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  #1  
Old 04-27-2014, 10:06 AM
jthorpe jthorpe is offline
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Default Good songs to learn?!

I'm a relative novice in the world of 'fingerstyle guitar' and I'm really wanting to build a strong repertoire of songs! I'm wondering if you veterans here would have any suggestions as to any real standard guitar tunes to pick!

Specifically more folky picking patterns - not really too into the 'boom chick' thumb picking style either!

Any help will be gratefully received (as always )

Cheers

J

Edit: standard tuning/ drop D preferably
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Old 04-27-2014, 10:33 AM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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There is a zillion of them. Sort of depends on what you like and how well you play. Classics include such tunes as Freight Train and Deep River Blues. For ones you won't find anywhere else I have tabs on my website such as Feeling Free, Scamp, Breeze, arrangement of Deep River Blues, Freight Train, etc. which are in standard tuning.
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Old 04-27-2014, 11:48 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Check out Bert Jansch. He turned Davey Graham's "Anji" into a standard instrumental for acoustic pickers, and his arrangement of Blackwaterside became a classic after Jimmy Page lifted it for Black Mountainside.

If you want instrumental guitar pieces, rather than song accompaniments, Jansch always had a few on all his albums. Lots of cute short ones on his 1965 debut, but quite challenging (Angie, as he spelled it, is one of the easiest, IMO).

Freight Train (which rick mentioned) works well as both an instrumental and a song, and is a standard beginner piece. (Although not in Tommy Emmanuel's arrangement... )
Just don't try and learn from videos of Elizabeth Cotten, who wrote it (she played left-handed and upside down).

For songs with simple fingerstyle accompaniment, Mississippi John Hurt is another good source. Payday is a nice easy one in open D, with the tune played on guitar too.
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Old 04-27-2014, 11:58 AM
StringFive StringFive is offline
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I teach this little version of "Fields of Gold" that is a good start for folk-style fingerstyle. If you are into country blues, Deep River Blues is a right of passage. Via Skype lessons.
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Old 05-04-2014, 07:42 PM
Arthur Blake Arthur Blake is offline
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Default Fingerstyle favorites

I like this one a lot:
http://youtu.be/PYD-DIggB2k
Listen very carefully to the beginning. Haven't yet heard the intro played correctly online, but if you spend time with it, you can get the nuances, and even if you don't catch every note it still sounds good. If you like it, play it regularly and listen carefully, your technique will improve.
I use some free software for the Mac called 33 rpm that lets you slow down the tempo without altering the pitch and that can help, but mostly it is a matter of really listening and making what you play sound like what they play.

It uses basic chords and is also good singing practice. Uses a capo at the second fret, starts with a D chord shape at the 7th fret, then essentially uses basic chords like G, Am, Em, C and D.

Here's another that is quite beautiful and good practice, though perhaps slightly out of your genre you can play it on steel string and it's a great practice piece:
http://youtu.be/-MkqLfKxhUU
While it is fairly simple to learn, as you practice, and develop a feel for the music it sounds better and better and it gives you great practice for improving the use of both right and left hand technique as you work to fret the notes cleanly and pick them clearly.

I like to experiment with my own finale - you can always add your own touches. I use a diminished chord at the fourth fret and harmonics at the 12th after arpeggiating the E.

I also like Vincent by Don McClean. Fairly simple to play but sounds great. I switch the lyrics around slightly so it's a little less somber. For example I sing "love within my soul" in the first verse, then "lovers sometimes do" instead of "often." Great practice for perfecting hammer ons.
For the verse you start with a G chord, then Am without the top note, adding it in, then C and D7.
http://youtu.be/dipFMJckZOM

You can find lessons online for all of these. I always like to get about three (3) versions of the lessons and then play what sounds right to me.

I also like this one - one of my favorites and the link includes a lesson:
http://youtu.be/mwheEFEvCFI
To heard what it sounds like played through go to the 7:20 mark.
I especially like the bass run about 3/4 of the way through.

Here's one that combines several themes from Blind Blake and Reverend Gary Davis, but simplified.
All of Blake's syncopation and rhythm variations are removed, but it still makes a nice melody. Plus it gets you to use the little finger for the G chord right from the start.
http://youtu.be/rXFtKQPRGyk
Again the chords are basic, G, D, A, E and so on.
If you're patient, you should be able to pick it up right from the video.

Remember to focus on making music more than executing a technique and you can enjoy the process right from the beginning as you progress.

Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice is another fingerstyle piece that's not too difficult to learn with basic chords that sounds great. Uses G, Am, D7
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Old 05-05-2014, 06:17 AM
clintj clintj is offline
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I started with Mark Hanson's book. It builds in a nice progression, starting with basic patterns and adding melody to them. Having a basic vocabulary like that makes it possible to play or adapt a lot of songs to fingerpicking. If you like old style blues picking, look up Toby Walker. He's got some great lessons, too.

Songs I like to play:
Can't Find My Way Home - Blind Faith
Julia, Blackbird, Michelle, and Here Comes The Sun - Beatles
Signe - Clapton
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Old 05-06-2014, 11:12 AM
T1mothy T1mothy is offline
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I guess theres not too many 12345654321 patterns (of any kind) in this song but dayum does it sound great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMekyUCX-Ak Have a blast
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