Questions tagged [fingerstyle-guitar]

Guitar technique where the thumb and fingers are used to play the strings instead of a pick or plectrum.

141 questions
61
votes
8 answers

Why does string strummed with finger sound different from the one strummed with pick?

What is the physical reason for difference in sound when using fingers instead of pick and vice versa?
zduny
  • 745
  • 5
  • 8
16
votes
2 answers

For fingerstyle guitar, is anchoring your pinky on the guitar bad?

I'm only asking, because I believe I read somewhere that doing that is bad - I personally don't have a habit of doing it, I actually use my pinky a lot of the time when plucking away, but the reason I'm asking is: You see there? Andy McKee is…
GloatenFree
  • 455
  • 1
  • 5
  • 11
15
votes
3 answers

How to start learning FingerStyle guitar?

How do I start learning fingerstyle guitar? I am lookin for a good book with CD, or any video series that will help me to get started. Basically, I want have some direction about how to play like Sungha Jung. I have some previous plucking…
Quazi Irfan
  • 1,692
  • 6
  • 22
  • 28
11
votes
8 answers

Struggling to switch chords when fingerstyle / arpeggio

So for the life of me I am struggling to switch chords with my left hand while picking a fingerstyle pattern. have been playing a bit over 6 months :( When I'm playing chords with a flatpick I can switch just about any chord easily, but when I am…
rakoff
  • 111
  • 1
  • 5
10
votes
4 answers

What sweeping (for bass guitar) techniques are out there?

I've recently started looking at the sweep technique on guitar. How would one go about replicating that on bass? Please keep in mind that I do not use a plectrum, and wouldn't want to sacrifice finger style to master this technique Some related…
Choroz
10
votes
8 answers

Fingerpicking with my pinky finger

For the past couple of years, I've adopted the following approach for fingerpicking folk rock/alternative music... E - pinky finger B - ring finger G - middle finger D - index finger A - thumb E - thumb At this point, I'm super comfortable with…
thank_you
  • 1,569
  • 4
  • 18
  • 24
10
votes
4 answers

Fingers to use while playing finger-style guitar

I have been playing guitar for around 3 years and am mostly self taught. I know that the recommendation is to play the D,A,and E string with your thumb and the e, B and G strings with your ring, middle and index fingers respectively but I do not…
Rajeev Bhatia
  • 375
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
9
votes
4 answers

What's the reasoning behind discouraging the use of the pinky finger by some schools of finger-style guitar?

We've had related discussions twice: Fingers to use while playing finger-style guitar Fingerpicking with my pinky finger The general consensus seems to be that any technique is fine as long as it's comfortable and doesn't have high potential for…
NPN328
  • 16,022
  • 14
  • 84
  • 141
7
votes
4 answers

Finger picking on bass vs finger picking on guitar

I'm learning bass after playing guitar for a long time. Anyway, it seems that the bass finger picking style is significantly different from the style I would use on the guitar. The standard bass technique seems like it would never work on guitar…
7
votes
6 answers

Which steel strings are more suitable for fingerpicking on acoustic guitar?

I want to ask acoustic guitar experts, what strings can be suitable for fingerstyle playing on steel string acoustic if I play with my fingers - no nails or fingerpicks. Currently I'm using GHS infinity bronze, but they are very hard and give me a…
Silver Light
  • 8,042
  • 5
  • 38
  • 56
7
votes
6 answers

Up-down strumming when playing fingerstyle

I'm trying to learn never dying Nothing Else matters by Metallica and got to the part where I need to strum C, A and D chords: If I had a pick in my hands, it would go like nothing - down-down-up-up and so on. But since this song is played…
Silver Light
  • 8,042
  • 5
  • 38
  • 56
6
votes
1 answer

Guitar that can pick up body percussion, and what a guitar needs to do it

Recently I bought an Ovation guitar, after seeing some videos of people using it for percussive guitar playing, for example here, or here. Even talking "how sensitive and well-suited it is for this style", see here. But after plugging mine in I…
6
votes
3 answers

How do I get a nice attack while fingerpicking?

I'm trying to fingerpick with the pad of my fingertips (ie no nails), I'm struggling to get a nice tone. My thumb & ring finger sound okay, but my forefinger and middle finger tend to produce thin, tinnny, or scraping sounds on the attack. I've…
tex
  • 285
  • 2
  • 7
6
votes
7 answers

What are the uses of inverted chords?

As far as I know, inverted chord can be used to create bass line. I am wondering about the other uses of it. Does it have anything to do with the melody in term of harmony and sound effects? Should we invert a chord to fit the melody, use them for…
6
votes
8 answers

Can I become a good guitarist by just playing other's arrangements?

It's been a whole year since I bought my first acoustic guitar and I've only learned a couple of chords, how to read a simple tab and some easy fingerstyle songs. So I'm just wondering whether it's a bad or good way to start learning guitar by just…
1
2 3
9 10