Easy fingerstyle music suggestions

[Muffinhead]

All of my life I have used my guitar to accompany myself on songs that I sing and I have a great deal of fun doing that. I have a songbook with about 170 songs that I sing and play. This includes songs like If You Could Read My Mind, John Barleycorn Must Die, Now and Forever, You and Me, Helplessly Hoping and so on.

I realized today that one day I may not be able to sing like I do now. I am 63 and I am not getting any younger. So I would like to learn some easy fingerstyle music to get me started for the day when my voice may fail me.

It is probably easier to list the styles that I don't like. I do not like blues, especially blues with that thumpy muted travis picked bass. I am not really interested in playing songs per se, such as acoustic instrumentals of popular songs. I guess what I want is something kind of a new age noodling sound. I never took formal music lessons so I don't know scales or what intervals are or what thirds and fifths are, so I can't really improvise very well.

Can you give me some suggestions and include youtube videos if possible?

[Tone Monster]

Go to Stefan Grossman's Vestapol site for lot's pf great clip's and info.

Happy Traums's Homespun sit also is a mecca

enjoy both and be enlightened

[cmd612]

Any interest in classical music?

If you are interested in classical guitar music (and can read music or are willing to learn how), Frederick Noad's Solo Guitar Playing, Book 1 is a nice and easy to follow. It's aimed at classical guitar (i.e. nylon string) playing, but there's no reason you can't play the same pieces on steel strings.

[Muffinhead]

Originally Posted by cmd612

Any interest in classical music?

If you are interested in classical guitar music (and can read music or are willing to learn how), Frederick Noad's Solo Guitar Playing, Book 1 is a nice and easy to follow. It's aimed at classical guitar (i.e. nylon string) playing, but there's no reason you can't play the same pieces on steel strings.

I learned to read music almost 50 years ago and have not sight read in at least 45 years. That being said, it would not exactly be like starting from scratch so that is a possibility. Thanks for the suggestion.

[JonPR]

The Noad book is basically a classical guitar course (book 1 of two), so is a combination of teaching material, exercises, and suitable classical compositions for each stage.
So it starts at absolute beginner level, and ends up with a few tunes suitable for an intermediate player.
So, an excellent resource for polishing up your technique, as well as providing a handful of approachable performance pieces.

[Muffinhead]

Originally Posted by Tone Monster

Go to Stefan Grossman's Vestapol site for lot's pf great clip's and info.

It seems like this stuff is mostly blues. Also, he is using alternate tunings and I do not care to get into that. I have a hard enough time in standard tuning.

Thanks anyway for the suggestion.

[Gitfiddlemann]

I do not like blues, especially blues with that thumpy muted travis picked bass. I am not really interested in playing songs per se, such as acoustic instrumentals of popular songs. I guess what I want is something kind of a new age noodling ....Also, he is using alternate tunings and I do not care to get into that. I have a hard enough time in standard tuning.

You seem pretty sure about what you like, and don't like, so that's a good thing. But I will try to sway you otherwise a bit.
I think you are needlessly closing yourself up to a lot of new age music noodling if you don't consider at least trying some alternate tunings. Something like DADGAD for example. There is a lot of material out there in this "new age" tuning available to all levels. (If there is a tuning out there that is more conducive to new age noodling, I don't know what it is. )
Had enough of barre chords for a while? The "openness" of DADGAD and its lush voicings, all easily achievable with minimal left hand effort, might just make you a convert.
And once you're in DADGAD, you're only a semitone away from open D tuning (DADF#AD). You'll be amazed at how much of a difference that half-step makes to the overall feel. Just strumming the open strings will be enough to clue you in.
And there are so many more alternate tunings to choose from. (CGDGAD is another good one for some new age sounds).
And nearly, if not all, the music that is written in those tunings is done in TAB form to make it readily playable, even if suddenly all your familiar standard tuning chord shapes become different. It's not even anything to worry about.
Just enjoy the new musical paths it will take you on. Broaden those horizons and give it a try! I bet you will be glad you did. And if not, you will have lost nothing. Standard tuning will always be there for you when you come back!

[RodB]

My suggestion would be to look at your present repertoire and pick out melodies you really like, or where you feel a guitar break would fit in nicely. You already know the chords and have the melody in your head for these. You can also look these up and find instrumental versions on line to help orientate you. Might not be the easiest way to come up with something, but the journey would be rewarding and you would end up playing some of the tunes you have already decided you enjoy hearing.

I would also suggest, as an alternative approach, that alternating bass once mastered is a good way of keeping things together - in the groove. Once you have this down you could move to tunes with less regularity in the bass accompaniment.

Another thought; if you like certain keys like D or G for instance, you might make your life easier rather than complicate it by going to very modest alternate tunings such as Drop D or Drop G (DGDGBE) respectively. Fingering for the top 4 or 5 strings then does not change, so you would still find these tunings relatively familiar.

[engravertom]

Improvising seems much easier in DADGAD to me.

Here is a video that helped me understand some possibilities for improv in DADGAD.

http://youtu.be/FDT_1xDEk8w

Here is a video for inspiration about how beautiful the tuning can be!

http://youtu.be/PPJ5dosLuEQ

"Understanding DADGAD for Fingerstyle Guitar" by Doug Young is a book I am finding very helpful too.

So, I second the motion for giving DADGAD a try!

[Muffinhead]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. As far as alternate tunings go, I am very reluctant to try this. I am very resistant to change. Change of any kind actually causes anxiety in me. But, I hear so many good things about DADGAD tuning that I will give it a go.

[Colbyjack]

Hello Muffinhead.

I have a recommendation. Rare do I call my recommendations "strong" but this one I will.

Go to accentonmusic.com and reach out to Mark Hanson. He teaches in person.. and on Skype. He's a master and coming up with arrangements that you can (with practice) play. He works them to your skill level, or helps you (as the great teacher he is) to play them. You'll notice on his web site he is a Grammy winner for a few songs he arranged and play on the Pink Guitar album. I took lessons from him for years, and hope to again soon. I went from being able to play say 4 songs, to being able to play well enough to play a long set or two at events. Mark is a master and coming up with arrangements that sound great, and are playable. He has a music degree from Stanford University and uses his knowledge to teach (many) to play tasty arrangements of songs they want to play. If you want to chat about him you're welcome to email me.

[MattBlue]

Originally Posted by RodB

My suggestion would be to look at your present repertoire and pick out melodies you really like, or where you feel a guitar break would fit in nicely. You already know the chords and have the melody in your head for these. You can also look these up and find instrumental versions on line to help orientate you. Might not be the easiest way to come up with something, but the journey would be rewarding and you would end up playing some of the tunes you have already decided you enjoy hearing.

...

That`s the best advice one can give I think!
Look, at the end of the day it`s just about making music, using your voice or your hands on the guitar - it`s both just a way of expression of what you have to say music-wise. And the songs you already have a feeling for, those which already mean something to you... so much faster you will be able to play those as solo fingerstyle arrangements I am sure
And one more thing: Right now you are still singing, but you could use fingerstyle arrangements of your current songs as intros, interludes, outros already during your performances That always sounds very nice!

[cmd612]

Originally Posted by Muffinhead

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. As far as alternate tunings go, I am very reluctant to try this. I am very resistant to change. Change of any kind actually causes anxiety in me. But, I hear so many good things about DADGAD tuning that I will give it a go.

No risk, really. DADGAD is 100% reversible.

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by Colbyjack

Hello Muffinhead.

I have a recommendation. Rare do I call my recommendations "strong" but this one I will.

Go to accentonmusic.com and reach out to Mark Hanson. He teaches in person.. and on Skype. He's a master and coming up with arrangements that you can (with practice) play. He works them to your skill level, or helps you (as the great teacher he is) to play them. You'll notice on his web site he is a Grammy winner for a few songs he arranged and play on the Pink Guitar album. I took lessons from him for years, and hope to again soon. I went from being able to play say 4 songs, to being able to play well enough to play a long set or two at events. Mark is a master and coming up with arrangements that sound great, and are playable. He has a music degree from Stanford University and uses his knowledge to teach (many) to play tasty arrangements of songs they want to play. If you want to chat about him you're welcome to email me.

+1, I currently take Skype lessons from Mark, he is an excellent teacher. His two fingerstyle instructional books (Contemporary Travis Picking and Solo Fingerstyle) are classics and are perfect for someone wanting to get started or wanting to ramp up their fingerstyle skills. The songs and material are interesting in both books and Mark also has published fingerstyle songbooks with a lot more material. I also recommend any of Pete Huttlinger's instructional DVD's. Both Mark and Pete probably fit the type of fingerstyle material you want to learn and play.

[s0cks]

I wouldn't shy away from learning some music theory. I made it a bit easier on myself by learning intervals rather than actual notes. That way I don't need to remember what notes are in the key of G for example. Instead I know the intervals of the scale, so based on the root position I know which notes will work. And every scale is simply a modification of the major scale, so learning the major scale will help you a lot. E.g. the natural minor scale is the same as the major scale but with a flattened 3rd, 6th & 7th.

It may sound confusing, but you probably only need a few hours or so of study to understand the basics of how it all fits together. And the more you know, the more you will recognize when playing songs you know.