Flatpicking - What to learn first, Carter picking or crosspicking?

[markd85]

Originally Posted by phydaux

Based off your recommendation I just ordered Flatpicking Essentials volume one and volume two. I was planning on it eventually but was dragging my feet. Thank you for helping me pull the trigger.

Hope you have better luck than I'm having getting your books. I ordered on 11-21 with 3 day shipping and have not received it yet. I ordered volume One only. Called and left a voice mail yesterday to see if it had been shipped. So far....crickets. If, and hopefully when, you get your order please let me know. Thanks.
Mark

[VoidBringer]

Originally Posted by phydaux

Can you please elaborate - What do you mean by "G runs?"

Ahh. They’re one of the best, fun parts of Bluegrass. Very common and not too complicated.

Think of how a drummer plays a beat for 3 measures and then at the 4th measure they do a fill which takes them back to the beat again. This is all a g run is, conceptually. It’s a pattern of 8th notes that walk up or down the pentatonic scale to resolve at the G note. Usually, just two notes, but sometimes four notes or more. Some are spiced up with blue notes or triplets.

The idea is to complete the section and transition to another. They aren’t restricted to G, but the G chord is so common and the open G chord shape allows so many G major pentatonic variations that specific runs even have names of their creators.

They’re buried in so many songs, also played by Bass, Banjo, Fiddle, and Mandolins, you’ve probably heard a thousand of them already without realizing it.

[phydaux]

Originally Posted by markd85

Hope you have better luck than I'm having getting your books. I ordered on 11-21 with 3 day shipping and have not received it yet. I ordered volume One only. Called and left a voice mail yesterday to see if it had been shipped. So far....crickets. If, and hopefully when, you get your order please let me know. Thanks.
Mark

Yes, you definitely get the impression the business is something one guy runs out of a garage that he shares with a bunch of old paint cans and a '76 Pinto with no engine.

[Brent Hutto]

There used to be a magazine called Flatpicking Guitar Magazine (FGM). It closed down several years ago but over its life they published a ton of instructional articles, tabs, etc. including many authored by Dan Miller.

Since the magazine stopped publishing they've still been selling various collections and compilations based on their library of accumulated instructional content. Those "Essentials" books seem to have some new material (written by Dan Miller?) to tie together a bunch of old FGM material in a form that's useful as a beginner to intermediate learning curriculum.

But it's very much a part-time deal to continue published mostly older FGM content. Not an actual published house by any stretch.

There are downloadable PDF plus MP3 collections of the FGM content that you can buy from them. I like that form better than printed+CD, personally.

[phydaux]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

There are downloadable PDF plus MP3 collections of the FGM content that you can buy from them. I like that form better than printed+CD, personally.

I don't mind PDFs or e-books when I'm reading for fun, but when I read for content I like paper.

It's a generational thing, I guess.

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by phydaux

I don't mind PDFs or e-books when I'm reading for fun, but when I read for content I like paper.

It's a generational thing, I guess.

I have two of the PDF collections (Crosspicking and Celtic) and I actually print out each article/song that I'm going to work on and then put it in a binder when I'm done.

I never can get bound books to lay flat on my music stand so I end up scanning each page I need and printing it to use. Having the PDF just saves me a scanning step!

I've also in the past had the local Kinko's cut the binding off books and spiral bound the pages so they lay flat. But that only works when each tune I'm working on is a single page or pair of facing pages. When it requires a page turn I'm back to the same problem.

[phydaux]

I’ve done the “cut off the binding and spiral bind” thing on a couple of books.

[BoxCar_Joe]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

https://musicwithryan.com/

This is where I got started with Carter style playing.
All lessons have video and tab.

+1 On Ryan
There is a nice selection of styles and difficulty levels.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by phydaux

Yes, you definitely get the impression the business is something one guy runs out of a garage that he shares with a bunch of old paint cans and a '76 Pinto with no engine.

You will get them and I don't know about the garage and the pinto, but it is more old school. You just need to learn patience. You might actually get a hand written note thanking you for buying the book.

[tomh]

Originally Posted by rllink

I bought a book called Flatpicking Essentials volume one and volume two. Someone here recommended it. I've been learning a lot out of them. It comes with a CD. The thing about it though is that you aren't going to start out doing Carter picking and crosspicking. You are going to start out walking a base line and doing walk ups and walk downs into chords. You don't get to do Carter picking and crosspicking until volume two. There is much to be said for starting on the ground floor learning some basics before diving into it. The books are a bit Bluesgrass oriented, but the skills translate.

This is a great resource to help build a solid foundation for whatever style you want to do later. Methodical and simple and will be ultimately less frustrating than random lessons from youtube though that method will flesh out your learning. Have fun!

[markd85]

Originally Posted by tomh

This is a great resource to help build a solid foundation for whatever style you want to do later. Methodical and simple and will be ultimately less frustrating than random lessons from youtube though that method will flesh out your learning. Have fun!

That sounds great. Exactly what I am looking for! Thanks.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by phydaux

…Any recommendations?

Hi phydaux

Find a bunch of YouTube videos of people flat picking and copy them (or at least note what they are doing).

If I ever decide to flat-pick I want to do it like Carl Miner (The North American Guitar demo player).

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi phydaux

Find a bunch of YouTube videos of people flat picking and copy them (or at least note what they are doing).

If I ever decide to flat-pick I want to do it like Carl Miner (The North American Guitar demo player).

Carl Miner is a bit like Tony Rice. He can flatpick, crosspick, strum or grab notes with his fingers. Sometimes all of the above in a two minute tune. So if you’re pretty good with your fingers you are 20% there.

Now just learn the other three, then learn how to put them all together.

[Retired1]

my experience - pick a tune you know and like - pick a key to play it in - C is typically a good versatile key to start with - learn to play the melody and then in the natural pauses in the melody play the chords that fit there. Crosspicking is often just flatpicking a few notes that fit in the chord shape rather than playing the chords - Molly Tuttle has a good youtube video lesson on it

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by tomh

This is a great resource to help build a solid foundation for whatever style you want to do later. Methodical and simple and will be ultimately less frustrating than random lessons from youtube though that method will flesh out your learning. Have fun!

Re: Dan Miller’s Flatpicking Essentials, I agree 100%. It’s a solid plan to work through the 1st two volumes and supplement with some simple flatpick songs you like. I primarily play fingerstyle but I’m finding playing some flatpicking on the side is really nice. I’ve worked through most of Vol 1 of Flatpicking Essentials and I’m currently enjoying working up some fiddle tunes from AGFer Eric Skye’s fiddle tune course offered on Homespun.

Good luck on your flatpicking journey.