Beginner Playing Fingerstyle

[Laird_Williams]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Spark…
I teach students to both strum and fingerpick (simple patterns) right from lesson one.

I've found no reason people need to focus on one more than the other.

+1 and "Amen" to that.

There is no reason why you can't spend part of your practice time working basic chord shapes and then another segment of time using some of the easier chords and working the fingers on the right hand. You can put the changes together with the fingers incrementally, as you get comfortable enough to do so.

The key is, for each segment of practice time, have an intention for what you will do with that time, and then target what you do to match your intention. For example: If your objective involves the right hand, then do something that is less difficult for you on the left hand, so you can focus on the right hand. If your intention is to clean up four or five really difficult bars of a song you are working on, then focus on working on just those bars and the transitions into and out of them.

Originally Posted by spark

I am a brand new guitar player just got my guitar 2 weeks ago.

Strumming is a very natural occurance, when one picks up the guitar, for the very first time. In retrospect, and appreciating that you are just a beginer... learning to strum/chord first, is a very good idea.
Once you have your strumming and some chords down, or before you get too bored... try your hand at fingerpicking. Go with the flow!

[bouwman]

when i first started i couldn't stand using my fingers to pick or strum, now i enjoy it, but i don't really now what i'm doing with it yet.

Anyone have any other fingerpicking patterns they like?

[Bern]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Spark…
I teach students to both strum and fingerpick (simple patterns) right from lesson one.

I've found no reason people need to focus on one more than the other.

What Larry said...plus, put a lot time into your fretting technique. Practice those chord shapes and learn some basic theory from the get go. Strumming or finger picking will keep up with it in time anyway.

[bluesbassdad]

Originally Posted by bouwman

when i first started i couldn't stand using my fingers to pick or strum, now i enjoy it, but i don't really now what i'm doing with it yet.

Anyone have any other fingerpicking patterns they like?

Why not try a few of these and decide which ones you like?

http://www.amazon.com/Studies-Right-.../dp/0898981905

[dark_enstein]

I recommended you to play strumming first, because when you able to play every chord good enough, it would be easier to do the fingering in fingerstyle..

IMHO
if you play fingerstyle first, your finger will got some "shock" therapy, because the fingerstyle fingering in some case pretty complicated, if you can't play standard chord, how can you playing tablature/ musical score...

but if you think you can..
go ahead, no problem at all where you wanna start..