lefthook
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Post by lefthook on Mar 19, 2016 16:53:22 GMT
Having really enjoyed learning to play guitar, I have been learning chords and strumming patterns. I would like to have a little break form this and learn to pick.
My question is where to start, any specific style, and any advice on books, websites etc?
Thank you
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Mar 19, 2016 17:26:03 GMT
I think it really depends on whether you want to learn fingerpicking as a technique (or indeed a lot of techniques), or whether you want to use fingerstyle to play specific types of music.
It will be far more satisfying to learn if you have a specific goal in mind. There are many ways of using fingerpicked guitar.
What kind of thing do you aspire to play? Maybe an example or two of pieces of music and/or particular performers might narrow it down a bit....
Keith
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missclarktree
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Post by missclarktree on Mar 21, 2016 12:13:11 GMT
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Post by gekko on Mar 21, 2016 16:54:38 GMT
I'd recommend some of the Mark Hanson books. amzn.to/1Rde3N0amzn.to/1RdeKWpamzn.to/1Rdfkn2It's a while since I have used these books, but start with the Travis-style one as that covers the basics. I think the second book moves away from these patterns and introduces new skills. I've not used the 3rd, but it tends to get recommended alongside the first two. I think it covers similar ground but with a slightly different approach. Anyway, Mark Hanson's books are generally rated highly. Also, check out the Don Ross series of fingerstyle lessons on Jamplay. You have to pay for them, but I'm using them as a refresher and he's very good. Travis-picking is a pretty common starting point. It's great in that once you've got it down, you can apply it to many songs. The flipside is that it can be hard to break out of those patterns once they've become ingrained. That's certainly been my experience anyway. How fast you progress will depend on your aptitude for this style of playing. For me, the guitar came alive when I progressed from strumming to fingerstyle. I never really liked playing with a plectrum and once I moved on to just fingers plucking individual strings, it felt like the whole thing fell into place a lot more. I could also start to play the music I actually wanted to play. Others prefer flatpicking, strumming, slide etc. though so it really depends where you want to go with your music. As Keith suggests above, having a goal in mind, even if it's just the style of music you want to play will help you direct your learning appropriately.
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Post by lavaman on Mar 21, 2016 18:35:29 GMT
If you like blues and ragtime there is an excellent book by Richard Saslow called "The New Art of Ragtime Guitar". It will take you time to work through it but you will learn how to fingerpick. There used to a be a free download but it looks the author has revised it so now you have to pay. Available at: www.amazon.co.uk/The-New-Art-Ragtime-Guitar/dp/0983290903Iain
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lefthook
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My main instrument is: Freshman FA1DC
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Post by lefthook on Mar 23, 2016 17:06:38 GMT
Thank you all so much for the help. have looked at the books and am going to start with Gekko's recommendation to get started. Then see where it leads me.
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maninashed
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Post by maninashed on Mar 23, 2016 19:32:45 GMT
Travis-picking is a pretty common starting point. It's great in that once you've got it down, you can apply it to many songs. The flipside is that it can be hard to break out of those patterns once they've become ingrained. That's certainly been my experience anyway. One of the things that got me into fingerstyle was a CD/book lesson by John Fahey. His approach to teaching is, er, different....but highly entertaining! One thing that always sticks in my mind is where he described the process of learning fingerstyle, something like, first you learn arpeggios, the you learn alternate picking, then you learn patterns. Then you you spend all of the rest of your time learning not to play patterns.
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Post by creamburmese on Mar 24, 2016 13:04:17 GMT
HI LeftHook I second some of the excellent recommendations for books here (though the ragtime book is pretty hard IMO). I liked the Bruce Emery (Fingerstyle from scratch) Mark Hanson (beyond the basics) books - though Mark Hanson on DVD is painful to listen to. I recently spent a little while sharing some patterns with friends who are mostly strummers, and we used a basic alternating bass pattern that's used on Dust in the Wind by Kansas - just the intro and accompaniment, not actually picking out the tune (which you probably wouldn't want to try anyway until you'd got the pattern down). It's a nice one to start on because it uses the same pattern throughout - i heard somewhere that the song actually started out as a means to teach a fingerpicking pattern, but that may be apocryphal. There are lot of decent Youtube videos showing how to do it, and it's not a bad way to get started and see results fairly fast.... Good luck!
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Post by vikingblues on Mar 24, 2016 19:14:50 GMT
One thing to remember as you learn various styles of fingerpicking, or anything on guitar come to that, is if you feel the inclination to play it in a different way and you like the sound of it and it makes some sort of mucial sense, then it can be worthwhile jettisoning the set technique and doing your own thing. Bit I'm biased. I'm afraid I find set repeating picking patterns do nothing for me even when played well - I know that puts me in a minority and I imply no criticism of those players that do enjoy it. I just mention it as something to watch out for down the line. I'm nor sure whether this DIY approach I like is an avoiding tactic so I don't have to admit to being either too lazy or too incompetent to play fingerstyle properly. I hope it's for creative reasons. Playing guitar with the fingers in general terms is great though - well worth doing. Mark
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leitrimnick
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Post by leitrimnick on Mar 24, 2016 19:44:46 GMT
One thing to remember as you learn various styles of fingerpicking, or anything on guitar come to that, is if you feel the inclination to play it in a different way and you like the sound of it and it makes some sort of mucial sense, then it can be worthwhile jettisoning the set technique and doing your own thing. Bit I'm biased. I'm afraid I find set repeating picking patterns do nothing for me even when played well - I know that puts me in a minority and I imply no criticism of those players that do enjoy it. I just mention it as something to watch out for down the line. I'm nor sure whether this DIY approach I like is an avoiding tactic so I don't have to admit to being either too lazy or too incompetent to play fingerstyle properly. I hope it's for creative reasons. Playing guitar with the fingers in general terms is great though - well worth doing. Mark There's no such thing as playing properly, at least not in the sense you mean above. It's not how you get there, it's the sound of the end result
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Post by scripsit on Mar 25, 2016 0:31:23 GMT
As someone who came to fingerstyle guitar late, after years of plectrum and electric guitar and then a big hiatus, I have some recommendations. First, the Saslow book pieces are hard, and I'd avoid them until you have some skills down the track. The Mark Hanson approach obviously works for some people, but I find there is too much emphasis on a 'pattern' approach, getting used to alternate thumb picking and the like in the early days. I found it much more convenient to begin with pieces I wanted to play, and develop the necessary technique from practising them. I ended up by spending a lot of time on specific, sometimes dry, techniques, but there was usually a particular piece that this was aimed at, and I found it possible to work at these where just playing a detached picking pattern over and over drove me insane. If you like his music and approach to playing, I'd recommend the DVD courses of Martin Simpson: www.homespun.com/instructors/martin-simpson/of which this is the first I came across. You get to see and hear the playing in addition to the music and tab. There is a string of these DVDs I'm also very fond of Al Petteway's music, and his pieces tend to be very simple to play for a beginner (although you soon find the nuances in his tunes which require considerable technique). Like the Martin Simpson stuff, I'd start from his early instructional works on DVD or direct download, then progress through to his recent and quite challenging material. You would need to be keen on learning some DADGAD tuning. www.homespun.com/shop/product/celtic-instrumentals-for-fingerstyle-guitar-dvd-1/You'll come across other excellent musicians who provide instructional material, too, and gradually discover more about your ambitions and capabilities. I wouldn't worry that you will become a clone of any of these players by practising their material, especially if you spread yourself across different styles. Being able to sit down and run through a half dozen tunes successfully, by yourself, is amazingly encouraging to wanting to learn more. Kym
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maninashed
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Post by maninashed on Mar 25, 2016 6:50:05 GMT
I found it much more convenient to begin with pieces I wanted to play, and develop the necessary technique from practising them. I ended up by spending a lot of time on specific, sometimes dry, techniques, but there was usually a particular piece that this was aimed at, and I found it possible to work at these where just playing a detached picking pattern over and over drove me insane. I'm the same, I need to feel engaged with the music and I found 'courses' frustrating. I really liked Michael Raven's style and arrangements so I listened to the tape, figured out the TAB and tried to make them sound how I liked them. I can play lots of pieces now and I really enjoy plsying tunes rather than exercises. Anything in TAB is quite accessible but there are big gaps in my understanding of theory and reading staff.
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Mar 25, 2016 9:09:10 GMT
I found it much more convenient to begin with pieces I wanted to play, and develop the necessary technique from practising them. I ended up by spending a lot of time on specific, sometimes dry, techniques, but there was usually a particular piece that this was aimed at, and I found it possible to work at these where just playing a detached picking pattern over and over drove me insane. I'm the same, I need to feel engaged with the music and I found 'courses' frustrating. I really liked Michael Raven's style and arrangements so I listened to the tape, figured out the TAB and tried to make them sound how I liked them. I can play lots of pieces now and I really enjoy plsying tunes rather than exercises. Anything in TAB is quite accessible but there are big gaps in my understanding of theory and reading staff. I am in a similar position: I love playing tunes but, with a goldfish-like attention span, cannot stand courses or practising scales and patterns. I am sure this has held me back but am equally sure I should have given up completely otherwise. I am a tab book addict and was a fan of Mike Raven until becoming hooked on alternative/open turnings. The books available commercially that I keep returning to are by Al Pettaway (eg THIS ), Rob MacKillop ( especially THIS ), Pat Kirtley ( THIS ), El McMeen ( THIS ), Jim Tozier ( THIS ) and Will Ackerman ( THIS ) The books by forum members markthomson and ocarolan, produced for davewhite's guitar road trips, are also exceptionally good and these may still be available from the authors. If I could only keep 3 books, it would probably be those by Rob MacKillop, Mark Thomson and Will Ackerman. The first two include pieces ranging from relatively straightforward to quite demanding, while Will Ackerman's obscure tunings may look off-putting but are worth the effort. Brian
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Post by melodeous on Mar 26, 2016 18:48:05 GMT
One thing to remember as you learn various styles of fingerpicking, or anything on guitar come to that, is if you feel the inclination to play it in a different way and you like the sound of it and it makes some sort of mucial sense, then it can be worthwhile jettisoning the set technique and doing your own thing. Bit I'm biased. I'm afraid I find set repeating picking patterns do nothing for me even when played well - I know that puts me in a minority and I imply no criticism of those players that do enjoy it. I just mention it as something to watch out for down the line. I'm nor sure whether this DIY approach I like is an avoiding tactic so I don't have to admit to being either too lazy or too incompetent to play fingerstyle properly. I hope it's for creative reasons. Playing guitar with the fingers in general terms is great though - well worth doing. Mark Regarding your set repeating pattern, soloists learn quickly to change up the dynamics lest they bore themselves to some dispirited level and switch to making noises about being in a rut. However, that same set repeating pattern is requisite to a band's delivery of a song where it is the underlying melody, meter and ambience. From basics of a more two dimensional delivery to the dynamics that take it to other levels, the student of any musical instrument works to make the best of it. Or, they're not really students of the instrument and give it a much more casual treatment. I've noticed the latter applies to the majority of people in pretty much any artistic endeavor they undertake for recreational purposes as well as skills that they do professionally. You're always going to find one man is better than the next at painting a house. I think the bulk of the discussions on these various guitar sites assumes a lot about the people taking part in them. I think it assumes everyone who asks, and everyone who answers, are keen on learning the instrument to the best of their abilities. I don't think that way. Since 2004 and my entry into these forums, I find the opposite is true and the reality of it lies strictly at the casual level, though the questions and answers cloak that under a more professional mantle. To the OP, find a simple pattern and learn it well enough to bore yourself. Learn it well enough to completely and utterly destroy your favorite songs in an attempt to apply that pattern to them and make them work. I only remark about that because you will do that. Then, you'll begin to learn other patterns and develop them. They will come much easier to you because finger independence is now something of a claim you can make. Then, you will begin to mix those patterns and you will return to those favorite songs you previously destroyed and make them work for you. You will now have a nice bit of dynamics in your picking hand and it will quite naturally beg the fretting to keep up.
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Post by vikingblues on Mar 26, 2016 20:09:48 GMT
One thing to remember as you learn various styles of fingerpicking, or anything on guitar come to that, is if you feel the inclination to play it in a different way and you like the sound of it and it makes some sort of mucial sense, then it can be worthwhile jettisoning the set technique and doing your own thing. Bit I'm biased. I'm afraid I find set repeating picking patterns do nothing for me even when played well - I know that puts me in a minority and I imply no criticism of those players that do enjoy it. I just mention it as something to watch out for down the line. I'm nor sure whether this DIY approach I like is an avoiding tactic so I don't have to admit to being either too lazy or too incompetent to play fingerstyle properly. I hope it's for creative reasons. Playing guitar with the fingers in general terms is great though - well worth doing. Mark Regarding your set repeating pattern, soloists learn quickly to change up the dynamics lest they bore themselves to some dispirited level and switch to making noises about being in a rut. However, that same set repeating pattern is requisite to a band's delivery of a song where it is the underlying melody, meter and ambience. From basics of a more two dimensional delivery to the dynamics that take it to other levels, the student of any musical instrument works to make the best of it. Or, they're not really students of the instrument and give it a much more casual treatment. I've noticed the latter applies to the majority of people in pretty much any artistic endeavor they undertake for recreational purposes as well as skills that they do professionally. You're always going to find one man is better than the next at painting a house. I think the bulk of the discussions on these various guitar sites assumes a lot about the people taking part in them. I think it assumes everyone who asks, and everyone who answers, are keen on learning the instrument to the best of their abilities. I don't think that way. Since 2004 and my entry into these forums, I find the opposite is true and the reality of it lies strictly at the casual level, though the questions and answers cloak that under a more professional mantle. To the OP, find a simple pattern and learn it well enough to bore yourself. Learn it well enough to completely and utterly destroy your favorite songs in an attempt to apply that pattern to them and make them work. I only remark about that because you will do that. Then, you'll begin to learn other patterns and develop them. They will come much easier to you because finger independence is now something of a claim you can make. Then, you will begin to mix those patterns and you will return to those favorite songs you previously destroyed and make them work for you. You will now have a nice bit of dynamics in your picking hand and it will quite naturally beg the fretting to keep up. There's a lot of sense to what you say melodeous - a detailed well thought out post indeed. Very true about the need for set repeating patterns in a band setting. Your point about the general level of learning on forums is well made. I'm not surprised that a lot of members on musical forums are approaching playing on a casual level. It's certainly a hobby for me and one that has a very limited time available to it. I enjoy exploring the way music can arise by myself. I go by the idea that the journey is the main thing rather than the destination. As you say there's a distinct divide between a recreational and a professional guitarist. I would hate to be a professional guitarist; I have a strong feeling that money and art are incompatible, and I would also view with no enthusiasm the thought of harnessing up my hobby and turning it into a restricted endeavour based around what people want and expect from their past experiences. To follow the full route you outline is a mammoth task when time is very limited - especially when my joy in the sound of the music is my safety net to keep me (relatively) sane. The thought of spending that much time destroying songs fills me with horror even if the possible target at the end is worth achieving - I do more than enough dull drudgery in working hours to be honest and don't want to follow it up with weeks of dull drudgery in the evening. Nightmare! But it's up to the individual player - one mans meat is another's poison etc. However as for the soloist I'm not sure I agree that "casual" players can be said to not really be students of the instrument. I suppose I don't see why an absence of learning patterns means we're something inferior? I'm just enjoying a Martin Simpson instructional DVD and the emphasis is on exploring tonal aspects and experimenting and improvising to find sounds and harmonies that are different. There is no instruction at all to play the notes in a particular way or pattern. To me that approach is as valid to claim to be a student of the instrument. Apologies to lefthook - I've gone a bit off topic here. More on topic I'd echo Brians praise for the Rob MacKillop and Mark Thomson books he put in his top 3 (I'm not familiar with the Will Ackerman). Pieces of music that can be revisited many times and that can be improved by skill in interpretation. Rob McK is particularly keen to encourage the player to add their own input to the pieces and not play them the same as him - he doesn't play them the same twice running himself anyway he says. Mark
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