So, having played some fingerstyle in the past, but with no real technique or panache, I've got back into playing acoustic and would like to start again before getting back into the same bad habits.
Any advice on books/Guitar Pro tabs/videos for learning? I intend to use it to accompany vocals.
Things I'd like to look at revising include right hand position. I tend to play with some of my hand resting on the guitar body but this seems to impede certain things, so I assume it's one of the aforementioned bad habits.
Suggestions welcome.
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“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
Of course, this would involve liking the banjo, which I do.
My band, Red For Dissent
FWIW, I learned to play Blackbird using a classical technique (which is where I started out as a kid) and it never sounded right until I changed to picking it like I'm told McCartney actually did, which is to only use the thumb and first finger, with the thumb always playing the bass notes (classical technique would suggest using the nearest finger to the note for economy of movement). Once I changed, it started bouncing along just like it should and sounded much more musical. This also makes ragtime pieces sound 'right'.
Sorry, no advice about a book or vid - just pick a playing style that matches the style other people use for the music you're interested in and go with that. If you already play with a flat wrist (resting on the body) then a thumb pick might help you with the tone of your thumb strokes...
My band, Red For Dissent
Also I believe in anchoring the pinky. Tommy Emmanuel does this.
I always used to use all fingers but after seeing Lindsey Buckingham using his thumb even for treble strings at times, I've learned not to be looser with different approaches.
Also learnt rudimentary flamenco techniques but on the whole I say JUST PLAY SONGS.
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Find some songs you like that are basic fingerpicky stuff, and learn them
you can rest your little fingertip on the top sometimes, but beyond that depends if you want to do the heavily-damped acoustic style (like John Mayer), or the (to me) lovely ringing open sounds of undamped strings (e.g. Tony McManus)
If you're talking about classical fingerstyle, hand on the guitar's top greatly restricts what you can do.
Normally it's elbow/arm on the top bout of the guitar, wrist bent slightly forward and fingers continuing that bend down towards the strings.
But this sort of thing is hard to follow just from a description. I learnt this from a few books decades ago, plus watching every (good) classical guitarist I could see.
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