Question about fingerpicking a particular tune...

[olin]

I'm working on Ryan Adam's version of "Wonderwall" and I thought it would be a good idea in terms of developing some discipline to assign certain fingers on my picking hand to certain strings. (Thumb to E, A and D; index to g, middle to b and ring to e.) Am I over thinking this or does this approach make sense? Should I just go with what feels natural?

As an aside, I've never really used my ring finger for picking so this might help me develop that particular finger.

[Brent Hutto]

For any fingerstyle/classical piece of moderate or greater complexity it would be counterproductive to choose fingerings based on a certain-finger-for-each-string rule. You can find many etudes and exercises that do just that for whatever particular finger or combination of fingers you need to work on but for a musical piece the controlling principle is to use the fingering that produces your desired musical effect in the most efficient manner possible. Very few pieces worth playing are so simple that the "best" fingering follows a rigid rule assigning fingers to strings.

[Colbyjack]

Hi Olin,

A brief backdrop. I'm very fortunate to be able to take lessons from (in many opinions) one of the best fingerstyle guitar teachers in the country, Mark Hanson. www.accentonmusic.com. The answer I'll give comes from sitting with him and learning.

In theory, having your fingers assigned to those strings is GREAT. MOST of the time that's where they should be... say 85 to 95% of the time. Yes, it's a good idea to be disciplined and use there in that position. That will make you a better player, and make playing songs easier. Yes, USE your ring finger!

There are times however when it will be best to move or shift your three fingers toward the bass side of things for a brief time. Or, just move your index finger to the "D" or even "A" string for a brief moment. An example might be when the melody of the song moves to say the "D" string, and the thumb is used to play a bass note on the "E" or "A". Or, when you have to play a bass string twice quickly, you might find it easier and faster to use your thumb followed immediately by your index finger on the same or adjacent bass strings; versus to have to "reload" your thumb for the second strike.

Again, the vast majority of the time it's best to have your fingers in the positions you mentioned, much like in typing there's "home row".

I hope that makes sense and helps.

[Colbyjack]

I think Brett and I are saying the same thing in principle.

However I would say (and know from experience) there are countless great pieces of music that are played with the three fingers never, or rarely leaving the three treble stings, and the thumb playing the three bass strings.

Something Brett said mirrors what I was saying. Sometimes it's just best (most efficient) to use your fingers (to help your thumb) on the bass strings. Or, to have your fingers help one another on treble strings; or have your thumb help your fingers on treble strings. Yet, doing so randomly isn't the best idea.

Having guidelines is good. It helps your fingers and mind operate efficiently. Knowing when it's BEST to deviate from them and WHY is also good

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by olin

I'm working on Ryan Adam's version of "Wonderwall" and I thought it would be a good idea in terms of developing some discipline to assign certain fingers on my picking hand to certain strings. (Thumb to E, A and D; index to g, middle to b and ring to e.) Am I over thinking this or does this approach make sense? Should I just go with what feels natural?

As an aside, I've never really used my ring finger for picking so this might help me develop that particular finger.

Hi Olin...
What you describe - Picking Thumb covering 3 bass strings, and the other three fingers taking their place on strings 1-2-3 is like learning the home row of keys on a computer keyboard. This is the basic picking/plucking hand position for complex fingerpicking from which other fingerstyle forms radiate and vary.

It is the hand position I drill into students before introducing them other techniques (split finger, inside chords, shifting Thumb & 3 to the bottom 4 strings etc.). Most chord voicings are well expressed with a bass note and three more constructive notes...

While theoretically Thumb and all 4 fingers might contribute to more complexity, so many chords are well voiced with only 3 and sometimes only 2 notes that adding a 5th note to the equation is often more weakening to the balance of the chord than helpful...except with Jazz chords/compositions where complexity is the target. In those cases, 5 or 6 string chords can be brushed, or strummed to include the extra notes...

Hope this helps...

[olin]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll work on it some more tonight.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by olin

Thanks for the help guys. I'll work on it some more tonight.

Hi O...
Good for you, then the next night and next night and some other days as well till you own the fingerings on the appropriate strings in any style and at reasonable speeds.

Then the exceptions begin to apply and you get to take ownership of them as well...

[deltoid]

As long as you practice it a certain way and play exactly that way everytime you play it you should be fine. When starting out learning fingerstyle, it's almost imperative to assign fingers to strings, but as you progress it can eventually become a hinderment. The most importat thing is that you know which finger should be plucking a particular string at a particular time in a particular song, and be consistent.