Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Clownmeat
The first fingerpicking instruction book I had emphasized that your picking fingers should always stay on their assigned strings - index finger for g, middle for b, and ring for treble e. However, I've been following a fingerstyle instructional DVD, and the teacher has you picking a open A chord like this: thumb on the a string, index on d, middle on g, and ring on b. That first book said to NEVER let your fingers follow your thumb, that they should always stay on their designated strings.
I know this is simple stuff, but I don't want to have to unlearn bad habits later on. What's your opinion about this? I'm confused.
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Plenty of other people have answered this, but it's worth emphasizing: while the assignment of fingers to strings as you describe -- index to 3rd string, middle to 2nd string, ring to 1st string -- is a common beginning practice and while folks studying classical guitar may play this way, it's actually quite uncommon in other genres. For example, I know more acoustic blues players who play with thumb and index finger ONLY than I do players who use thumb + three fingers.
I tend to start working out tunes using thumb (strings 4-6) + three fingers (strings 1-3), but abandon that for songs that are easier played with just two fingers. Sometimes my thumb strays from strings 4-6 too. Whatever works best for the song.