Fingerpicking

tommyd · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 11:06 am Post subject: Fingerpicking

I don't know if this qualifies as a full blooded tutorial, but I've met many people who have no idea how to start finger picking. I picked it up from a teacher way back, and it was magic for me.

The idea behind fingerpicking is not to try and get all those notes down and play them one at a time.

Begin by picking out a base line with your thumb. Let's say you play a G chord. Play the two lowest strings alternately, thus creating a base rythm "boom boom boom boom etc". Practice this using only your thumb to pick out a base rythm until you go crazy, and then practice it some more. You can even do it pretend while you're watching TV or driving. Get your thumb used to doing this without thinking about it.

Next you can start using the rest of your fingers to pick out notes in between the base notes on the higher strings. Switch from the G chord to C or D or some other ones, and presto, you are finger picking!

A good example is to listen to the song Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. You can hear the simple base line... its all done with the thumb. The rest is filled in with the second third and fourth fingers. Landslide is mostly C - G/B - Am7 - G/B. The bridge is D - G - Em - C - G/B - Am7.

The second song I ever fingerpicked was Alices Restaurant and I couldn't believe how easy it was.

markm2553 · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 12:16 pm Post subject:

Counts in my book. ( as full blooded ). Sounds pretty clear to me. Now being able to do it, that's a bit more involved...

jeff_osu · Tiger Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 838 Location: Oklahoma

Landslide was the first song I ever fingerpicked too. Cool song, fun to play, and girls really like it. Wink

PunkStar · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:22 pm Post subject:

Looks a good tutorial to me. I just write longer because I'm not really capable of condensing it down to something readable in a limited period of time. But it looks like a pretty good tutorial to me.

When I fingerpick a song. I do it like this. If hold down the chord I need to play. Then I will fingerpick only one bass note and generally only the three top strings after that. So I pretty much only use 4 strings in the whole song. That's the way the worship leader at church taught me how to fingerpick. It's basically the same as what you said. But I just thought I should share how I do it.

This first song I learned to fingerpick was a song called "Down at the Cross". It's mostly G, C, D, and D7's. Pretty easy song. Although I've got no idea if I'm playing it right.

jeff_osu · Tiger Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 838 Location: Oklahoma

Can you fingerpick wrong? That's why I love fingerpicking so much, just throw some chords together and pick in various patterns....usually sounds cool.

Here are some intermediate fingerpicking songs (check 'em out):
[I even threw the addy's in there]
1)Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
http://www.guitartabs.cc/fetchurl.php?filename=/d/dire_straits/romeo_and_juliet.tab

2)Classical Gas (Mason Williams)
http://www.guitartabs.cc/fetchurl.php?filename=/c/clapton_eric/classical_gas.tab

For something easier (I know, not really fingerpicking) but this is a cool tab to learn.
"Across the Stars" (Star Wars episode 2)
http://www.guitartabs.cc/fetchurl.php?filename=/m/misc_soundtrack/star_wars_episode_ii_theme.tab

tommyd · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 8:52 pm Post subject:

Yea there's no wrong way to fingerpick, but that's the easiest. One song I could never get the pattern on is The Wedding Song. John Denver uses a lot of alternate patterns... more like what Punkstar was describing.

sharring · Tiger Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 815 Location: Texas

Something else about fingerpicking-the tone! IMO the tone of a string struck with a finger is much fuller and rounder-especially with an electric guitar. Listen to the tone Albert King gets with his thumb on "Crosscut Saw" from the CD "Born under a Bad Sign". I think Mark Knopfler is a genius as well. The first two Dire Straits CD's are must-haves for strat lovers. Now these guys arn't playing many bass patterns, but I just wanted to point out the possibilities.

Steve · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 8:54 pm Post subject:

I learned the alternating bass "Travis" pickin' (as it was called) back in the sixties, to play whiney Folk songs.
The pattern is now so ingrained I can hardly fingerpick any other way, but found I can spread it out more to include all six strings on some cooperative type chords (like "G").

I generally must rely on a pick when playing electric though. I don't think Mark Knofler is in much danger of having me steal his style.

maplebaby · Tadpole Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 15

good tips, beginning fingerstyle is like a whole new world if you have just used a flatpick - but it is an amazingly fulfilling way to play! Thanks for sharing.