Best fingerpicking lessons online

[jaytee32]

Yo,

So I want to learn to fingerpick. Been playing forever, know more than basic theory, played 50+ gigs as a "strumming" and "picking" guitarist (mostly rhythm) but have never really learned to fingerpick. I fake it with a flatpick on a few songs and do a little hybrid picking.

But stuff like "Dust in the Wind" and "Never going back again" ... I'd love to learn to do that. I've used TrueFire in the past for other things and like it, but it all seems to be Tommy E style "fingerstyle" over there and not much basic folk/pop fingerpicking. Am I missing some course on TrueFire? Should I look elsewhere (where?)?

Thanks

[TBman]

Many of us learned finger style/finger picking from Mark Hanson's two Travis picking books.

Once you get the right hand going and can read notation with tab you can find a finger style arrangement for almost any tune you want to learn if you look hard enough.

BTW, Tommy Emmanuel's stuff on Truefire will get you playing finger style as well. When you are first learning don't focus too much on the songs, focus on learning the skills needed to play the songs you want to eventually.

[jaytee32]

Hi,

I realized today that Richard Kochli's book, that I have, might have fingerpicking lessons in it. Sure enough it does!! So I will start there. I also have Fred Sokolow's complete country guitar book, which has a few more lessons in it (and I have the CD).

Thanks for your answer about Mark Hanson (I also have one of his books) and Tommy E on TrueFire.

[TJN]

You may want to check out Dan Holloway.

[rnjguitar]

Bruce Emery - Fingerstyle Guitar From Scratch, Travis Style Guitar from Scratch

http://skepticalguitarist.com

Mark Hanson - Contemporary art of Travis Picking, Beyond Basics, Solo Fingerpicking (in that order)

Dan Thorpe - great introduction, very responsive teacher -

https://guitardomination.net/about/

All good places to start, if I were to do it all over again I'd start with Bruce Emery then move to Mark Hanson. Dan Thorpe has a new book, but I mostly like his arrangements which were more reachable as a novice.

[Arthur Blake]

I heard someone play something from Blind Blake on guitar fifty years ago, and I was hooked.

You just start slowly and continue.

I've found the best way to learn is to listen to the music you want to play and work to make your guitar sound like that.

I find it more confusing than anything to have someone point out which string and which finger to play, because finger picking is all about developing the coordination and timing to make it sound right.

If you know the chord, then the rest is up to you. Almost any strings you play in that chord will sound right, and the real work in the beginning is to develop the way the notes go together.

Almost always, you're alternating the bass, and adding melody notes in the treble strings. So practice alternating your thumb between two bass strings in a C chord, or the sixth and fourth strings in the G chord, then adding in notes with the fingers.

When I started, for the type of music I wanted to play, it was a G chord with the tip of the pinky finger fretting the notes moving up the top three strings at first.

Again, start super slow, and develop the sound. The whole thing is to get the coordination going. Get a steady alternating bass going, and then add in just one more note at the right time at first.

I'm playing very advanced work now, but this is how I've learned.

Seems to me today, you can find almost any kind of guitar music or lesson on YouTube. Start with some thing you love and search "name of song" guitar or guitar tutorial, or guitar lesson.

[Su_H.]

I'm in a similar situation despite learning classical for a number of years. I'm rebuilding my picking hand. So far, I have found plenty of right hand(picking hand) studies on the internet for free. Some of those studies are geared toward correct/optimal form.

You are an experienced player. IMO, fundamental picking hand techniques are all you need and you can find them easily on the internet.

Su

[SprintBob]

Another vote for Mark Hanson’s books, very complete and well structured.

[Glennwillow]

This is a free Travis picking lesson I made not too long ago that seems to be well received by those on YouTube. The lesson is based around playing a John Prine song called "Clay Pigeons."



I hope this is helpful.

- Glenn

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by jaytee32

But stuff like "Dust in the Wind" and "Never going back again" ... I'd love to learn to do that. I've used TrueFire in the past for other things and like it, but it all seems to be Tommy E style "fingerstyle" over there and not much basic folk/pop fingerpicking.

Actually his style is essentially the same, except he typically damps the bass strings (in Travis/Atkins style). Let the bass strings ring and the alternating bass technique is the same thing as in those two tracks.

And of course you can find lessons on youtube those specific tunes, which (IMO) are a good enough intro to the basic RH technique. Such as:



But I also agree with the recommendation for Mark Hanson's book. The problem with Tommy E's approach is his insistence on the "independent thumb", which is a myth.
Hanson starts right away with combined thumb and finger patterns, which is the way to go.
That is, the thumb does keep the beat all the way, while the fingers play different rhythms, but you have to learn thumb and fingers together so they interlock correctly. At least that's how I taught myself, over 50 years ago! - which I why I like Hanson's book.

[GGNJ]

If you interested in instructions on Fingerstyle Blues check out David Hamburger on Utube.

[10+6=happy]

I know this is an older thread but am going to add a response for other players searching specifically for finger style lessons. I have used Six String Finger Picking with a lot of success, the teacher is Chris Murrin. He teaches more pop style music than say Tommy Emmanual. The web address is sixstringfingerpicking.com Very clear & concise, reasonably priced, does lesson packages & song lessons which are separate from the lesson packages.