Crash Course Guide In Fingerstyle When we think of fingerstyle we often assume it must be extremely intricate and difficult. The truth is - this isn't always the case. This report is all about 4 concepts: 1. Root Strings Determine Your Pattern When you begin playing a fingerstyle progression, the very first thing you'll always want to do is start on the root string (not necessarily the root note) of the first chord. By establishing an "anchor" so to speak, you can simply alter your picking hand to reflect the string in which a given root is being played. 2. The Rule of 3-1-2-1 In the case of beginner - intermediate fingerstyle, the 3-1-2-1 rule works just fine. Using this rule, you basically pluck 3 simultaneous notes, then a single (1) note, then 2 simultaneous notes, and then a single (1) note. Of course, rules can be broken depending on your playing level. In a more advanced passage, I find that this rule converts well to 3-1-2-1-2 or even ones like below, where it's note-by-note 3-1 - 2-1 - 1-1 - 1-1 - 2-2 (counting each hammer-on and pull-off). 1
Since this report has been written specifically for my "Fingerstyle Drills" mini-course, I stuck to this format for the most part, with the exception of a few notes here and there in the advanced section. 3. Tempo Tends To Be The Biggest Problem Believe it or not, over the years I've found that the real issue with struggling fingerstyle guitarists isn't so much WHAT is being played. It tends to be more the TEMPO (speed) at which a progression is being played. Of course, there are times where a budding guitarist tries a piece that he or she just isn't ready for because of the chords being used or even the requirement for more than a few fingers, but again - it ends up being more about "playing up to speed" and not so much "playing it correctly." Most all all of us can play even the most difficult of fingerstyle passages at a very slow tempo, but once it is time to play it at the appropriate tempo it becomes frustrating. The reason I designed this mini-course around tempo is for this reason alone. The range I'm providing should be just right for almost any style of music. 4. Picking Hand Placement This is most likely what you REALLY want to understand, right? How in the world do you know which fingers to pick with to make every progression easier? Based on "Concept 1: The Root Determines Your Pattern" I'll bet you know where I'm going with this. Here's a full tutorial on this concept. The chord formula for a Major chord is simply 1-3 - 5. This means that in order to play a Major chord, you need the root note (1), the 3rd (a third from the root), and the 5th (a fifth from the root). While you need to know just a BIT about scale usage, you don't need to know much. Take the C Major chord as an example, where the notes used are C, E, and G. 2
Now, since we know that the "1" is the root, we can start there using the blocks below: This one is easy because the C Major scale is an easy scale to understand. The notes used in the C Major scale are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. In order to create the C Major chord, we need the notes C, E, and G. C = 1st E = 3rd G = 5th When we play fingerstyle, we want to try our best to make sure we include these notes in the passage. These notes don't necessarily need to all come in simultaneously though. They should just be included in the overall passage when possible. In the example below, I've included all of the necessary notes within the passage, but these notes aren't all played together. 3
Now, if I broke this down you'll see that I chose to play the 1st (C), the 5th (G), and the 1st (C) again. However, I'm playing the octave of the 1st (the root) and not the original root. Why did I do this? By using two "like" notes (in this case the root and the octave of the root) we create a nice thick tone that still hints at the C Major. I then follow up the initial run with the E note, which is the 3rd. Within two plucked note runs I have formed the C Major chord, even though these notes aren't all played together. As you can see from the tab above, I then just followed up with more notes that would reinforce the overall chord. You can choose to make this much more intricate, but even this simple fingerstyle pattern can become challenging at a faster tempo. What about a Major chord where the scale doesn't use all primary notes? Now we can look at the A Major, which is a bit different. Again we should know the notes used in the A Major scale. The A Major scale uses the notes A, B, C#, D, E, F#, and G#. The notes used in the A Major chord are A, E, and C#. Again, simply insert the appropriate letters based on the scale. 4
Hmm...this A Major progression looks just like the C Major progression, doesn't it? Since both the C Major and the A Major use the A string as their roots, nothing really has to change at all! Cool huh? While the notes played on the A string are different, these chords both use the A string as their root. However, what I did here was use the "two A's" - one being the root and the other the octave - and instead of using the 5th I used the 3rd, which is the C# note. I then followed up with the 5th (E), which is 2nd fret note on the D string. Before I apply suggested picking hand movement, I'd like to sum up the concept of A string root chords: A. It doesn't matter if you use the 3rd or the 5th in the first simultaneous note run. I just recommend doubling the 1st regardless. If you choose the 3rd in the first run, try to follow it up with the 5th. If you choose the 5th in the first run, try to follow it up with the 3rd. B. A given fingerstyle passage need not really change if the same string is being used. In this case we are using the A string root, so we can keep the same fingerstyle pattern if we want. It makes your picking hand much easier to use as well. Applying Your Picking Hand Since the C Major and A Major passages from above are the same in terms of strings being played, this will be really easy. Any note with a parenthesis indicates the change in the steps I provide. 5
Step 1: Find your root string and place your thumb there. Thumb = The 3rd fret on the C Major and the open fret on the A Major. Step 2: Use your 1st finger for the next played note from low to high. 1st finger = open fret on the C Major and 2nd fret on the A Major. Step 3: Use your 2nd finger for the next played note from low to high. 6
Believe it or not, you've just set the framework for the rest of the passage - mostly. Check this out: 1. Because we JUST want to use our thumb (T), first finger (1), and second finger (2) we don't want to confuse this pattern. We JUST want to use those digits. The thumb provides us with a nice range of motion simply because the thumb is naturally spaced farthest from any other digit. It allows us to grasp objects both large and small. We want to use our natural spacing so that the thumb can play UP TO (but no more than) three strings. In this course you will be focusing mostly on up to two strings. Assuming that the thumb can play up to two strings for now, you can easily play any note on the D string based on either a root of E or a root of A. In this case, both roots are on the A string. Now, based on the very first simultaneously played run, we can also assume to use your 1st and 2nd fingers yet again for the upcoming part: Finally, we need to explore what to do with the high E string notes. By now you can probably assume what I'll recommend. When you play this passage real quick you'll notice that your 2nd finger is closest to the high E string notes. This is the preferred method of playing. However, I've been guilty of using my 1st finger at times. I still recommend using your 2nd finger for the high E string notes, as later on it might become much more challenging to use your 1st finger. 7
What About Different Root Strings? Since progressions vary depending on the root string being used, I need to address this concept real quick. Here we have a passage where the movement is based on the root string of E root, A root, D root, E root. The progression is G - C - D - G (I - IV - V - I): We already know how we want to pick the C Major, so we need to check out the G Major real quick using the SAME format as from before. We want the root note to be played using our thumb. We also want our 1st finger to play the next note from low to high, while our 2nd finger plays the next note from low to high. This is no different than what we did with C Major or A Major. (Hint: All of the progressions in my Fingerstyle Drills mini-course start out this way) Quickly... The G Major scale contains the notes G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#. The G Major chord uses the notes G, B, and D. 8
As usual, I included the 1st (G), the G again (octave), and the 5th (D) in the first simultaneously played passage. I then followed up with the 3rd. Now, when we apply our picking hand, we can use the same overall format from G to C. This time, we want to make sure our thumb plays the G root note, following up with our 1st and 2nd fingers: Easy huh? It's ALL about the template for successful fingerstyle playing. One final thing to mention is the usage of D root chords such as D Major, Dm, Dsus4, D7 etc. Chords that feature D string roots (usually open D notes unless we're talking about chord fragments and/or inversions) tend to sound a bit more sparse because less strings are used in the playing of these chords. They also tend to sound a bit brighter - even when playing a minor chord. So, in the passage below, I chose to make the D Major resolve itself to a lower tone. I think you'll find this beneficial when playing chord progressions where a D string root is being played. Quickly... 9
The D Major scale uses the notes D, E, F#, G, A, B, C# The D Major chord uses the notes D, A, and F#. OR (I play the first version almost always, but there MIGHT be times in this mini-course where you need to use the second one. Also, you might find the open A string being played in the D Major chord, but it's not actually "technically" correct. I would avoid playing the open A string at all costs unless you accidentally strike it when strumming.) By now you get the idea I think. Here I chose to use the 1st (D) as well as the other D (octave), following up with the 3rd (F#) note. Again, since I chose to use the 3rd here, I want to follow up with the 5th, which is the A note on the 2nd fret of the G string. When you play this you'll notice it wants to resolve instead of moving up in tone. The fingerings here are just as easy - if not easier - than before! There's no need to even show it to you. Simply use your thumb for the open string note on the D string, which is a D. Then follow up with your 1st and 2nd fingers, playing all three notes simultaneously. Your thumb can take care of the 2nd fret notes on the G string as well. 10
Summary Believe it or not, you've actually learned everything there really is to know about picking finger placement based on a crash course guide. Please be advised... When you start playing intermediate and advanced exercises in this mini-course there are a few times where I've tried to trick you a bit. This is very much the case in the advanced fingerstyle exercises. I want you to play what feels NATURAL to you. I don't want you to focus too much on what I've shown you. I am just giving you a recommendation on said chords and styles based on root strings. If you find yourself a bit lost, please be sure to email me at: nathan@ezstrummer.com and I will be glad to help you. Also, the bonus tutorials in this mini-course, which are scheduled on their respective dates, will most likely answer any additional questions you have. Have fun, take it slow, and practice practice practice! Sincerely, Nathan Wilson Course Instructor 11