I am playing a lot more fingerstyle of late now that I own a Parlour and Concert sized guitars. I sometimes play using all available fingers and assigning my thumb to the 6,5 or 4 string. I also like to use my thumb and index finger too as it feels a bit less complicated and easier. My question is 'If I play a chord where I fret three or four strings with my left hand which two strings should I fret with my thumb and index finger and why?'
This probably could have gone in the technique section but I'd like to understand any theory behind it too.
Comments
Probably need an example referencing (YT link, sketchy bit of tab, etc).
I'm guessing its the latter, given you said at the start that the post should have been in technique rather than theory section, in which case the thumb on the plucking hand will take the lower note (nearest the 6th string) and the index finger the next higher string and so on for your middle and ring if you were using them. Why? because that's the way our fingers naturally lie over the strings, it would be very unusual and awkward for your index finger to be plucking a string below the one that your thumb is plucking, for example (but both may be used on the same string eg harmonics)
Does that help, or have I misinterpreted your question?
Does the right-hand use:
- p p i m a
- p m i m a
- p i m a m
- etc.
It's not an easy answer for me.n.b. right-hand pinkie usage excluded!
PPIMA feels a bit thumb heavy, especially at tempo...as it repeats: PPIMAMIP PPIMAMIP etc.
I find I can use PMIMAMIM better...less emphasis on the 2nd fret, D string too.
My preferred approach would be a simple repetition of I, i is dragged across two strings so its felt as one movement, not two plucks; PPiMAMii..PPiMAMii
Your approach is quite complex, it has an MIM alternation on both the ascent and descent and has the M finger playing a lower string than the I. If it works for you, great, don't mess, but its not as biomechanically simple as the formula I posted and wouldn't be traditional approach in classical guitar.
Another approach, popular in flamenco, is simply to drag the ring finger across the strings for the descent. Grab a nylon strung and play this chord:
0
0
0
4
4
2
so prepare P on 6th string, IMA on top 3 and play it PPPIMA-AAAAA. It takes a little practice to replant your fingers in time after that last A.
If I were playing a C/G (3-3-2-0-1-0), I would strum through the bottom three strings with the thumb and get the G, B, and E strings with i, m, and a on the right hand. Or you could simply strum through it with your thumb.
Dragging the 'i' finger works for me okay but I have to keep a focus to maintain good time (and much more so if I try an 'a' finger drag with PPIMAAMI). It's like merging alternate and economy picking
I think I put the 'crossing' technique together while studying some Pierre Bensusan.
A little beyond a beginner subject and I'm not sure the OP intended to veer into classical method but it's the internet so it's all good.
Assuming that one of the two notes you are playing is the root, then in standard chords you really only have four choices for the other note.
* Play an octave of the root. Mostly a bit pointless but nice for a change now and then.
* Play the 3rd. This will give you the most distinctive flavour of the chord but isn't so well suited to some styles of music (e.g., rock)
* Play the 5th. This is a powerchord, and rock lives on and for powerchords. Overused, they get boring,
* Play the 7th. You'll probably find this sounds a little odd without some extra notes for context. (Typically the 3rd, but as you please.)
Overall, two-note chords tend not to be very interesting. With three notes, you get a whole wide world of different sounds.
Note that it is perfectly possible to play fast and well using only finger and thumb on the right hand. Legendary guitar great Merle Travis is famous for it, though there are many others. (I used to play that way myself when I was a bass player. These days I use thumb and three fingers, but slip back to my old one-finger method anytime it seems like a good idea. If I keep on practicing for another thousand years or so, I'll be half as good at it as Merle was.)
And yeah Bensusan is a little quirky ;-) monster player of course.
The Bensusan thing came from this kind of exercise:
Some players stick rigidly to assigning specific fingers and the thumb to specific strings others are less prescriptive. This is a nice little video by Mark Knopfler demonstrating his own approach.