Fingerpicking: any good books?

[Rhadge]

I have played acoustic and electric guitar for many years. I know a few fingerpicked tunes, but I've mostly used the pick.

Now, I feel I want to learn more fingerpicking tunes, and also get to know the techniques behind it (I've mostly made the techniques up myself when I've fingerpicked).

Can anyone recommend books that teaches fingerpicking in a comprehensible and thorough manner (classical preferred but celtic style works, tuning DADGAD or EADGBE)? Preferrably with a companion CD.
Of course, although I am an intermediate guitar-player, I would need to go from the basics of fingerpicking, mainly for the right-hand stuff.

Thanks in advance!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Rhadge

I have played acoustic and electric guitar for many years. I know a few fingerpicked tunes, but I've mostly used the pick.

Now, I feel I want to learn more fingerpicking tunes, and also get to know the techniques behind it (I've mostly made the techniques up myself when I've fingerpicked).

Can anyone recommend books that teaches fingerpicking in a comprehensible and thorough manner (classical preferred but celtic style works, tuning DADGAD or EADGBE)? Preferrably with a companion CD.
Of course, although I am an intermediate guitar-player, I would need to go from the basics of fingerpicking, mainly for the right-hand stuff.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Rhadge...
First of all, hello and welcome to the group! We are glad you joined.

There are many styles of fingerstyle including the two you named, and in addition, Chord Melody and Travis Picking and song accompaniment done in fingerstyle fashion.

Al Petteway, Pete Huttlinger, and Mark Hanson have some great teaching materials on fingerstyle; Petteway and Hanson both have specific things for Celtic - and more specifically DADGAD songs. Each have both books and DVDs and a few CDs (most make DVDs these days).

Happy Traum & Pete Huttlinger (if I recall correctly) each have some great systematic general fingerstyle teaching materials which can be found on HomeSpunTapes.com. They also have intermediate and advanced materials there. Pete has a great DVD titled ''Essential Exercises for Fingerstyle Guitar''

Mark Hanson's are at AccentonMusic.com & Al Petteway's are on AcousticMusicResource.com

In addition, there are some great players who have things posted on YouTube, and if you can read hands fairly well, you can learn a lot from them.

I don't think there is a comprehensive one-size-fits-all approach to fingerstyle, nor one teacher who masters it all in print (Tommy Emmanuel encompasses several styles of fingerpicking, but has no teaching books on the topic I'm aware of).

[Colbyjack]

+1 for Mark Hanson and www.accentonmusic.com

[Rhadge]

Thanks for the welcome and the answers!
I'm glad to have found this forum, being more inclined towards acoustic instruments rather than electric.

As for genre and styles within a genre, I haven't listened to much fingerpicking.
My focus is classical and celtic though.
I will have time to find my own technique preferences eventually, so a thorough book with a general (classical) focus would be the best.

I'm not good at picking up finger-patterns, so books are the best idea.
In this regard, I won't buy any DVD's. And Mark Hanson's beginners book seems more oriented towards blues/travis, while I would like a more classical approach.

[Rhadge]

No one knows any well-written book that teaches classical fingerpicking?

[TBman]

Pumping Nylon. There are different versions, notation only, tab, and one comes with a DVD. A good way to start on your own is to practice alternating your index, middle and ring fingers string a string, then move to the next, etc.

[langerr]

RHadge,

There is a good link in this PLAY entitled "IF YOU LIKE RAGTIME YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS SITE, containing a link to a PDF book called "The Art of Ragtime Guitar" which seems to be a pretty good beginning starter to fingerstlyle.
A LOT of the basics are the same no matter which book you use . . .Pick one, (PUN INTENDED) and get started!

I started with "Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar" by Arnie Berle and Mark Galbo and learned a big chunk of it. I've also worked with Mark Hanson's "The Art of Contempory Travis Picking".

Check out the link and enjoy the journey - it never ends!

[Sordello]

Welcome to the Forum Rhadge -

well I noticed you mentioned classical preferred, so I would suggest you find a copy of A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar (Composite ed.) by Charles Duncan. It was sold long ago as 3 books, but try and find the new edition with all 3 together since it has 3 CDs to go with it, A lot of space and time is devoted to the right hand fingering with CD help to hear the samples.
The assumption with this book is that you will be using a nylon classical guitar, but the songs and samples are not strict and formal classical music only. He uses folk, pop, and fun tunes too, so it's a relaxed journey not just strict Sor routines. It's all standard though, so you'll need to get another book for the celtic tunings.

[Rhadge]

Thanks for the suggestions! Both classical books that have been recommended are interesting.

I play steel-stringed guitar though. Will the classical books still be okay, or do I need to get some other book that focuses on steel-stringed fingerpicking?

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Rhadge

Thanks for the suggestions! Both classical books that have been recommended are interesting.

I play steel-stringed guitar though. Will the classical books still be okay, or do I need to get some other book that focuses on steel-stringed fingerpicking?

You can use the classical books to train your right hand, but alot of classical songs don't sound so great on a steel string unless you are really good at muting strings. The decay rate of a note on a nylon is faster than on a steel string.

[Rhadge]

Thanks.
Training the right hand is what's important to me for now. So I guess I'll get one of the classical books that have been recommended.