ERIC BIBB Folk-Blues Fingerpicking

The acoustic blues master took time out of his schedule to show you six of his favourite folk-blues fingerpicking accompaniment parts in drop D and standard tuning.

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Eric Bibb started his career in the late 1960s and is viewed as one of today’s most important acoustic blues artists. A prolific musician he has recorded 24 studio albums and four live releases under his own name, and has collaborated on projects with a wide array of artists.

In this exclusive video Eric demonstrates six of his favourite acoustic fingerpicking patterns, inspired by artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Bukka White. Eric performs these parts solo, as he would in a live or recording situation, but pay particular attention to his innate groove and rock solid timing; that foot is tapping the beat all the way through and he is able to play right on it, or swing around it as he sees fit. There are some idiosyncrasies to Eric’s playing; you may find his A chord shape a bit of a challenge, and you’ll have to deal with his thumb-over-the-neck fretting technique. Persevere with both and you’ll uncover a fascinating style that seamlessly combines moving basslines and chord patterns. For the basslines Eric uses his thumb alternating on the bottom three strings, with hammeron embellishments of chords on the top.

Eric’s sense of time and groove is fantastic. He performs these parts in both 4/4 time and 12/8, and applies a swing feel to both. Getting this feel in place can be a challenge and I’d recommend ensuring that you have the fretting and picking-hand parts down first. When these elements have fallen into place try approximating his unhurried groove, moderating how much swing you imply, from less to more. Swing is a very personal thing; some feel it naturally while others give the impression they are holding on for dear life! Eric is a master of this feel so just make sure you are tapping your own foot evenly throughout or, even better, get a metronome and record yourself playing these parts so you can get a sense of where in the beat your parts are landing.

Given the detail in some of these ideas I’d suggest getting the fretting comfortable with the shapes and what’s going on within them, before introducing the picking hand.

Finally, Eric’s thumb-over-the-top technique is a real challenge so don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t fall into place right away. If you own a couple of acoustics you might find it a good idea to try both, and see which one is easier to play this technique on.

Good luck, and happy picking!

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Eric Bibb playing his Collings-built Waterloo guitar with Fishman Rare Earth pickup for his GT video feature In the video Eric is playing a Waterloo guitar which gives a dry, vintage sound that’s perfect for acoustic blues. He also has a signature model made by Fylde guitars here in the UK. A small-bodied, crisp-sounding guitar is perfect for this style, and due to its size may also help with the intricasies of Eric’s technique. Use the above settings as a basis for an amped sound.