# Absolute finger style beginner stuff



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Found a YouTube vid for absolute beginner lesson on fingerstyle. I have never tried it before. Like everything new, there unexpected side effects that I should have expected. After 2 minutes, the fingertip of my ring finger started to hurt a bit. After a few minutes of using the other two fingers, I started to notice tightness in the hand and forearm. Just like building the calluses on fingertips of the fret hand, I guess.

I will likely just have to do it for few minutes at time, gradually increasing time until I get use to it.


----------



## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

Warming up the hands is crucial, a good exercise is to open two sheets of newspaper out and lay them side by side on the floor. Then pick each one up by grabbing it right in the middle, then stand and while hold them out in front of you gradually pull them into a ball in your palm using just the fingers and thumb. Keep your hands separated and make each one work independently. Once a day as a warm up will loosen everything up and build strength.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Are you looking to play patterns or simply to play using your fingers instead of a pick?


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I think patterns, although I am not 100% sure what you mean by patterns. When I think about playing without a pick, I think of Jeff Beck.


----------



## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

Robert, try learning intro to Stairway to Heaven or the beginning lick to nothing else matters (metallica). I always found it more pleasurable to use songs to learn vs exercises (although the open strings intro to nothing else matters could be used as an exercise. 

The most important thing with fingerstyle is correct fingerings with the fretting hand and correct use of your right hand. I was taught by a classical trained guitarist and he emphasized the importance. 

Thumb plays bass strings E-A-D
Index plays the G string
Middle plays the B
Ring plays the high E

The intro to nothing else matters starts with all open strings ascending and decending E (low)G-B-E-B-G. Use the fingerings as I posted. Lather rinse repeat. Keep repeating.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Right now I find I am hitting the high E string with the ring finger rather inconsistently as far a volume goes.


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

the first finger picking song I learned was "house of the rising sun" (son?) It works well for finger picking and is simple/well known so you can concentrate on your fingers instead of the tune.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> the first finger picking song I learned was "house of the rising sun" (son?) It works well for finger picking and is simple/well know so you can concentrate on your fingers instead of the tune.


I can play that flat picking style no problem, it's ingrained in my head. I assume thumb first note, strum with thumb and then ring, middle, index?


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Robert1950 said:


> I can play that flat picking style no problem, it's ingrained in my head. I assume thumb first note, strum with thumb and then ring, middle, index?


form the chord, thumb playing the melody/bass line while three fingers alternate 1-2-3-2-1/chord change/12321/chord change/etc


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

That's a little different than how I would flat pick it, but close enough.


----------



## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

As with any chords you're just breaking get them up and in this case ascending and decending through them. House of the rising sun might be a bit tough to start to get the rhythm right but you could add that later. 
The songs I suggested are straight eighth note rhythms to start off.

Stairway is a great teaching tool as the patterns are easy and if you already know the riff you're halfway there.
Brain damage is another iconic riff that makes for great fingerstyle practice.

Both riffs you're going to start by plucking with your thumb and ring finger on the D and high E strings. Use the fingerings as I posted and your ear (or youtube/ulimate guitar) and you should be able to figure out the rest.

Check out Spanish ballad, it's a traditional fingerstyle piece and something to work towards. Similar beginning to nothing else matters.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Robert1950 said:


> I think patterns, although I am not 100% sure what you mean by patterns. When I think about playing without a pick, I think of Jeff Beck.


Yeah, I play without a pick like Beck does by using fingers to replace the pick (thumb for downstrokes and index finger for upstrokes). I play like this guy does in the first thirty seconds of this video (minus the use of the whammy bar):







I was wondering if that was what you were aiming for, with however many fingers, or if you were looking to get into playing fingerstyle that includes picking patterns (by which I mean a set sequence for picking such as p-i-m-a, or p-m-a-i, or whatever).


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Yeah, i-m-a. Leave the p out for now - I have an unusually short "p" finger


----------



## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

Its been a while but I thought p was your thumb. Don't use your pinkie, index, middle, ring fingers only.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Moosehead said:


> Its been a while but I thought p was your thumb.


It is.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

colchar said:


> It is.


Yup. Italian...

pollice = thumb
indice = index finger
medio = middle finger
anulare = ring finger


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

bw66 said:


> Yup. Italian...
> 
> pollice = thumb
> indice = index finger
> ...



Spanish actually.

Thumb - Pulgar
Index - Indice 
Middle - Medio 
Ring - Anular 
Pinky - Extremo


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I think I will go for anglo-modern. t-i-m-r


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Learn something new every day...

All these years I thought it was Italian...


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

It's in part, like starting over, working that finger picking hand.


----------

