Solo Fingerstyle lesson plan - what should it include?

[EllaMom]

OK, I know I'm kind of like a dog with a bone. I just won't give it up! I'm talking about picking your "collective brain" to help me on my journey in learning to play fingerstyle. Not the kind where I am accompanying myself or someone else who is singing/playing the melody. I'm talking about solo fingerstyle, where I am 'doing it all.'

Here are my questions for you:

What kind of foundation should be in place before embarking on learning fingerstyle? Chords, obviously, but just the "cowboy chords" or chords up and down the neck? What about variations of those chords (diminished, etc.)? Do they need to be memorized first, or is it a learn it as you go along process?

What about strumming? Is this necessary to get down before going fingerstyle?

What about travis/alternate bass fingerstyle? Is that applicable to solo, and if so, should patterns be mastered before trying to incorporate melody?

What about learning notes on the fretboard? Do I need to be able to instantly find every A, every F#, before really wading into solo fingerstyle?

What about scales and modes? Where do they fit in?

OK, let me ask it this way: what would an ideal fingerstyle solo lesson address for someone who is an intermediate (barely!) player?

And what should every practice session include?

I have scoured the web and bought many books, had several teachers and been in contact with some awesome individuals on this forum. But still I don't really find anything that provides strategic direction regarding how to become proficient in fingerstyle solo for a beginner or intermediate player. "Just play songs" doesn't work for me. I've memorized several songs, using the tab arrangements I have. That might help me get better at playing notes cleanly, but I'm not really understanding that I'm playing. I'm just "doing what I'm told" via the tab arrangement.

OK....go!

[rick-slo]

Really being over thought. Play tunes. Finds some instrumentals (not overly difficult ones) you like and the tabs and/or music score for them and learn to play them to perfection. Learning tunes by ear is also o.k. if you can do it accurately and without compromises.

[Wyllys]

What 'Rick said. To paraphrase the old doctor cliche, "Just take two years and call me in the AM." Here's a little advice from Mississipi John...

https://youtu.be/85BvT5X6WSo

[BFD]

1. You need to be familiar with what the music you desire to play sounds like. Very familiar. When you listen to music (which you should do often), it should comprise most of what you listen to.

2. What Derek said - learn tunes from tab. And expanding on what he said regarding perfection - the rhythmic content is critical. If you're not rendering simple arrangements w/solid, foot-tapping rhythm, you're not ready for more advanced material. If learning to play fingerstyle tunes doesn't give you satisfaction, it's possible fingerstyle guitar isn't really for you.

3. When you can proficiently learn tunes from tab, start learning them by ear. This is considerably more challenging for most people. If you find it tough going, that's normal. Keep at it. If you haven't learned much music theory to this point, this is a good place to broaden that knowledge as well. Scales and chord voicings will be helpful if you're tackling interesting arrangements. Hopefully you were paying attention when learning from tab as well, since you were undoubtedly exposed to useful voicings and fingerings at that stage.

4. Make your own fingerstyle arrangements. Starting with a basic melody add interesting rhythmic and harmonic parts to create cool tunes.

5. (optional) Write your own fingerstyle tunes.

[Pitar]

All of it. Everything may be brought to bear or not dependent upon the piece. If it's predominantly a fingerpicking piece then you will have that with and without patterns in a meter with/without syncopation, some strumming, crescendoing up and descresendoing back down the neck, etc. This is you playing it all and applying what you know that works as well as experimenting with techniques and sounds that your experienced inner ear will allow you to hear and try. The sky is the limit if you want to play it all and I commend you for going for it. The least that will occur is you'll have some fun and that begets even more fun. Improvisation is where you will ultimately be taken and when you do the fretboard will become a vast landscape of undiscovered sound. Okay, that sounded kinda corny but you know the sentiment I'm alluding to.

This is an improvisational piece I have yet to refine. One day I'll polish it up but it includes everything you mentioned that you want to do, and why I cued in on your thread. This is my usual mode of playing and what gets my motor going. Otherwise I'm having fun covering the classics of my younger days.

https://app.box.com/s/xoelpatr7qq4ackf4yf2

[FwL]

I'm a firm believer in knowing your way around the fingerboard regardles of the style you prefer to play.

That said, it doesn't really matter how you get to that point whether by practicing scales and chord inversions etc or learning to play lots of tunes.

The more familiar you are with where things sit on the fingerboard the easier it's going to be to learn and memorize whatever you want to play.
.
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[kap55]

When you talk about playing songs where you "do it all" on the guitar as an instrumental - could you please post a youtube video of a song that you would be thrilled (for want of a better word) if you could play a year from now. I think it would help to see what you are eventually trying to achieve.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Pitar

All of it. Everything may be brought to bear or not dependent upon the piece. If it's predominantly a fingerpicking piece then you will have that with and without patterns in a meter with/without syncopation, some strumming, crescendoing up and descresendoing back down the neck, etc. This is you playing it all and applying what you know that works as well as experimenting with techniques and sounds that your experienced inner ear will allow you to hear and try. The sky is the limit if you want to play it all and I commend you for going for it. The least that will occur is you'll have some fun and that begets even more fun. Improvisation is where you will ultimately be taken and when you do the fretboard will become a vast landscape of undiscovered sound. Okay, that sounded kinda corny but you know the sentiment I'm alluding to.

This is an improvisational piece I have yet to refine. One day I'll polish it up but it includes everything you mentioned that you want to do, and why I cued in on your thread. This is my usual mode of playing and what gets my motor going. Otherwise I'm having fun covering the classics of my younger days.

https://app.box.com/s/xoelpatr7qq4ackf4yf2

Hey Pitar, that is some nice playing!

Tony

[EllaMom]

kap55/Brian, that is a GREAT question.

Here is one I found right off, that is one of my favorite songs, and this version doesn't seem to be very hard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PihW...=RDPihWdY4vNag

[tbeltrans]

I asked Joe Pass on one occasion that I was able to talk with him, what is a good approach to learning chord melody. He said "learn melodies".

I said "but what about chord substitutions and all that stuff".

He said again "learn melodies".

That was the end of that part of the conversation...

Take from it what you will.

Soon enough, I want to make a couple of videos playing my new classical guitar, but doing pop tunes and standards. My approach is not really chord melody, nor is it fingerpicking, but I use my fingers and chords with the melody on top.

There are many ways to approach this. You definitely have to be able to play the melody on the top two or three strings so it is the highest note because that note is what the ear perceives as "melody" in many cases (not always, but most of the time). You need a bass line. Then, you might want some harmony in between, though as arranger you decide the texture of the arrangement.

I know what the OP is asking for, and the good information being provided by responding posts. Unfortunately I have only found one book that really does take you by the hand from the beginning and steps you through the process. That book is out of print. Everything else I have seen (and I probably have most, if not all of it), seems to feel as if we are walking into the middle of a conversation.

Some folks can "just do it". Remember though that we all have different learning styles and are at different levels in our musical journey. Unfortunately, every time the OP asks these questions, she is going to get the same answers because that is what folks know and probably how they did it themselves. I think it takes a person with a special sense for teaching to be able to get certain folks started in arranging for solo guitar. The book I am referring to, the author seems to posses that skill or sense. It is what I used to get started, and I go back to it from time to time for a sense of "grounding" or to review if I have been away from arranging for a time.

The book is "The Chord Solo Book" by Bill Munday. The book focuses only on the arranging process, going through several tunes, measure by measure, starting with the typical lead sheet version for that tune. He does not go into theory except in certain specific instances, leaving that for other books or teachers. He suggests a companion chord dictionary book "5002 Guitar Chords" written by the co-author to the "The Chord Solo Book", Ralph Higgins. He says that every chord used in the arrangements is in that chord dictionary. It does have a rather unique layout that suits the arranging process taught in "The Chord Solo Book" very nicely. The idea is to not take on too much at once. You can always learn about chord spelling and the fretboard notes later or in parallel with this book. To me, many of the current materials either try to teach too much and are spread too thin, or are far too simple and you don't really get into the meat of doing current tunes.

The book starts with a small, specific set of "rules", and the first study arrangement "Silent Night" adheres strictly to those rules to show that they do work and that you see them in action (the "how to"). It is a very quick and efficient way to block out an initial arrangement and get a feel for the song. The book progresses on to other tunes that were popular in the 1970s when the book was published, each subsequent arrangement "breaking" more of the rules to flesh out nice arrangements. Each goes step by step, measure by measure through the arranging process.

This is the kind of thing the OP is asking for. I have never seen anything like this book elsewhere, despite the fact that there is lots of good material in the form of books and DVDs that teach this stuff. To me (and probably to the OP, since our minds probably work in similar manner) much of the current material available comes AFTER something like the Bill Munday book. His book starts at the beginning. The book was published by Charles Hanson, as was the chord dictionary.

Once you have been through a book such as this, you will be involved in a decent structured process of arranging tunes, and will be able to do tune after tune yourself. Then, if you want to improve, study the work of top arrangers for guitar. The arrangements of Howard Heitmeyer, Stan Ayeroff, and Harold Streeter are my recommendation. These guys are head and shoulders above the crowd. If you are already arranging at some level, you will know how to analyze what you are seeing and hearing in these guys' arrangements so you can borrow anything you like and add it to your own bag of tricks. It is a lifetime process, which is really the best thing about it. This is an aspect of playing guitar that you never grow out of or get tired of.

Tony

[EllaMom]

WoW, Pitar, nice piece. Thanks for sharing. It's a really interesting piece. The pace is faster than I'm capable of, for sure! I'm a mellower kinda gal, I guess.

[stanron]

What kind of foundation should be in place before embarking on learning fingerstyle?.

From what I've heard in previous posts you already have a good enough foundation. Work with the chords you have and expand them when you need to.

What about strumming? Is this necessary to get down before going fingerstyle?

Strumming is mostly a different style and part of the business of separating roles in a band. There is a kind of strumming in solo fingerstyle where you tap one or two strings on chordal notes with your fingernails to fill in between bass notes when the melody is not doing a lot. and if you go down the jazz route there will be more chords but picking then can be more selective than just strumming.

What about travis/alternate bass fingerstyle?

There's a lot of mileage to be gotten from this but it won't work for waltz time. In 3/4 time the nail tapping becomes quite useful. Patterns are for first steps. They won't be much use in playing solo tunes.

What about learning notes on the fretboard?

If you spend time working out your own versions of tunes you will improve your fretboard knowlege. If you are learning other peoples arrangements you don't need to learn that stuff first.

What about scales and modes?

Work from the major scale and be prepared to vary from it when the sound requires it. If the piece is obviously in a minor key work from the minor key with the same proviso.

And what should every practice session include?

Spend some time learning a new piece. Bar by bar. Slowly and not learning any mistakes. If you make a mistake stop and go back to the start.

Spend some time 'performing' your current repertoire of learned pieces. Don't stop for mistakes and try to ride through them as if you are in front of an audience.

Spend some time trying to come up with your own arrangements. I find doing arrangements a lot like doing puzzles. There is a lot of problem solving to be done. To me that is fun,

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by stanron

What kind of foundation should be in place before embarking on learning fingerstyle?.

From what I've heard in previous posts you already have a good enough foundation. Work with the chords you have and expand them when you need to.

What about strumming? Is this necessary to get down before going fingerstyle?

Strumming is mostly a different style and part of the business of separating roles in a band. There is a kind of strumming in solo fingerstyle where you tap one or two strings on chordal notes with your fingernails to fill in between bass notes when the melody is not doing a lot. and if you go down the jazz route there will be more chords but picking then can be more selective than just strumming.

What about travis/alternate bass fingerstyle?

There's a lot of mileage to be gotten from this but it won't work for waltz time. In 3/4 time the nail tapping becomes quite useful. Patterns are for first steps. They won't be much use in playing solo tunes.

What about learning notes on the fretboard?

If you spend time working out your own versions of tunes you will improve your fretboard knowlege. If you are learning other peoples arrangements you don't need to learn that stuff first.

What about scales and modes?

Work from the major scale and be prepared to vary from it when the sound requires it. If the piece is obviously in a minor key work from the minor key with the same proviso.

And what should every practice session include?

Spend some time learning a new piece. Bar by bar. Slowly and not learning any mistakes. If you make a mistake stop and go back to the start.

Spend some time 'performing' your current repertoire of learned pieces. Don't stop for mistakes and try to ride through them as if you are in front of an audience.

Spend some time trying to come up with your own arrangements. I find doing arrangements a lot like doing puzzles. There is a lot of problem solving to be done. To me that is fun,

There is some really good stuff here.

Tony

[EllaMom]

Thanks, Tony. You get EXACTLY where I'm coming from. Some enterprising guitar player who has some teaching background could really fill a niche here with a comprehensive "lesson plan" for lack of a better description, for the newbie fingerstyle student. That plan would lay a foundation upon which all else rests.

[EllaMom]

Stanron, that was really helpful. Thank you! I especially like the part about what to include in each practice session. Makes sense.