Improvising - Fingerstyle

Everything I play is improvised to some extent, and as someone stated above, it's difficult to explain how to do this. Mainly because my fingers do it, not me. If I try to think about it, I'll screw it up.

However, learn to play some partials up the neck that incorporate open strings, mostly related to the A and D chords and their respective minors. This will enable you to take a line up the fretboard rather than across it, particularly when you run out of options in the first position.

This is not the entire answer, or even a key to one, but it is a place to start.

[Johan Madsen]

Originally Posted by s0cks

Hi all, looking for some advice. I've been learning fingerstyle, self-taught, for some time. It's been mostly a lot of fun but I'm starting to get a bit tired.

I spent a lot of time recently on rhythm, and once I was at a level I was happy with things seemed really great. Everything sounded a lot better and I thought I was on my way to guitar heaven! But now I'm sort of just bored of everything I can play. I started to learn some new songs, but even that doesn't illicit much motivation in me.

I've made a couple of my own arrangements too, but really what I want to achieve is the ability to improvise/jam on the fly - using fingerstyle. I just wanna pick up the guitar and let my fingers do the talking.

There is so much out there on improv soloing, but I can't find anything on fingerstyle improv. Is it even possible? Whenever I try I just seem to get stuck fingering open chord progressions, maybe with a few barre chords. And when I try and move up the neck I tend to end up just doing barre chords, which get a bit tiring after a while.

Surely there are ways to play up the higher frets without resorting to barres all the time? I was thinking arpeggios, but once I add in the bass note, it ends up as mostly a barre chord usually.

Anyone got any tips on reaching my goal? It'd be great if I could just pick it up and play something in Am (for example) and go beyond the first few frets. Maybe I just need to keep learning more material, and if I do, then I will. Just need some direction.

The thing that will really bring you creativity freedom is music theory:
1 rst step: learning your major scale, pentatonic scale, see how they relate to each other and so on...
2 ND step: scale harmonization, which means understanding how chords are related to scales, which allows you to understand which chords fit together or not.
3 Rd step: having fun with reversing your chords, trying different combinations, enlight the chords with extra notes from the scale, developing your technique also allowing you to play what you intend to play.
Don't forget about rhythm practice and exploration, as it can add much to your music.

Then just keep learning about degrees, exotic scales, 4 and 5 notes chords, triads, tetrades and so on... You'll find bunches of explanations on Google

[Urbantraveler]

It looks like a lot of Toby Walker's courses teach fingerstyle blues improvisation. You may want to check him out.

[Seby]

Here is a short series of free fingerstyle improvisations that I performed at Museum Station here in Sydney. Sometimes the sounds of the city are the background to the sounds of the guitar, sometimes the sounds of the guitar are the background to the sounds of the city, and sometimes the sounds of the city and the sounds of the guitar are in conversation.

https://sebastiansequoiah-grayson.ba...museum-station

I am doing a series of related pieces at various locations. Part of the fun is hunting down the spaces with great sonic characteristics.

[Wyllys]

Originally Posted by Seby

Here is a short series of free fingerstyle improvisations that I performed at Museum Station here in Sydney. Sometimes the sounds of the city are the background to the sounds of the guitar, sometimes the sounds of the guitar are the background to the sounds of the city, and sometimes the sounds of the city and the sounds of the guitar are in conversation.

https://sebastiansequoiah-grayson.ba...museum-station

I am doing a series of related pieces at various locations. Part of the fun is hunting down the spaces with great sonic characteristics.

The setting reminds me a bit of a 1968 piece by John Fahey...a great "tradition based" improvisationist.

"The Singing Bridge of Memphis" from the album The Yellow Princess.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_XARUWs79E

[Seby]

Originally Posted by Wyllys

The setting reminds me a bit of a 1968 piece by John Fahey...a great "tradition based" improvisationist.

"The Singing Bridge of Memphis" from the album The Yellow Princess.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_XARUWs79E

Hey man thanks!

That piece of Fahey's is truly wonderful, so these are serious props. I had not heard any of Fahey's situated pieces until now, so I have some exploring to do, no?

[Wyllys]

Originally Posted by Seby

Hey man thanks!

That piece of Fahey's is truly wonderful, so these are serious props. I had not heard any of Fahey's situated pieces until now, so I have some exploring to do, no?

Glad you like that. The Yellow Princess album apparently came out after JF had gotten interested in this music:

http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/bali-...g-of-the-world

https://youtu.be/AdJMesV7UP0

Track 7 is a favorite. It starts at 31:00 of the video.

Enjoy.

W