finger picking

Feel free to get outside the box here.
jimi40
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Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 5:50 am
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Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:00 pm

Hey all

I want to get into finger picking but have resisted for years. Want to know what people think are the best beginner finger picking lessons. Also what do folks think about thumb or finger picks. Thanks


dean1342
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Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:35 am
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Tue Aug 07, 2018 11:25 am

Hi Jimi,

I had a ton of fun with Ken Perlman's book Fingerstyle guitar. He is more focused on oldtime music but some cool songs.

http://kenperlman.com/guitar-instruction/

I also enjoyed the Fingerstyle Guitar Method series. Its now also available in one book.



I would strongly encourage you to find a lesson on Travis patterns!!! Tons of great songs are based on a Travis pick. Freight Train be E. Cotten is an example.

http://www.totallyguitars.com/target-songs/724-elizabeth-cotten/27886-freight-train-elizabeth-cotten

Also Neil has a section fingerpicking 101 in the Tips, Techniques, Theory & Styles sections. I have not gone though it but it could not hurt.

If you have any other questions send me a message, I also have an extensive collection of fingerstyle music on CD and LP if you want some ideas of where this rabbit hole can take you. I also have no clue how to recover from this addiction!!!

Dean


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auntlynnie
Posts: 34
Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 5:31 am
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Thu Aug 09, 2018 5:22 pm

Hey there,
There are many different styles of fingerpicking, so you may want to think about what fingerpicking songs/styles make you want to learn this style of playing. There are lots of fingerpicking lessons and series of lessons here on TG (and out in the world for that matter). There are fingerpicking classics like Arlo Guthrie's Alices's Restaurant, some "Country Blues" (under Tips and Techniques), Ragtime fingerstyle, and then there are many single songs such as Dust in the Wind, lots of Beatles songs. Somewhere Neil has a list of songs he recommends for beginning fingerpickers. I wouldn't recommend starting with anything above the 4-6 difficulty range. When I joined TG I worked my way through the Country Blues and many other Country Blues type songs (Rev Gary Davis, Blind Blake, etc) and Neil explains both the basics and the intricacies of fingerstyle playing.

As far as fingerpicks, I used them for a long, long time (20-30 years), now I only use them sometimes. There are advantages to both choices. I have really brittle fingernails, so I do most of my playing using the pads of my fingers, not the nails. If I need to be louder, then I use fingerpicks, but finding the ones that work for you can be a long process.

Good luck with your new endeavor - it's always nice to add something new to your playing.

Lynn


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