Newbie question: Fingerpickers, what guitars do you use?

[SpoonyJank]

I've noticed I like cedar topped guitars a lot when I'm fingerpicking.

[girevik]

I find smaller-body acoustics to be more comfortable for Preston Reed type playing. I found the dreadnaught size to be too uncomfortable for what the song I'm learning requires (the right hand near the 15th fret, switching up between strumming, hammer-ons, and slapped harmonics on the 12th fret).

[Guitar_stringer]

Finger picking is more of a technique, than a type of guitar. Through experimenting with different types of guitars, develop your own sound and style.

[Gary Palmer]

Finger picking is more of a technique , than a type of guitar. Through experimenting with different types of guitars, develop your own sound and style.

 

+ 50,000

 

Play whichever style of guitar you prefer the feel and sound of and you'll not go far wrong.

[Starrshine]

I was thinking about this thread earlier, and don't really understand why someone would have difficulty finger picking on a variety of guitars. I always finger pick and analyzing what I do, I really don't dig my fingers deep into the strings. I wonder if is just that some folks take a bigger bite at the strings. I certainly am not saying that is wrong, just merely an observation

Bob

[John Backlund]

 

I was thinking about this thread earlier, and don't really understand why someone would have difficulty finger picking on a variety of guitars. I always finger pick and analyzing what I do, I really don't dig my fingers deep into the strings. I wonder if is just that some folks take a bigger bite at the strings. I certainly am not saying that is wrong, just merely an observation Bob

 

 

 

In my case, I play a variety of guitars, have bought and sold off many over the years and fingerpick all of them regardless of the type of guitar it is, from big-bodied archtop hollows (which I love), my acoustic/electric Samick 12 string, to my telecaster and a bunch of 335 style (all cheapos so far) semi-hollows that I've had.

 

The telecaster is the only one that my fingerpicks actually will contact the guitar's pickguard beneath the strings, and then it's usually when playing fairly aggressively. I've only noticed this since changing over to the metal Alaska picks from their plastic ones. I'm probably the only one that even notices it since the guitar is obviously always amplified.

 

I like to say that playing my Samick 12 string A/C compared to the telecaster is like going from an old pickup truck to a lexus with power everything. The 12 string A/C is just so much more...'physical', while the telecaster requires a relatively light touch and is hyper sensitive by comparison in almost every way.

 

I love both of them.

 

I'm ok, but I'm no virtuoso guitar player however, and it sometimes takes me a little bit to re-adapt to the guitar in hand when I change from one instrument to another.

[girevik]

 

I was thinking about this thread earlier, and don't really understand why someone would have difficulty finger picking on a variety of guitars. I always finger pick and analyzing what I do, I really don't dig my fingers deep into the strings. I wonder if is just that some folks take a bigger bite at the strings. I certainly am not saying that is wrong, just merely an observation Bob

 

 

Depends on what you want to do and how your body is built. You might be one of those lucky people who has the height, arm length, etc. to be able to comfortably play any song on any size guitar.

 

I'm learning this song:

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

I find this song uncomfortable to play on bigger body guitars - my right shoulder almost feels like it's ready to drop out of its socket for the right-hand stuff that the song requires. Now, Preston is taller than me, etc. but it's clear in the video he's playing a folk size guitar and not a dreadnaught.

[SpoonyJank]

I just don't like it when it seems like the bass notes sustain for too long on the bigger bodied guitars when you play an open string. Probably not the same kind of issue for that guy. But then everyone loves a loud guitar, myself included.

[camelface]

 

Finger picking is more of a technique , than a type of guitar. Through experimenting with different types of guitars, develop your own sound and style.

 

 

I know that some guitars exist basically only for finger picking. I was intrigued because I am finding my dread big lately and the sound a little muffled with fingers.

 

Anyway, I will continue to practice with my dread without problem. Knowing how to play with a pick, I sometimes get discouraged a little with the finger picking when improvising. It's all easy to do something when its in a pattern you learned and memorized, but much harder for improv... for me at least. I will keep at it though and try to reep the benefits when I will be able to: increased density of musical texture.

[Melodeous]

 

I know that some guitars exist basically only for finger picking. I was intrigued because I am finding my dread big lately and the sound a little muffled with fingers. Anyway, I will continue to practice with my dread without problem. Knowing how to play with a pick, I sometimes get discouraged a little with the finger picking when improvising. It's all easy to do something when its in a pattern you learned and memorized, but much harder for improv... for me at least. I will keep at it though and try to reep the benefits when I will be able to: increased density of musical texture.

 

 

Patterns are the basics and they can lead you straight into a rut unless you continue experimenting with them rather than strictly adhering to them. The learning curve of finger picking mostly involves muscle memory in the fingers. That's a development of motor-skills and dexterity with a rather sharp curve. It flattens out after that and seems to go unchanged forever. But, if you mix the patterns up they begin to take on a new life and curiosity on their own.

 

Probably the biggest stumbling block for a finger picker is knowing how to finger pick well but not knowing how to create music with it. That's true for any technique but it seems magnified when you can rip all 6 strings near-simultaneously but don't know what's next. That's a rut of a different depth. Now you know what you're doing but the music itself isn't coming to you. I think most accomplished finger pickers end up this way after an expansive repertoire of covers leaves them wanting for more. This is where creativity begins to make demands on a player and that is where there's significant ruttage. Changing to flatpick might be a diversion but it doesn't answer anything.

[guildfire]

I finger pick on all my dreads. No need for a "finger style" git here.

[camelface]

 

Patterns are the basics and they can lead you straight into a rut unless you continue experimenting with them rather than strictly adhering to them. The learning curve of finger picking mostly involves muscle memory in the fingers. That's a development of motor-skills and dexterity with a rather sharp curve. It flattens out after that and seems to go unchanged forever. But, if you mix the patterns up they begin to take on a new life and curiosity on their own. Probably the biggest stumbling block for a finger picker is knowing how to finger pick well but not knowing how to create music with it. That's true for any technique but it seems magnified when you can rip all 6 strings near-simultaneously but don't know what's next. That's a rut of a different depth. Now you know what you're doing but the music itself isn't coming to you. I think most accomplished finger pickers end up this way after an expansive repertoire of covers leaves them wanting for more. This is where creativity begins to make demands on a player and that is where there's significant ruttage. Changing to flatpick might be a diversion but it doesn't answer anything.

 

 

Very nice post and indeed these are problems. Improvising with a pick was much easier when it was one note at a time. It can of course get hard still with a pick when you want to improv with a lot of chords, which is probably the key with finger picking too?

 

Let's say improvising makes use of notes, chords, etc in your memory. Instead of thinking of the 6 notes individually you will rip on with fingers, instead commit to memory that one chord, and know many complete chords this way. So definately the challenge here for me is to know my chords inside out like never before: know which root to go to next and which notes to add over it and not have to think about it too much.

 

It was all easy when all I had to do was to think in intervals with a pick...

[Melodeous]

 

Very nice post and indeed these are problems. Improvising with a pick was much easier when it was one note at a time. It can of course get hard still with a pick when you want to improv with a lot of chords, which is probably the key with finger picking too? Let's say improvising makes use of notes, chords, etc in your memory. Instead of thinking of the 6 notes individually you will rip on with fingers, instead commit to memory that one chord, and know many complete chords this way. So definately the challenge here for me is to know my chords inside out like never before: know which root to go to next and which notes to add over it and not have to think about it too much. It was all easy when all I had to do was to think in intervals with a pick...

 

 

This is probably the most poignant revelation about chords I've read in a long time. Yes, they are there but maybe not to be quickly visited and then left. If you concentrate on exploring just one chord it's amazing the music residing within it and just outside waiting to color it. The fretting hand movements are subtle but the sounds can be enormous. Very good point you've brought up.

[camelface]

 

This is probably the most poignant revelation about chords I've read in a long time. Yes, they are there but maybe not to be quickly visited and then left. If you concentrate on exploring just one chord it's amazing the music residing within it and just outside waiting to color it. The fretting hand movements are subtle but the sounds can be enormous. Very good point you've brought up.

 

 

Actually I didn't mean changing the notes over the root but at every change changing the root also.

 

I don't meant merely changing from D7 to Dadd6

 

I mean changing the root completely. So I have to be able in my head to know that after this D#add9, I want a Gadd6 for example. That, changing a few notes at the same time and improvising this way, I can't do. I need to practice that. To change the notes over the same root is doable, but for me changing the root too and going in a different direction is too difficult. I need to practice that and as I said in finger picking is essential. You have to know the sound of the overall position before you go there. You can't predict the sound of each note individually, to process 4 or 5 in a milisecond is too difficult.

[deeohgee]

I started finderpicking on my old Ibanez dread about 10 years back, a 18 months back I got a Trinity College TG202 - OM, wide neck, 12 fret neck w/ cutaway - and the difference was amazing. Fuller more delicate tone and greater playabilty. I love it.

[SpoonyJank]

I just find more dynamics in smaller bodies when fingerpicking. It kind of makes it more difficult to get the right inflection on every note but you get to have more control. All of the finesse comes out a little clearer. How hard and where on the string you pick seems more audible. Sort of like if your using a thicker pick than normal when your flatpicking. Same feel at least.

 

D's were originally designed primarily to make a lot of noise. Back then an acoustic guitar was considered a machine and nowadays we consider them a tradition.

[pschaafs]

I fingerpick on everything I have and anything I come in contact with!

[camelface]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

So, what are some good 0 or 00 sized guitars for the intermediate level in all solid woods or just solid top? something that could be had for about 600-700$ used kind of like the Yamaha 16 series. Unfortunately the LS-16 is a bigger body guitar.

 

For now I just want to round up a few intermediate smaller body models...

 

There is the Martins I know, there are a few Seagull folk and concert models (solid tops, pretty cheap), don't know much else though.