Is anything other than strumming called fingerstyle?

[fazool]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Do you have a source for this definition? Sounds unnecessarily narrow to me.

You are correct - that was my opinion, incorrectly stated as fact. I corrected myself in a later post.

[Ozzy the dog]

I always though the two terms to be essentially the same thing – that is plucking the strings with all the fingers.

However, as stated, this can be split into plucking a rhythmic pattern around the chords or a more skillful inclusion of the melody. So I suppose there should be a distinctive term for each but if you are playing the melody are you playing with more ‘style’ or are you ‘picking’ out the melody?

I suppose just playing something that sounds nice it is done with style but if you want to argue about it, it’s picking.

(But actually, if I had to choose, I would go with fingerstyle for the melody and fingerpicking for the chords).

[Tele1111]

Originally Posted by fazool

You are correct - that was my opinion, incorrectly stated as fact. I corrected myself in a later post.

Hey Fazool,

I appreciate you taking the time- and for having an open enough mind, to think it through once more. It speaks well of your character.

It truly is all playing guitar-for me. When I started, even though there were genre’s, they were fewer in number. The only people that seem to truly benefit from “classification” are the ones selling, or attempting to sell it. My opinion.

No one would ask if you played “fingerstyle”, just how many different ways could you play, and play well? It’s all just playing guitar.

Mark

[Pitar]

'Picking" is a word that doesn't stimulate the modern guitar player's muse so in its stead "style" was substituted to give it a more palatable and classy term. That's about all I can surmise from the change, which has become the trending term sometime between when I learned in 74 and now. When performed on traditional stringed instruments like the violin it's given the Italian word pizzicato. It means to pluck the strings with the fingers.

To me it's more a matter of ascribing pedigree rather than rendering any technical change to the plucking of strings in a different manner.

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by fazool

No.

Fingerstyle is a very specific musical composition type.

fingerpicking is picking with your fingers.

Yes, this is correct!

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Yes, this is correct!

You mean you agree with his opinion. (See earlier posts)

The sensible view (IMO!) is that "fingerstyle" and "fingerpicking" are two terms for the exact same thing: playing the guitar with your fingers.
"Fingerstyle" sounds more formal, I guess. I don't suppose I'd describe Segovia as a "fingerpicker" - although in one sense he obviously was.

I do think, however, there are two distinct "fingerstyles" - "classical" on the one hand and "folk-blues" on the other. The right hand picks the strings in both cases, of course. A lot of the techniques and disciplines are the same, but there are enough differences to make them different styles of playing.
There is overlap between the two, and most "fingerstyle" musicians can do either - on either type of guitar.
And you often get what I'd call "classical" techniques employed in pop/rock/folk/blues genres. But rarely vice versa.

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by JonPR

You mean you agree with his opinion. (See earlier posts)

The sensible view (IMO!) is that "fingerstyle" and "fingerpicking" are two terms for the exact same thing: playing the guitar with your fingers.
"Fingerstyle" sounds more formal, I guess. I don't suppose I'd describe Segovia as a "fingerpicker" - although in one sense he obviously was.

I do think, however, there are two distinct "fingerstyles" - "classical" on the one hand and "folk-blues" on the other. The right hand picks the strings in both cases, of course. A lot of the techniques and disciplines are the same, but there are enough differences to make them different styles of playing.
There is overlap between the two, and most "fingerstyle" musicians can do either - on either type of guitar.
And you often get what I'd call "classical" techniques employed in pop/rock/folk/blues genres. But rarely vice versa.

It isn't really an opinion... there's plenty of literature on it. Fingerstyle is a genre of music, finger picking is a technique. Fingerstyle guitar includes a lot of techniques like tapping and finger picking. It's kind of like the square and rectangle deal

[RodB]

Shortfinger: Is everything other than strumming called fingerstyle?

No, because you use a pick (plectrum) to do other things than just strumming.

The terms ‘fingerstyle’ and ‘fingerpicking’ can be and are used generically to indicate when a pick is not used - irrespective of the gendre of music, but certain gendre are more associated with the use of one or the other. The terms can mean different things to different people, as this thread demonstrates!

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Dylan

It isn't really an opinion... there's plenty of literature on it. Fingerstyle is a genre of music, finger picking is a technique. Fingerstyle guitar includes a lot of techniques like tapping and finger picking. It's kind of like the square and rectangle deal

That's sort of what I based my original post upon and my (in my own head) definition.

But after some push-back I did some Googling and found that it's never been officially declared that way and the word actually started before that genre so......I guess the word is how you use it, in this case.

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by fazool

That's sort of what I based my original post upon and my (in my own head) definition.

But after some push-back I did some Googling and found that it's never been officially declared that way and the word actually started before that genre so......I guess the word is how you use it, in this case.

You'd have to ask yourself what an "official" declaration looks like. The people writing and publishing on the subject make the distinction clearly and consistently. It's considered universal jargon for the field. With that said, you're still free to call it what you want.

[Howard Emerson]

Here's a small list of guitar players who play, or can play, with their finger/s instead of a pick. Also lists their basic genre of music.

None of them is known as a 'fingerstyle' guitarist, but they play with their fingers

Wes Montgomery- Jazz
Jeff Beck-Rock
Mark Knopfler- Rock
Joe Pass- Jazz
Scotty Anderson-Country Jazz
Any competent Flamenco guitarist- Self explanatory
Ry Cooder- Blues

HE

[mr. beaumont]

When I was growing up, the only words I ever heard were "flatpicking" or "fingerpicking."

Then when I started doing both at the same time (pick and fingers) somebody told me I was "hybrid-picking."

"Fingerstyle" is a word I never heard before I joined here.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

When I was growing up, the only words I ever heard were "flatpicking" or "fingerpicking."

Then when I started doing both at the same time (pick and fingers) somebody told me I was "hybrid-picking."

"Fingerstyle" is a word I never heard before I joined here.

You’re getting warmer!!

HE

[RodB]

An observation - Just looking at some of my books:

I have books from the ‘70s, that refer exclusively to ‘fingerpicking’ - blues and ragtime.

Then I have ‘Fingerpicking Joplin’ by Spenser Dodge (1984) that refers to “... original arrangements for fingerstyle guitarists”. Somewhat ambivalent...

By 2004 Mike Dowling’s book and CD, called “Uptown Blues (American roots guitar)” has on it’s front cover: “Fingerstyle, plectrum and slide guitar”

[Acousticado]

Is there an accepted term for the style of playing involving the (complex) technique where an instrumental-only player fingerpicks to the extent of including the vocal melody lines? In my years of frequenting this forum, I’ve come to think of it as fingerstyle compared to less complex fingerpicking, but it appears my interpretation may have been wrong, that it’s all the same, just more and less intricacies of fingerpicking.