Fingerstyle Guitar Techniques

  INTRODUCTION

  We will study both (1) Playing Hand Techniques and (2) Fretting Hand Techniques for Fingerstyle Guitar.   In this post, we will focus on some Playing Hand Techniques of (a) PLUCKING and (b) FINGER STRUMMING.

PLAYING HAND TECHNIQUES

PLUCKING

   Plucking is a technique used to play two or more notes together at one time.  It most often utilizes the thumb and first or second (middle) finger.  When playing two notes, or double-stops, one is played by the thumb, and one by the other finger.  When playing more than two notes, the bass or lower string is played by the thumb, and then more than one finger is used to pluck multiple strings.

HAND & FINGER STRUMMING

   Whenever you are playing fingerstyle, you are usually not holding any pick in your hand.  Therefore, you do not use a pick for playing notes, or for strumming.  Using your hand or fingers for strumming may be a very foreign concept for you to grasp.  But once you get the hang of it, it will help free you up to play multiple parts, mixing notes along with chord strums.  Sometimes finger strums are combined with the thumb playing bass notes. We have already done that with a pick.  The only difference is in using your thumb and fingers instead of the pick.

   You can strum using your thumb only, or with a "fan strum", using a finger, or the backs of your fingers in tandem (all at once).  Another way of hand & finger strumming is by combining plucked notes by the thumb (or thumb and finger) along with a fan strum.  Ask and we will demonstrate this in class, or eventually on here with a video segment.

   Okay-- hope you enjoyed this-- and we will add more posts (with even more techniques) in the near future.   So check back soon!