More Fingerstyle

[Huskyman]

I have a question about Fingerstyle playing. I have been getting into it pretty heavy for about 6 months and I really enjoy learning songs and I have many to choose from so that is not an issue. Do any of you do exercises at all or do you just follow tab until you are able to play what you want to play? I do have a TrueFire course that is based on right hand independence and I also have a book from Hal Leonard that has a ton of exercises all pertain to different areas. I have always learned that the thumb does the 3 low strings and then index, middle and ring for the high strings but both the TrueFire course and the Hal Leonard book break this rule but never talk about it. Just curious as to how others have done it. Thanks.

[buddyhu]

Thumb sometimes goes to string 3, like with “Freight Train” (5-3 alternating bass for part of it). And sometimes the thumb even goes to 1 or two, if one wants to do a quick arpeggio that emulates a flatpick (thumb for the down stroke, index for the upstroke).

And there are times when thumb brushes 6 thru 1, or 5 thru 1, 4 thru 1.

Keeping thumb in vicinity of 6,5, and 4 is a good place to start, but don’t hold it as a rigid rule.

Finger picking is great, isn’t it?

[Silurian]

I found that exercises just made me adept at the exercises and didn't really benefit me when it came to learning other songs.

I initially learned the thumb for bass and fingers for high strings but break 'the rules' all the time. I use what feels comfortable and comes naturally.

YMMV.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I just kept picking songs. A lot of my playing is Travis style but I don't stick to it religously.

[TBman]

I started to teach myself classical again last December. It's different that steel in a lot of ways, but the benefits trickle down. Guilian 120 right hand exercises are good (I tend to just use the first 12 or so). You can find them in notation with tab.

Also, at the same time I started with using thumb pick and plastic finger picks on the index and middle finger. That is going really well and I wish I had done that years ago. I hate having longish natural nails and they always split and break on me anyway. I plan on adding a fingerpick to my ring finger soon.

I use Truefire too and there's a couple of good lessons on there for classical. You don't need a nylon guitar to reap the benefits of the right hand work in the lessons.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Huskyman

I have a question about Fingerstyle playing. I have been getting into it pretty heavy for about 6 months and I really enjoy learning songs and I have many to choose from so that is not an issue. Do any of you do exercises at all or do you just follow tab until you are able to play what you want to play? I do have a TrueFire course that is based on right hand independence and I also have a book from Hal Leonard that has a ton of exercises all pertain to different areas. I have always learned that the thumb does the 3 low strings and then index, middle and ring for the high strings but both the TrueFire course and the Hal Leonard book break this rule but never talk about it. Just curious as to how others have done it. Thanks.

Hi Huskyman
So called 'rules' are rigidly adhered to in the classical community…not so much in other forms and styles of play.

I've never used TAB, just learned fingerstyle on my own. In all fairness I had a degree in music education when I got serious about learning it, and had spent over 18 years in classical training on trumpet, 12 on accordion, and 20 on formal singing lessons.

I carved out my own path, and learned much the same way I was taught other instruments:

• Scales - I did them daily for the 40 years I taught fingerstyle (with my students at every lesson)
• Chords - and inversions
• Solo lead lines - common songs
• Harmonies
• Common strumming patterns
• Common picking patterns
• Fitting the key to the picking style of songs
• Fingerstyle Accompanying (for my singing) as well as solo fingerstyle pieces
• Playing duets and other ensemble settings

Thumbs…
Thumbs are such handy digits, on any string from time to time (including brushing the pad downward through all 6 for a quieter strum.

[wood&wire]

Originally Posted by Huskyman

I have a question about Fingerstyle playing. I have been getting into it pretty heavy for about 6 months and I really enjoy learning songs and I have many to choose from so that is not an issue. Do any of you do exercises at all or do you just follow tab until you are able to play what you want to play? I do have a TrueFire course that is based on right hand independence and I also have a book from Hal Leonard that has a ton of exercises all pertain to different areas. I have always learned that the thumb does the 3 low strings and then index, middle and ring for the high strings but both the TrueFire course and the Hal Leonard book break this rule but never talk about it. Just curious as to how others have done it. Thanks.

Looks like everyone has really good advice on how to hone your fingerstyle chops. When I started out, I would get books like the ones you mentioned. I don't think I ever completed any lesson book cover to cover. I would normally teach myself the lessons on techniques that interested me and the rest I ignored. Color me lazy but I saw no point in learning things I did not want to play. Many of those books move into alternate tunings and/or genres that are different from the goals of the student. Good stuff to have on hand as a reference but I always just took what I wanted and left the rest. YMMV

[Don W]

The most important thing I learned about fingerstyle was not to plant my fingers on the sound board. It allows so much more mobility and freedom. Hard to get used to but awesome improvements in my ability.

[Joe Beamish]

I would spend more time learning songs than doing exercises. I also almost never use my ring finger, but you should do what works for you.

The best start is to learn the simplest songs from the players you love the most.

Stefan Grossman is a great resource.

https://www.guitarvideos.com/

[Huskyman]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

Thumb sometimes goes to string 3, like with “Freight Train” (5-3 alternating bass for part of it). And sometimes the thumb even goes to 1 or two, if one wants to do a quick arpeggio that emulates a flatpick (thumb for the down stroke, index for the upstroke).

And there are times when thumb brushes 6 thru 1, or 5 thru 1, 4 thru 1.

Keeping thumb in vicinity of 6,5, and 4 is a good place to start, but don’t hold it as a rigid rule.

Finger picking is great, isn’t it?

It is a really great thing for sure!

[Huskyman]

Originally Posted by Silurian

I found that exercises just made me adept at the exercises and didn't really benefit me when it came to learning other songs.

I initially learned the thumb for bass and fingers for high strings but break 'the rules' all the time. I use what feels comfortable and comes naturally.

YMMV.

I'm pretty much doing that myself. It's a good place to start but sometimes in songs it seems that something else seems more natural.

[Huskyman]

Thanks everyone. Lot's of good advice here for sure. Pretty much what everyone here is doing I see myself doing also. I'm trying to memorize the songs because it's just seems more enjoyable to me but I'm not sure how many I will be able to get.

I still am working through a Hal Leonard book that I think is called Fingerstyle Coordination but honestly the right hand stuff is really nothing you would not learn from doing many songs. I do kind of enjoy it though and maybe do one or two exercises a day. Not sure how valuable it will be. When I was playing a lot with a flatpick I was leaning songs from a guy on youtube. He was very good at taking pop, rock and country songs and using a flatpick adding licks and riffs and really making them sound full for one guitar. At first I struggled with learning what he was doing but after about 8-9 songs they all came much easier. I hope this works with fingerstyle!

[mawmow]

A nice exercise for the thumb is Boogie in G (G-C-D chords).
Also a classical piece (?Malagueña) E-A.

I once tried to learn a few fingerstyle pieces : It took three months !
I prefer to play sight reading the hundreds of pieces I can play,
changing repertoire according to my mood of the day.

I use to warm up, then play pieces I know, then finally attack some new ones.

As a beginner, I never fought to learn new chords, but gently tried the
new pieces containing them day after day until I could master them.

Never give up. Be patient. It comes with (daily) practice.
Three fifteen minutes trials is better than straining for an hour.

[Arapaho G]

I learn songs from tab, don't do a lot of exercises. Recently started doing one to improve the dexterity in my left hand.

I use thumb, index, middle for almost everything. Ring finger only for chords on first 3 strings.