Fingerpicking Patterns
Fingerpicking is a vital technique for today’s guitarist, whether electric or acoustic. Tristan Seume chooses the top patterns with some great playing ideas, too
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The world of fingerstyle guitar is so vast and verdant that it can sometimes seem overwhelming. So rich is it in various stylistic roots, from Brazilian bossa nova to the traditional folk songs of Britain, that knowing where to start is a problem in itself! So here we aim to arm you with some fingerstyle essentials that can cover a variety of styles. For those new to fingerstyle, it is important to begin with a solid foundation – crisp note production and solid timing. Pattern 1, rolling arpeggios, will serve you well here because it is focused predominantly on playing single notes at a time, while Patterns 2 and 3 – folky fingerstyle and alternating bass – are indicative of the classic playing of great
American fingerpickers such as Paul Simon and James Taylor, who would have shared licks and tricks with their 60s and 70s transatlantic counterparts, Martin Carthy, Bert Jansch and Ralph McTell, as they played the folk clubs of London as well as New York.
Thumb independence was second nature to country and western pickers like Merle Travis and Chet Atkins, whose light-hearted sound and consummate mastery saw them appearing on popular TV and radio shows. Pattern 2 serves as a good introduction here.
Enjoy these patterns and with patience and practice you will either become a more versatile and diverse player, or indeed a specialist in whichever particular style inspires you most. Either eventuality has to be a good thing, surely?