Less is more

[zuzu]

I have recently been concentrating on fingerpicking. My timing and precision are improving and becoming more second nature, and I am now particularly focusing on tone and dynamics. With that focus, I am finding myself more and more often returning toward the way I play electric guitar, which is triad focused, seeking particular tones and position, and having little concern about not covering a whole "standard" guitar chord. I have labored under the impression that you needed to play all the strings you could on the acoustic to project the sound, and this is a consideration when strumming, in my opinion. But when fingerpicking I am finding the guitar loses nothing from playing 3 or 4 tone chords, particularly my OM style guitars. I am learning much in light of this realization. Don't you just love the endlessness of learning about the guitar? How else can you have such a fulfilling, satisfying journey to a place you will never reach?

[Mr. Jelly]

You got it! I agree as I have walked the same road. I have also learned to play the song. There is no reason to be finger picking away just because you can. It gets too busy and sucks the life out of the music. Clairity with purpose.

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by zuzu

I have labored under the impression that you needed to play all the strings you could on the acoustic to project the sound, and this is a consideration when strumming, in my opinion. But when fingerpicking I am finding the guitar loses nothing from playing 3 or 4 tone chords, particularly my OM style guitars. I am learning much in light of this realization. Don't you just love the endlessness of learning about the guitar? How else can you have such a fulfilling, satisfying journey to a place you will never reach?

IMO one rarely ever needs all 6 strings at once when playing any style. Economy of notes and movement sometimes adds a lot to a song.

The endlessness of learning is a great way to put it. Some instruments it takes a lot of hours of practice just to learn to make a decent sound. But with guitar one can learn enough to strum a recognizable song in a day to a week, yet keep on learning for the rest of your life.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by zuzu

.... Don't you just love the endlessness of learning about the guitar? How else can you have such a fulfilling, satisfying journey to a place you will never reach?

Yep! Every time I learn something new I see the world a little differently. It's a very powerful experience really. Some of the most difficult folks I have had to teach (sports mainly, but also music) have been those who held strong beliefs and though the world "solid". To learn you have to go through the uncomfortable cognitive dissonance of changing what you believe - even if that's something as basic as learning a new guitar playing technique! You've got to embrace the unknown.

Regarding not playing all the notes:

I am a very minimalist player - both finger picking and with a flatpick. I don't "strum". My flatpick song backing is more akin to Carter style or Woody Guthrie. I Travis pick when fingerpicking and so I can often get away with playing one or two finger chords where the full chord may use all 4 fingers. This is because I miss out strings. There's no point in fretting a string you are not going to use!!!

The players I like to listen to tend to be minimalist in their accompaniment. This I think is a great example of very simple minimalist Travis picking paired with a very minimalist stage (one mic' for two singers and a Dean Markley Woody mag p/u in the guitar sound hole). It's just perfect!!!

[mawmow]

Originally Posted by zuzu

(…)Don't you just love the endlessness of learning about the guitar?
How else can you have such a fulfilling, satisfying journey to a place you will never reach?

I turned to fingerstyle on acoustics some fifteen years ago and absolutely agree !

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by zuzu

I have labored under the impression that you needed to play all the strings you could on the acoustic to project the sound....

I have been playing about five years, now. As soon as I picked up a guitar for the first time, I went to jam sessions where I was already connected - but as a clarinetist. After I played my first song (one I wrote), a fellow I know, and a fine guitarist, said to me, "you know, you don't have to play all six strings all the time"

I did not understand what he meant until I did. And that came once I comprehended that a "vanilla" open chord is comprised of a triad. And that sounded open strings are octaves. You can change the "color" of the chord, and the music, by extension, by selecting which of the strings you decide to engage and when. That realization advanced my music and playing.

David

[tbirdman]

Some of the best picking patterns use only 4 strings.

for 4/4 time I use root bass/3/1&2 together/3

for 3/4 time I play root bass/3/2/1/2/3

I also use Travis picking pattern which I use a triple alternating bass note, put don't always play the 1st string based on the chord, but play 5 strings.

[TBman]

This is great stuff to listen to. It sucks to play from my point of view. Boring, boring, boring. It's accompaniment. 2nd fiddle. Also ran. 2nd class. Take out the guitar and replace it with a kazoo, no one notices because the vocalists are the focus. Nothing wrong with that. You won't get much better past this if this is all you try to do, but it is good.


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Guitar playing. Melody, expressive. No vocals. I'm not saying everyone has to learn classical guitar, but maybe learn things that put the guitar up front. Mark Hanson has a few books on this subject.

Just my two cents.



Maybe something like this...

[Robin, Wales]

This is great stuff to listen to. It sucks to play from my point of view. Boring, boring, boring. It's accompaniment. 2nd fiddle. Also ran. 2nd class. Take out the guitar and replace it with a kazoo, no one notices because the vocalists are the focus. Nothing wrong with that. You won't get much better past this if this is all you try to do, but it is good.

LOL ^^^^^^ I love it Barry!

On the other foot:

In the local library is a highly accomplished fingerstyle guitarist playing through his catalogue of instrumental pieces, involving 150 chords up and down the fretboard, to a studious audience of three.

On the same evening, down the road in the local bar, there's a country singer banging out three chord songs to a rowdy sing-along audience of 150.

I sort of know which gig I'd be at (and it wouldn't be the one in the library!!!!!).

I play guitar because I can't play kazoo and sing at the same time!

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

LOL ^^^^^^ I love it Barry!

On the other foot:

In the local library is a highly accomplished fingerstyle guitarist playing through his catalogue of instrumental pieces, involving 150 chords up and down the fretboard, to a studious audience of three.

On the same evening, down the road in the local bar, there's a country singer banging out three chord songs to a rowdy sing-along audience of 150.

I sort of know which gig I'd be at (and it wouldn't be the one in the library!!!!!).

I play guitar because I can't play kazoo and sing at the same time!

There is nothing better than singing and playing along with a guitar from a lot of point of views. I love it to listen too and I'd be at the bar as well. If you can't sing like me though it's a deadly weapon and I'd be wanted in 32 states

There's a whole world of instrumental guitar (classical and non classical) that is epic and shouldn't be cast aside though.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by TBman

There's a whole world of instrumental guitar (classical and non classical) that is epic and shouldn't be cast aside though.

You are right Barry. But I obviously won't let such a truth get in the way of a good yarn.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by zuzu

I have recently been concentrating on fingerpicking. My timing and precision are improving and becoming more second nature, and I am now particularly focusing on tone and dynamics. With that focus, I am finding myself more and more often returning toward the way I play electric guitar, which is triad focused, seeking particular tones and position, and having little concern about not covering a whole "standard" guitar chord.

Naturally!

Originally Posted by zuzu

I have labored under the impression that you needed to play all the strings you could on the acoustic to project the sound,

Where in the world did you get that idea? Disabuse yourself of that strange and limiting notion immediately!

Originally Posted by zuzu

and this is a consideration when strumming, in my opinion.

Actually, it's not. Part of strumming dynamics is knowing when to strum lows, highs, middles, lows and middles, highs and middles, or all of them. When you want some strokes louder, just play them louder.

Originally Posted by zuzu

But when fingerpicking I am finding the guitar loses nothing from playing 3 or 4 tone chords, particularly my OM style guitars.

Yes. And even single notes are often called for.

Originally Posted by zuzu

I am learning much in light of this realization. Don't you just love the endlessness of learning about the guitar?

I do!

Originally Posted by zuzu

How else can you have such a fulfilling, satisfying journey to a place you will never reach?

For me, it's not a journey at all. Not ever. It's something I like doing.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

IMO one rarely ever needs all 6 strings at once when playing any style. .

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

"you know, you don't have to play all six strings all the time"

You sure don't.

Also, you don't have to always have the root at the bottom of every chord.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

You are right Barry. But I obviously won't let such a truth get in the way of a good yarn.

Hey, that was a jazz player doing the 150 chords, not a classical player