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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Finger Picking Techniques For Guitar
For those of you interested in playing folk, the blues or bluegrass music on the guitar, you are probably familiar with the term "finger picking." It is true that early blues and bluegrass music may be where finger picking is heard most often, but it is also a difficult and worthwhile technique to have under your belt on the guitar for all styles of music. Finger picking will build independent finger strength in both hands and make you a much more versatile guitar player. Plus, it is a popular form of solo guitar playing since you can cover the bass, harmonic, and melodic parts by yourself; thus the difficulty in playing it for most beginning guitarists.
Finger picking on guitar
In this post I would like to offer you guitar finger picking techniques, exercises to build hand strength in both hands, and songs that use finger picking so you can apply this technique to your playing. Find a great explanation of finger picking here at http://www.learn-acoustic-guitar.com/guitar-finger-picking-techniques.
A great part of learning the guitar is focused on using the left hand. Presuming that you are right-handed, the left hand will be used to fret the strings in order to achieve your notes. However, after saying that, learning to use the right hand is just as important. It is your right hand that achieves the string vibration, therefore making music, so this action is vitally important. In order to undertake the picking, you can strum, use a plectrum, otherwise known as a pick, you can even use your fingers and fingernails, or your thumb. It is also possible to use a plastic finger pick.
Of course, when you decide to utilize your thumb for the purposes of picking, you will be playing it with a downward motion. And then of course, the motion will be upwards when you utilize the other four fingers. The action should always come from your arm, rather than moving your fingers and thumb. You should hold your arm and hand in a comfortable position over the guitar so that your fingers are just over the strings. Now you need to extend your fingers to see if you are able to touch each string with each finger.
When finger picking, the trick is to catch and release the string in one clean movement. The sound will be muted if you do not achieve this. The clear sound will be ruined if you accidentally brush against any other strings. You need to move smoothly, so it is essential to keep your hand and shoulders relaxed.
Practice as often as possible, each time attempting to maintain a constant rhythm between all of the notes that you are picking. It is true that it may take a little practice to master a good finger picking technique, but stick with it, because you will want to use it on a frequent basis. Whilst finger picking is more commonly seen with classical, Spanish and acoustic styles of guitar playing, it can in actual fact be used in many other forms. Always ensure that you can successfully undertake a few smooth chord changes before you begin to practice finger picking. By doing this, you will find that your overall style is largely enhanced with finger picking.
Below is a simple finger picking exercise across an E major chord.
- First, place your fingers of your left hand on the E chord shape.
- Then position your right hand over the strings.
- With your right hand, use a T123 pattern (T means thumb) to play the strings.
It is not necessary for all finger picking to be played in a pattern, but it is much more helpful for first timers to do so.
There are various different finger picking patterns available, so try a little variety, never focus on only one. However, after saying that when you are learning repetition is important. It is always helpful to dig that sound and movement into your head so that before long it will be possible for you to play it without even thinking. Begin slowly and ensure that you are completing the pattern without mistakes. Keep your practice session short to prevent boredom. Approximately 15 minutes at a time is enough.
Hello everyone! Today I am going to go over some finger-style exercises that will help you build your technique on the guitar. Instead of rambling on and on about scales and music theory, I am just going to show you how to play some different exercises that will help you develop your playing. So, with that said, let's get to it.
Example 1 : 16th note exercise
T I M R T I M R T I M R T I M R T I M R T I M R T I M R T I M R M I
e|-------7-------7-------5-------5-------5-------5-------5-|-------5--------|
B|-----8-------8-------5-------5-------6-------6-------5---|-----5---5------|
G|---9-------9-------5-------5-------7-------7-------5-----|---5-------5----|
D|---------------------------------0-------0---------------|----------------|
A|-----------------0-------0-----------------------0-------|-0--------------|
E|-0-------0-----------------------------------------------|----------------|
E minor A minor D minor A minor
Every note in example one is a 16th note(4 notes per beat) except for the final six notes of the A minor chord. These notes are quickened by making them triplets. The letter above the exercise are the fingerings(which fingers to use) for the pick hand. Make sure you follow the fingerings when you practice, because later on your finger independence will become extremely important in learning advanced finger-style exercises. Here are the definitions for the fingerings:
T = Thumb
I = Index Finger
M = Middle Finger
R = Ring Finger
P = Pinkie
Notice in example one how you only used your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers to strike the notes of the chord? Well, this time try example one again, utilizing your thumb, middle, ring, and pinkie.
T M R P T M R P T M R P T M R P T M R P T M R P T M R P T M R P R M
e|-------7-------7-------5-------5-------5-------5-------5-|-------5--------|
B|-----8-------8-------5-------5-------6-------6-------5---|-----5---5------|
G|---9-------9-------5-------5-------7-------7-------5-----|---5-------5----|
D|---------------------------------0-------0---------------|----------------|
A|-----------------0-------0-----------------------0-------|-0--------------|
E|-0-------0-----------------------------------------------|----------------|
E minor A minor D minor A minor
You will find that it is extremely difficult to reach the same speed you were before using the new fingering. That is the point of practice. I urge you to play this exercise with the second fingering daily. Not only will it guarantee you the ultimate in finger independence, but it will also give you free reign when it comes to learning a new finger-style song. You will have complete control over your hands.
Example two will be much more difficult for you to get perfect. This is example will be switching fingerings during the exercise, further challenging your finger independence. Each chord in this example will be played four times until the end, where I will tab out the changes. It just takes to long to tab out the same chords and fingerings when I could just tell you to repeat them. Work on it slowly at first to get all the fingerings correct. Here we go...
Example 2 : Advanced Fingering 16th note exercise
R M I T R M I T P R M T P R M I R M I T
e|---------|---------|-3-------|-1-------|---------|---------|
B|-1-------|-1-------|---3-----|---3-----|-1-------|---------|
G|---2-----|---0-----|-----0---|-----2---|---2-----|-1-------| Continue
D|-----2---|-----2---|---------|-------0-|-----2---|---2-----| below, this is
A|-------0-|-------3-|---------|---------|-------0-|-----2---| the change up.
E|---------|---------|-------3-|---------|---------|-------0-|
A minor C major G major D minor A minor E major
R M I T R M I T R M I T R M(ALL) TIMRP
e|---------------------------------|-----0~---------------------------|
B|-1-------1-------1-------1---0~x-|----1~----------------------------|
G|---2-------2-------2-------2-1~x-|---2~-----LET---------------------|
D|-----2-------2-------2-------2~x-|--2~-------CHORD------------------|
A|-------0-------0-------0-----2~x-|-0~----------RING-----------------|
E|-----------------------------0~x-|----------------------------------|
A minor E maj A minor
The x symbol on the tablature is a representation of muting the strings with your right hand. Right after you pick the E major chord slap your right hand down onto the strings to mute them, this also gives the part a very cool sound. The final arpeggio in the last bar takes some practice. In essence you are just strumming a chord. Instead, however, of just raking the notes, you will actually be plucking each one of them with force. Accent the last open e note to give it some more definition, which will, in turn, provide a sense of closure to the piece.
I hope this lesson was helpful to someone. Remember, take it slow if you are a beginner. Believe me, there is nothing worse for a guitarist, aside from getting your arms or hands cut off, than to develop Carpel Tunnel. If you have any questions or comments about this lesson, or anything in general you can e-mail me or comment on this lesson, I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Guitar finger picking
One of the most recognizable songs that incorporates finger picking is "House of the Rising Sun." This uses finger picking to play arpeggios throughout the song. It's a reminder that this style of guitar playing can be applied to a variety of different styles of music. Find a detailed lesson to play this great song and additional audio files using finger picking here at http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/house-of-the-rising-sun/.
Fingerpicking, or what is now known as “finger style guitar” (and boy, we have to come up with alternative names these days for everything in order to make them more marketable, don’t we?)(get it? “alternative” is a pun, you see, because we couldn’t sell music to people unless we gave it a genre title that made people feel good about themselves and had nothing whatsoever to do with the music and…oh never mind.), is not everyone’s cup of tea. I know guitarists who have never even attempted to use their fingers. I half suspect that these souls have picks glued onto their hands. I also know guitarists who only use their fingers. Even playing the electric guitar.
For those of you who have always thought fingerpicking guitar might prove too difficult for you, delude yourselves no longer. Like anything else, it simply takes time, practice, and a good push in the right direction. And while the first two items are pretty much under your own control, I can at least try to help out with the third.
And here to assist with the pushing is another old chestnut, The House Of The Rising Sun, a Public Domain song performed by the Animals waaaaaay back in the sixties (background info on the song here). It’s also been covered by Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Woody Guthrie and many other artists.
To prep for this lesson, you might want to read (or reread) Picking Your Poison, or at least the first part, which deals with fingerpicking. Okay?
Just to make matters even more interesting, we’re going to learn two different fingerpicking patterns for House of the Rising Sun. The first will be very straightforward, simply arpeggiating the chords in a very easy finger style. Then we will go on and doctor that version up a bit, throwing in slightly more complex picking which will include a bit of a moving bassline as well as using a standard alternating bassline (which we learned about last time) in a few spots. Are you ready?
Okay, first the chords for the song. And there are five of them! We are progressing right along, aren’t we?
Some people play this song with a regular F major chord instead of an Fmaj7. I have chosen the Fmaj7 chord for two reasons: first, I prefer the way it sounds and, second, it is easier for a beginner to play than a regular F.
Marking Time
And now I also want to say a word about timing. I’ve written this song out in what is known as 6/8 timing. Don’t freak about this. There is a simple explanation and it’s just another one of those things where you’re going to wonder “So what was the big deal about, anyway?”
The time signature (along with the key signature) is one of the first things you encounter when you read music, so you might as well learn just what it means at some point, no? The time signature usually consists of two numbers written one on top of the other, almost like a fraction except there is no line (other than the lines of the staff and that doesn’t count). These provide you with two important pieces of information about the song that you are going to play. The top number tells you how many beats are in a measure (and we learned about measures in Before You Accuse Me). The lower number (lower in position, not (necessarily) the lower number in terms of value) indicates which note is going to count as “one beat.” The vast majority of music you are likely to encounter will be in 4/4 timing:
Sometimes you will see “4/4″ timing written out as “C.” This is short for “Common Time.” As well as “C” there is also a “C”with a vertical line slashing it. It looks like the symbol for a penny and, of course, my keyboard does not have one! This is known, appropriately enough, as “cut time,” or
There are also songs, many marches, in fact which are in 2/4 time. And you have undoubtedly heard songs that use 3/4 timing as well. Waltzes are in 3/4:
Probably eighty-five to ninety percent of all songs are written in either of these two time signatures. 6/8 timing is very similar to 3/4 in that it has the same kind of “triplet” feel. It’s easier to count in groups of threes rather than sets of six, isn’t it?
For right now, all you have to worry about is getting the right count. Later on this year we’ll examine the whys and wherefores (and isn’t that totally redundant?) behind various time signatures. For now, simply notice that each measure is six eighth notes strung together – so your count will be very smooth and totally without incident. There is nothing at all here to trip you up in any way. Promise.
Guitar finger picking. Long finger nails
Up And Down
Now, if you’ve read Picking Your Poison, I am going to ask your indulgence as I (momentarily) tell you something different than what I did in the article. The easiest way to start learning to fingerpick is simply to get your fingers going using the simplest pattern possible. We’re going to start the same way I suggested in my earlier article, by making an up and down arpeggio of our chords. To start with, begin with your bass note and play three strings in a downstroke with your thumb (yes, even though I told you to just use your thumb on the lowest three strings! Hang in there with me on this!), then play the first three strings in an upstroke with your fingers. If you can, try to use the following fingers:
on your upstrokes. Getting used to using all of your fingers is usually the hardest part of fingerpicking. Many people seem to have a natural tendency towards just using one or two. But if you get yourself into the habit of employing all of your fingers early on, you have a great chance to find that playing finger style guitar is nowhere near as hard as you thought it might be.
Let’s look at each of the chords and practice picking each of them. Play each chord until you feel comfortable with it. Don’t move on just for the sake of moving on. This will take time for some of you, yes, but the time you spend on it now will pay all sorts of dividends down the road. You will notice that the picking pattern is simply straight eighth notes and that I’ve set them up into groups of three notes apiece, two groups per measure. You’ll also note that I’ve tried to denote the “thumb” notes with downward flags and “finger” notes with upturned flags.
How is it going? If you’re feeling okay with your progress, then the next step, believe it or not, is to go right ahead and play the song! Take your time and just get used to using your fingers and thumbs in a coordinated manner. You will be surprised at how quickly it comes to you.
See? That wasn’t so hard at all, was it? Are you ready to try it again with a (slightly) more complex fingerpicking pattern? Sure you are!
Getting Back Into Position
Okay, now that you’re used to getting all of your fingers in on the action, let’s tackle this song again. This time, we will concentrate on using our fingers in the more “traditional” way, which means that we should try to keep our fingers on these “targeted” strings whenever possible:
The best way to proceed from here is to take this a measure or two at a time. Remember, whenever possible, make things easier on yourself by taking something that looks very difficult and breaking it down into smaller, manageable pieces. Measure by measure, note for note if you have to.
You’ll notice as we progress that I’ve given the strumming a more interesting bassline. Here, in the first two measures, you can see (and hear) how the Am arpeggio smoothly melts into the C chord:
Again (and yes, you will get tired of me saying this) take your time with this. Do it as slowly as you have to in order to work all your fingers into the mix. This is not that fast of a song to begin with! But speed without clean and clear notes sounds like so much mud. When you’ve satisfied yourself with the first two measures, move on to measures three and four:
In these two measures you will notice that since your bass note is on the 4th (D) string, you have to immediately switch to your fingers. Measure four is a particularly good one with which to practice your fingerpicking. You will repeat this pattern (albeit with a different string for the bass note) in the last four measures of the song:
Guitar finger picking. Close up on
right hand.
The only other challenge is in measures seven and eight, which is where the E chord appears for the first time. And now you can see why I had you practice it in the last set of measures. If you spent some time working on that E arpeggio pattern, then you will not find it too difficult to add in a bass note with your thumb on the fourth beat of the measure. Yes, you will be playing two notes simultaneously on that fourth beat – the bass note (B – second fret on the A string) with your thumb and the open high E string with your ring finger. The “trick,” if any, is to be certain to have your E chord formed on your fretboard right from the start. This way you have only one hand to worry about! As you can certainly hear, this particular picking pattern involves an “alternating bassline,” just like the ones in Margaritaville. Here you are alternating between the root (E – second fret on the D string), the fifth (the aforementioned B) and the root again, only an octave lower (the open low E string). And then back up again. You will find you can play this E chord with the alternating bass in a lot of other songs:
Well, that should take care of everything, I think. Why don’t we put together the whole song?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction into fingerpicking. Next time out we will dust off another classic and learn another picking pattern, this time concentrating on playing two notes at the same time.
One of the most popular tools used in finger picking on the guitar is the thumb pick. It's a special pick designed for this style of playing that saves from applying your thumb directly to the string and will produce more volume too. Find this detailed video lesson here at http://www.learn-acoustic-guitar.com/guide-to-buying-and-using-a-thumb-pick.
A thumb pick is a kind of finger pick that attaches to your thumb obviously and is most commonly used with bluegrass style guitar playing. Most of the thumb picks you will find today are made of either plastic or metal. Thumb picks are unlike flat picks which are held between your finger and thumb.
In the following video lesson, Jim Deeming with Jamplay.com, will discuss some of the various brands and styles of thumb picks available to todays guitarists and more…
Now you should be well on your way to developing your finger picking technique on guitar. It's a great style to learn that will build your hand strength in both hands and is a great way to please a crowd, from a house party to a bonfire to a stadium concert.
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