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  #16  
Old 02-23-2018, 10:04 AM
Dan Barracuda Dan Barracuda is offline
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Congrats on your retirement! YouTube is an amazing place to learn guitar, any form of it. There are some amazing people out there giving quality lessons
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  #17  
Old 02-23-2018, 12:08 PM
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TBman TBman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DBruce View Post
Thanks again everybody.
Another question. I have been doing Justin's beginner course since Monday, and since fingerstyle ( or fingerpicking ) is what I would like to do, should I still learn to use a pick or just use my fingers? I have been using a pick this past week. Should I keep on with the pick, use just my fingers or both?
Thanks,
DBruce
Even though your goal is to learn finger style you should learn the basic chords and strum them with a pick.

You need left hand and right hand dexterity to play fingerstyle. Doing basic strumming allows you to concentrate on your left hand first. The actual strumming doesn't have to be anything fancy, just steady and firm.

Then once you've learned your open first position chords you can begin to learn fingerstyle, but do not discard playing and learning more chords as you will need a few Barre chords in your tool box as you progress in fingerstyle.

Good luck and don't get discouraged. The main theme of my advice is keep it simple and don't try too much at once.
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  #18  
Old 02-23-2018, 01:19 PM
DBruce DBruce is offline
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Had to go out of town for a family emergency, back home now.
I'm going to get back to practicing. I think I will keep doing Justin's lessons and also work some picking patterns. Again, thanks for the tips.
DBruce
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  #19  
Old 02-23-2018, 06:50 PM
lowrider lowrider is offline
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DBruce, I'm 67, retired, and I've been playing for 14 months. The first six months or so I used Justin's lessons and learned a lot. Played with a pick and got things going pretty well. Then I went to see Toby Walker play and fell down the rabbit hole of finger-picking for the next six months using his online lessons. You need to know how to do both. I'm now playing with a jam group twice a month and I mostly strum with my first finger and thumb so I can finger pick some sections here and there. Sometimes I'll use the pick to strum the whole song.

And now I just started working with a singing coach. It's all a blast!

Welcome and enjoy the ride!

Last edited by lowrider; 02-24-2018 at 02:45 AM.
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  #20  
Old 02-24-2018, 02:06 PM
Guitars+gems Guitars+gems is offline
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Hi DBruce, Been about 3 years since I've been where you are, newly retired and picking up a guitar. I had played earlier, listlessly, for about 10 years and then put the guitar down for 30 years. The one advantage I had was that the 1st position chords were still in muscle memory, but other than that it was like starting all over again.

I like the advice Barry has given you. You will need to know chords and timing for fingerstyle, so learning chords and rhythm is not a bad thing. I always played with my fingers, mostly because I couldn't hold on to a pick. Now I've learned that skill and so I have a choice of fingers or pick or both. Choice is good. But if you are interested in nothing but fingers, maybe you should consider classical guitar which is mostly about fingers. There are lessons for beginning classical on youtube.

Best advice I can offer is to be persistent; repetition is key. As JonPR said above, yes our hands can be stiff at first, and maybe our brain to fingers synapses happen a bit more slowly, which can all be frustrating. But keep on keeping on. And be mindful of posture and ergonomics. Nothing will make you quit faster than the development of muscular pain.

Many of us older beginners can attest to the fact that it does get easier. Being able to make a little music, at even the most basic level of skill, is very satisfying. You're a guitar player now, enjoy the adventure!
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