(actuallyanAm7)andcontinuetothenext measurewithease
Hereisthenextmeasure:
Again,thechangefromG/BintotheAm7chordcomesrathereasilybyproperfingerplacement You'reformingthestandard Amchord,butomittingthenoteontheGstring Thatnoteisopenhere Youmayseeanotethatlooksfamiliaronthetab directlyabove There'sthatchangeagainfromthenoteontheAstring Originallyitwasa"3"fromearlier,andnowithas changedtoanopenstringnoteplayedtwice.Youshouldthenseethe"2"thatcomesimmediatelyaftertheendingoftheAm7 chord.ThattellsuswearegoingbackintotheG/Bchord.
Theonlydifferenceisthatwe'vegotanadditionalopennoteattheendofthemeasure,whichtakesusbacktotheoriginal themeorphraseofthesong Itissimplyplayedopentoroundoutthemeasure
Practiceplayingthisalongwiththevideoandseehoweasilyyoucantransitionfromonechordtonextwhenusingtheproper placement RememberthatthespeedaswellastheuseofthecapoisNOTimportantforthisexercise
ProperPositioning
Thereareafewdifferentpositionsthatareapplicabletooverallguitarplaying,beit:
1.Standingwithastrap
2.Classicalstyle
3.Standardstyle
Notonlyisitimportantinhowyoupositionyourbodyinrelationtotheguitar,withfingerstyleitisevenMOREimportant, becauseaswemovethroughtheprogram,therewillbetimesthatthewayyousitorstandaffectsyouroverallfingerdexterity. Forallintensivepurposesinthisprogram,we'llassumethatwewillallbesittingdownwiththeguitar.However,ifyoufeelthat youwishtostand,makesureyouareusingastrapandthattheabsolutebottompartoftheguitarispositionedNOLOWER thanyourbelt
Herearesomeofthevariouspositionsyoucantrytofindoutwhichoneismorecomfortabletoyou.
StandingWithAStrap
Asoneofmypersonalall-timefavoriteguitarists(DaveMatthews),I'vefoundthatthispositionisbyfarthemostcomfortable whenstandingwithaguitar Asyoucansee,Davekeepshisguitaralittlehigherthansomedo,butdoingthiswillmost definitelyallowyoufreerangeofmovement
Evenifitissometimesthepopularthingtodo,tryyourabsolutebesttokeepthebottomofthebodyoftheguitarnolower thanyourbeltlineorwaistline.Trustmeonthis.ItwillgetVERYdifficulttoplayanythingotherthanopenchordsorpower chords,letalonebarrechords Idon'tfeelthatanyofuswillneedtoworryaboutwhetherourguitarsarepositionedlogically Thisisn'tarockguitarwebsite,soIimagineyouunderstandthenecessityofproperpositioning
ClassicalStyle(Sitting)
FingerstylevirtuosossuchasChristopherParkeningsitintheproperclassicalformationasseenbelow:
Asyoucansee,he'spositionedhisguitaronhisleftknee,withtheactualguitarheldata45degreeangle.Thisallowsformore comfortonboththefrettingandpickinghand.Italsoenablestheguitaristtogetalittleclosertothoseintricatestringsthatmust bepluckedinthemanyvariousfashionsneededforfingerstyleguitar Itisalsoveryimportantnotto'slump'whenplaying fingerstyleguitar,asthiswillnotonlycausebackissuesbutitwillalsohinderyourfrettingANDpickinghandaswell Ifyou aren'tcomfortablewiththisstyle,tryitforafewdaysandifyoustilljustcan'thandleit,proceedtothemore'standard'style
StandardStyle(Sitting)
Thisimageshowsthestandardstyleofplayingyourguitar Thisisbyfarthemostcommonapproach,butittendstogetalittle difficultattimeswhenplayingclassicalorfingerstyleguitar (That'snotmebytheway It'sjustastandardpicture)
Chordsvs.Fingerstyle
Aspromised,beforewemovetoomuchfurther,I'dliketotouchbaseonthemaindifferencebetweenplayingstandard chordsandplayingfingerstyle
Manytimes,fingerstyleguitarwilladdoromitcertainnoteswithinachord
Rememberthedemoexercise?Let'stakealookagainatthatparticularexerciseandgetalittledeeperintoit:
TakenFromMeasure 1 -Basic Exercise Demo
YourusualGchordis:
Butinthistablature....
someofthenoteswithinthestandardGchordhavebeennotonlyomitted,butaddedtoaswell
Ifyouweretofingereverynoteshownhere,exceptforthesecondfrettednoteontheGstring,youwouldstillbasicallyheara Gchord.However,withtheaddedsecondfretnote,itdoesn'tsoundquitethesame,doesit?
Now,insteadofstrummingthechord,trypickingouteachnoteoneatatime,exceptforthenotesthatareplayedinunison together.Playthosetogether.
Now finger pick outthe'usualGchord'fromthetababoveandlistenclosely Doyouhearanyrealdifferenceinthenotes? There'snotmuchisthere?
Inordertocreateamore'airy'soundfromfingerpickingthisGchord,we'veomittedplayingtheHighEstringandtheA string We'vealsoaddedafewnotestocreateamelody ThatcomesinonthesecondfretnotefromtheGstring Whenyou playit,noticethatitaddsadepthtothepassage
Inadditiontoaddingthenote,we'vealsogotanopennoteontheBstringthatthenmovestothestandardthirdfretnoteon thesamestring You'restillbasicallyfingeringaGchord,BUTbyadding,altering,orsubtractingasetofnoteswithina standardchord,you'reabletonotonlyaddalternatingbassnotes,butmoremelodytothesong
FingerstyleIntroductionPartII
Nowit'stimetointroduceliving,breathingfingerstyleguitarworktoyou
(Mini-SongStudy)
Thetablaturebelowisactuallyarenditionofthesong"DannyBoy"inwhichwe'veappliedfingerstyleto.Thesongsnippet
itselfisn'thardtoplayorevenfinger,butyou'llseethatthereareaquietafewnote-relatedpointsofinterest ThisisVERY commoninfingerstyleguitar.Youreallyhavetounderstandnotevaluesandhowtheyrelate,soIdecidedtoaddthatright herebeforeeverythinggetstoocomplex
Beforewebeginthissecondintroductiontofingerstyleguitar,wehavetolearnsomethingveryimportant.
LowMelodyandHighMelody
Noticeonthetablaturebelowthatyou'llseethenotevaluesbothinuprightposition,andsomethatare'upsidedown.'In fingerstyleguitar,thistellsusthattherearelowandhighmelodies.WhilethelowandthehighmelodyMIGHTNOTplayat differentvalues,sometimestheydo.Rightnow,Ihaven'tincludedanythingtooadvanced,soyoucantreatbothlowandhigh melodiesroughlythesameway.Ijustwantedtopointoutthatifyouseeanotevalueturned'upsidedown,'thatsimplymeans itisalowmelody
Thistablaturerepresentsaseriesoffingerstylepickingthatincorporatestheusageofyourthumb,1st,and2ndfinger.
NotationLegend:
Measures 1 -2
Breakdown(Measure1):
- Webeginwiththehighmelody(openhighEstring)playingadottedhalf-noteWHILEthelowmelody('3'ontheAstring) playsastandardhalfnote.
- Wethenplaythehighmelody(the'3'ontheBstring)usingaquarternote,AFTERthelowmelody('2'ontheAstring) playsahalfnote
Breakdown(Measure2):
- AllnotesinMeasure2,exceptfortheopennoteontheAstring(whichISalowmelodynote,butthewholenotesymbol doesn'tchange)areplayedwithquarternotes.Simplehuh?!
Measures 3 -4
Breakdown(Measure3):
- ThisisbasicallyanFchord.Checkitoutonthetablature.Thelowmelodynote(the'1'ontheLowEstring)isplayedwitha dottedhalfnoteWHILEthehighmelodynote(the'3'ontheBstring)isplayedusingastandardquarternote.
- Next,the'1'ontheBstringisplayedusingaquarternote,andthenweplaythe'2'ontheGstringusingahalfnote Endthis measurewithalowmelodynoteof'3'ontheDstringplayingaquarternote.
Breakdown(Measure4):
- Asimplequarternoteprogressionwithanaddedlowmelodynoteof'3'ontheAstring.
Measures 5-6
Breakdown(Measure5):
- Herewehavetwohighmelodynotesplayingdottedhalfnotes.Whilethisisplayed,thelowmelodynote,the'3'ontheA string,playsaquarternote.
- Thelowmelodynoteof'2'isplayedwithaquarternote,andthentheopenstringnoteonAisplayedwithahalfnote End themeasurewith'5'ontheGstringand'5'onthehighEstringplayingquarternotes
Breakdown(Measure6):
- MuchlikeMeasure2,thisentiremeasureplaysusingquarternotes.
Measures 7-8
Breakdown(Measure7):
- Bothlowmelodynotes(the'3'ontheLowEstringandthe'2'ontheAstring)playusinghalfnotes,whilethehighmelody note(the'3'ontheBstring)playsusingawholenote,aswellasthe'3'ontheDstring
Breakdown(Measure8):
- Thiscouldbeconsideredtheturnaroundtothesong,sincewearen'tplayingitinitsentirety.Thisisprettyeasy.
- Weplaythe'high'melodyusingaquarternoteontheopenBstring(allhighmelodypartsintheeighthmeasurearequarter
notes).
- The'low'melody,whichisthe'3'ontheLowEstringplaysusingadottedhalf-note.
SpecialNote:
Asyoucansee,thoughitmaynotbedifficulttoactuallyplaythesepassages,itcanbeconfusingwhenyouforceyourselfto limitwhichfingersyouareusing.Ifyouhadanytroublewiththeseexamples,trygoingoverthemafewmoretimesandpay specialattentiontowhereyourfingers'wander'whentryingtousetheappropriateones.
Ifyoufindthatagivenfingerthatyouarenotsupposedtoplayfindsitselfpluckingastring,takenoteofthat Itcouldverywell beadominantfingerandMAYbemorecomfortableforyoutofingerpickwith I'lltalkmoreonthatlaterintheprogram Thekeyhereistofindwhatfeelsnatural...noteit...andthentrytoincorporateitlaterinouradvancedstudies.
Fornow,pleasejustfollowtheguideinwhichfingerstousesothatwehaveafirmfoundationonfingerpositioning.
Fingerstylevs.Arpeggios
Intheeventthatyouaren'tfamiliarwithwhatanarpeggiois...
Anarpeggioisbuiltfromthenotesthatmakeupachord,butarepickedasindividualnotes Theymaybeusedasfill-ins, linkingmelodieswithchordsandchord/melody Arpeggioshavetheirownpatternsbutnotunliketheirchordcounterparts
So...
I'dliketotouchbaseonthedifferencebetweenplayingfingerstyleguitarandplayingarpeggios.
HereisastandardopenEchord,playedbothusinganarpeggioandthenusingfingerstyle:
Thefirstbarisanascendinganddescendingarpeggio,inwhichI'veomittedtheopenstringnotesontheBandhighEstrings.
Thenextbarisasimplevariationonfingerstyleguitar,whereyouareSTILLPLAYINGTHESAMEchord,butwe'veadded someopennotesandinsteadofpickingindividualnotes(thekeytoarpeggios)weareplayingmorethanonenoteatatimein thepassage.
Oops!
Didyounoticesomething?Isuredid.ThereareNOlowmelodynotes.Whilethisisn'tabsolutely100%necessary,itwould actuallyreadlikethisinfingerstyleguitarforthesecondbar:
Inthispassage,I'vemadetheLowEstringandtheAstringthelowmelodynotes.Thiswillworkfornowintermsofbeing cohesivewithourcurrentstudies.
LongStoryShort
TheMAINdifferencethatwearefocusingonrightnowisthatanarpeggioisplayedwithonlyonenoteatatime,whereas whenplayingfingerstyle,youusuallyplayMOREthanonenoteatatime.That'soneofthebigdifferences.Therearemore, butlet'swaitforadditionalinfoonthat.
Video Reference: Much more material is covered in our Fingerstyle 101 DVD Please refer to Chapter 1 "Fingerstyle 101" on the DVDfor additional information
BasicTechniques(PartI)
Ourrighthandthumbisonehandandplaysthebassfigureswhileourindexfingerisoursecondhandandplaysthemelody. Ourthirdhandisourlefthandwhichfingerschords Theresultsproduceafullandorchestratedfingerstylesoundwitha rhythmicbassplayedagainstmelodiclines Thisisthealternatingbasstechniquewhichwesometimesjokinglyrefertoas "bum-chuck"Itisthemostpopularfingerpickingstyleplayedandhasbeenusedbylegendaryguitarists MississippiJohn Hurt,Rev.GaryDavis,MerleTravis,DocWatson,ChetAtkinsarebutafewofthegiantsofthisstyle.
Inordertounderstandhowtoactuallyplayfingerstyleguitar,wemustfirstunderstandsomeofthebasictechniquesthatare appliedtoit Believeitornot,mostofthese
