Starting to learn fingerpicking

[Jeff1979]

Hi

Question to all you fingerpickers out there!

I can do a few patterns fingerpicking but my goal is to pick Rag time tunes and Blues ala Robert Johnson etc.

What direction did you guys go to get there?

Any pointers would be most helpful!

 

Cheers

 

 

[guitarcapo]

There are lots of techniques out there.

I'm kind of convinced that the best method involves using the pinkie finger to anchor things so that the right hand doesn't move in relation to the strings. Unfortunately I never learned that way. When I was younger I developed a technique where I use all 5 fingers of my right hand. My thumb handles the two bottom strings (and occasionally the D string) while the other 4 fingers handle the mostly the top 4. Classical guitarists play this way but are mostly sitting down and stationary. Not moving around. The only famous rock guitarist that I know plays my way exclusively is Lindsey Buckingham. Sometimes Mark Knopfler plays my way but he sometimes uses a pick also.

One thing nice about this technique is that you can chord comp jazz chords and pluck all the strings you want simultaneously with the right hand. It has a different sound compared to raking a pick over all the strings while muting some and playing others. Clearer and cleaner sounding.

 

Anyway here's a clip of Lindsey Buckingham playing. He anchors the base of his palm on the bass side of the soundboard. Strums without a pick. Plays lead guitar fingerpicking without a pick. Horrible technique that I wouldn't recommend but I was blown away when one day I saw a famous  guy playing exactly the same way I developed on my own:

 

 

 

[Freeman Keller]

There are as many was to "finger pick" as there are people who do it.   Classical guitarists devote one finger to each of the top three strings and thumb to the 3 bass, most finger style players use two or even one finger plus their thumb.   Some of us anchor the pinkie - some argue that achoring limits your travel (I anchor most of the time).

Many of us started with classic country blues songs like Freight Train and Candyman - just concentrate on getting the bass rock solid and the on and off beat pinches timed perfectly.   Ragtime songs like Blind Boy Fuller and Gary Davis played involve a lot of syncopation - you take the steady beat of Freight Train and "stumble" some of the notes.    Moving on to Robert Johnson adds slide and open tunings - mostly G (or A) and D (or E).

There are some great instructional materials out there.   I think that Stefan Grossman's series on country blues, as well as his intro to ragtime are some of the best.   Blues masters like Gary Davis and John Hurt taught some of the young white guys like Grossman, who then documented what they were learning - that has made it possible for us to learn from them.

There are also some modern players who are keeping the blues alive - check out as many as you can.   Paul Geramia, Rory Block, Scott Ainsley - many others have videos and lessons that might help.

Last, but not least, go down to the Crossroads on a night with no moon and do a little deal with the Devil.

[guitarcapo]

Here's a guy who anchors TWO fingers on the face of the guitar:

 

 

[rainrainwash3]

This is a fun thing I like to do:

Draw the six guitar strings on paper and put dots in a pattern along the lines and see if you can play it at a slow tempo on one chord. Then once your picking hand become accustomed to this pattern, you can start to up the tempo and change chords. You can spend all day coming up with a variety of patterns, ones that may even spell words out! Sort of like drum patterns, except each string is like a different drum.

[garthman]

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Freeman Keller wrote:

 

. . . . . Classical guitarists devote one finger to each of the top three strings and thumb to the 3 bass.. . .    

 

 

 

Some of us anchor the pinkie - some argue that achoring limits your travel (I anchor most of the time). . . . . 

---

 

 

I use the classical method (thumb for basses, index for G string, middle for B string , ring for E string) virtually 100% of the time. I think it provides the most flexible and comprehensive cover for the spectrum of picking patterns.

 

 

. . . and I too usually anchor with my little finger. 

 

 

[FakeShoreDrive]

Being a classical player, I use the 4 fingers of my right hand (but not the pinky). Classical players use the thumb for the bass strings and the fingers for the treble strings most of the time, but you can totally use the thumb on the treble strings and the fingers on the bass strings. A lot of fingerstyle players use a combination of the right hand thumb and the index finger to pluck the strings as they play fast scales.

You have to find what's most comfortable for you, but one piece of advice that helped me was to make sure you think of your right hand thumb as another finger, instead of thinking it being in a different category than your other fingers, this will help with balance and eventually speed.