There are actually hundreds of 1000`s and possibly millions of acoustic guitar players about the world. It`s the most well-liked musical instrument by far, due to it`s portability and the actuality that you can get a basic tune out of it in a span of weeks.
I`m going to speak about `acoustic blues guitar` due to the fact this is my most important concern and I desire to talking about finger picking techniques.
Usually, electric guitarists use a plectrum of around sort to pull the strings in and up down motion. Of course, there are always exceptions, like Mark Knopfler, who uses his bare fingers to represent both electrical and acoustic guitars.
His uncommon style induced Chet Atkins to say "I don`t see how he`s doing, but he can surely do it! " You don`t get to get to the norm - we can give our own rules, but we need to begin somewhere. This first point is typically focused on past master players. In the genre of acoustic blues guitar, this suggests folks such as Robert Johnson, Lightnin` Hopkins, Doc Watson, Reverend Gary Davis and many others.
Naturally there are a lot of variations in style, but pickers can be loosely divided into two categories - individuals who wear finger picks and those that don`t. We`ll ignore how many picking fingers these folks used for now. I`ve observed ragtime blues artists execute competently with up to 3 finger picks on the mighty hand, which didn`t include the thumb! At the early end of the spectrum, some master pickers only use one, either sword or plastic.
Picks for the fingers.
I favor a steel finger pick, as it can be set a little soit`s tip lines up with the contact point of a naked finger plucking a string. This indicates that there`s no realignment necessary for the weight of attack. Plastic finger picks are typically thicker and start a bit more, so an realignment in plucking style is essential. This is important if performingmusic that call for picks, and about that don`t, for example.
Thumb-pick opposed to naked thumb.
Normally, the pick provides a sharper, harder sound and amplifies somewhat. Some striking techniques are easier to get in this way, like `throwing` the finger on to the string giving a percussive effect. An important benefit is that it saves the finger from getting sore. Bare finger players must play quite on a steady footing in rank to get a thick callous so these folks can play in comfort. In general, picks are simpler to get in betwixt the strings, so are heavy for picking individual strings in swift succession.
Bare fingers technique.
A bare thumb can hook behind a string, drag it off from the go card of the guitar and let it snap back, producing an accented note which can be good in some kinds of blues. In general, naked fingers are very accurate and can make an excellent bouncy technique when playing ragtime guitar, either in the way of Scott Joplin-type piano rags or original ragtime blues in the way of Blind Blake. The thumb rolls and triplets featured in the latter`s guitar pieces make it quite hard to do with finger picks.
Many of the latter stylists, similar to Chet Atkins, utilized strengthened finger nails. I wonder if a lot of legendary blues guitarists employed this technique, but who can say? Many Texas guitarists favored a plastic thumb pick and naked fingers, often just utilizing one digit of the picking hand with astounding dexterity. Blind Blake seemed to have employed bare fingers and and some contemporary blues men recollected that he had a trap in his mighty hand thumb, where it was drawn down by the bass strings of his guitar.
The mysterious Willie Walker, who just cut two sides in the 20s, appeared to be a rightful power of the ragtime style. His songs showcase lightning quick single train runs that seem hard if using the riff and index finger alternately striking the strings. It appears likely that he utilized a plectrum held in between finger and forefinger, utilizing this to jump the bass rhythm whilst striking the treble strings with one or two fingers.
There are rather a few types of finger picking and we can run on the case of the wonderful guitar masters to help us to get our own technique as we wait for the perfect blues guitar lessons.
Author is an expert writer on finger picking guitar and playing blues guitar.