#1
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12 string fingerstyle RIGHT hand - need some tips
I have played my fair share of fingerstyle and classical guitar on 6 strings, but I recently got a 12 string guitar and am really uncertain what to do to pluck both strings and get them both to sound when I use a finger on a double string. It can really affect the song because like with the thumb, sometimes I only hit the high E of the double 6th string. I’m willing to try fingerpicks or whatever might help remedy the situation. Or maybe I just need to pluck my fingers a lot harder so I for sure pluck each of the double strings for every note I play. Thanks for the help!
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#2
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Personally I find it hard to understand how you can pick one string of the pair without hitting the other! The only way I could do that would be to pick upwards, away from the guitar, and to pick very carefully....
Maybe you just need to pick harder - or maybe or angle your thumb more into the guitar - like a rest stroke, where your thumb hits the 6th and comes to rest against the 5th. A thumbpick would be worth trying too - it naturally puts your thumb at a more parallel angle to the strings, so you pick across the strings - more like a rest stroke than a free stroke. Naturally, with a 12-string, the bass will sound a little odd anyway, not as "bassy" with the octave strings sounding.
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#3
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Nat, You simply need to stop thinking about it. The pairs are 1 string. Get a feel for the instrument sans any help from picks, and after you get somewhat comfortable like that, try a thumb pick for more articulation on your bass strings. If you have fingernails it will certainly help on your upper strings, but there are any number of fabulous 12 string players doing it any number of ways. Leo Kottke (1 of the 3 most famous 12 strings players along with Leadbelly & Roger McGuinn) started with metal finger picks and was a notoriously hard player. He ended up with a huge hand problem which forced him to give up the picks. He's still out there doing it. Best of luck! Here's my version of Maybellene on a Guild 12 String with thumb pick & nails. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88No2Vn_MpA Howard http://howardemerson.com Last edited by Howard Emerson; 11-01-2017 at 06:44 AM. |