Fingerstyle beginner – Looking for advice guys.

[Derek McGuff]

I really want to get started with Fingerstyle Blues and Fingerstyle in general, but I’m not sure where to start. I did a search for Fingerstyle in the weekly lessons and there’s loads there… but where to start? Any suggestions for which order to watch the lessons to get the quickest and most logical way to make progress?

Thanks in advance folks.

Derek M

[Richard G]

Hi Derek,
Fingerstyle acoustic blues is a wonderful guitar style used to accompany vocals or as a standalone solo style. The key to starting this style and playing to a reasonable standard is patience together with determination.
Brian has a section titled ‘Fingerstyle Guitar Lessons’ where you can find 54 lessons in the main menu (EP366 EP472 & EP511 are particularly good) but it’s true to say Brian doesn’t post lessons on exactly how to ‘start playing’ fingerstyle guitar.

I’m not sure where you are in your progress to date but over and above the folk accompaniment patterns there are three main types of fingerstyle used in acoustic blues, Monotonic Thumb, (aka Dead Thumb), Alternating Thumb (or Travis Picking) and Shuffle Bass Thumb.
There are many online videos teaching fingerstyle guitar but the videos I’ve included below are some of the better ones currently available on YouTube. The Tommy Emmanuel and Paul Davids ones are particularly good.

The most important advice for learning this style is to start off ‘very very slowly’ until your muscle-memory kicks in, don’t be too impatient to start with. Gradually increase your speed once you have the timing just right. If you put the time in practising carefully you will be handsomely rewarded time after time.

All the best Derek, let me know by Private email if you want any further help.

Richard

[Derek McGuff]

Hi Richard,

Thanks very much for your response to my post!

I’m retired and I guess I’m a wannabe intermediate player. Initially, two and a half years of utter frustration, followed by a mega sale of all my gear (all the gear and no idea), a two year hiatus and then a return for another go at this guitar business just under 3 years ago!

I had ActiveMelody membership during my earlier stint of trying to get to grips with the fretboard, no pun intended, and although I enjoyed watching Brian back then, I understood much too little for any of his teachings to stick. I’ve been back in the fold for the last 3 years and there’s been some light bulb moments that have really helped me.

I play a little Blues and enjoy playing the odd Jazz standard or two. I play almost exclusively on my own, for my own benefit and I probably need to listen to my wife and build a bit of a songlist that I can actually play right through to get a little more mainstream for friends and family. Fingerstyle is still a form of solo guitar playing that I really enjoy hearing and would love to be at least semi-proficient at.

The fingerstyle ambition was always in my mind, but nearly got destroyed by going to see Tommy Emmanuel in concert at Perth Concert Hall in 2019. I was in absolute awe, but left the auditorium thinking I’d be as well throwing my GS mini in the bin! What a player! ;0)

I’ll start getting started right away, I had a wee try at Travis Picking some time ago, but the one hand rubbing my belly and the other patting my head was too much for me back then. I’m more understanding of the need for patience and pace now, so time to dig in.

I’ll have a look at Brian’s lessons, starting with the ones you’ve highlighted for me and we’ll see how the next few weeks go. Hopefully, I’ll get the hands and the brain to start working together this time.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post, it’s much appreciated.

Best regards,
Derek.

Derek M

[charjo]

Hi Derek,
Richard is probably the finest finger style player on the forum. I would keep him in mind as an excellent resource.
John

[Derek McGuff]

Thanks charjo. Great to know and I will indeed!

Derek M

[sunjamr]

You can do it, Derek! I learned it at age 73, no problem. Just keep a guitar handy – maybe next to your favorite
TV seat – and pick it up and noodle around for a few minutes many times per day. The experts say you learn faster doing 30 five-minute session per day vs 5 thirty-minute sessions per day.

Sunjamr Steve

[Derek McGuff]

Thanks sunjamr,

I made a start yesterday and I’m surprised that my initial attempts at really basic Travis Picking using the Don Ross, Fingerstyle Guitar Masterclass lessons as promoted by Richard G in his post above, haven’t discouraged me. As Richard says, patience and determination are key and I’m set up for that.

I’m two years behind you sunjamr, so hopefully I’ll be a good bit further on with progress by the time I catch up to your starting age.

All the best,
Derek

Derek M

[Author]

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