There are actually hundreds of 1000′s and perhaps of acoustic guitar players about the world. It`s the most well-known musical instrument by far, because of 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 chief concern and I desire to discuss finger picking methods.
Usually, electric guitarists use a pick of some form to pull the strings in and up down motion. Naturally, there are always exceptions, like Mark Knopfler, who utilizes his bare fingers to represent both electrical and acoustic guitars.
His unusual style triggered Chet Atkins to say "I don`t recognize how he`s doing, but he can surely do it! " You don`t get to be the norm - we can give our own rules, but we get to start off somewhere. This starting signal is mostly focussed on prior master players. In the genre of acoustic blues guitar, this signifies individuals such as Robert Johnson, Lightnin` Hopkins, Doc Watson, Reverend Gary Davis and many others.
Naturally there are many variations in style, but pickers can be loosely divided into two categories - those who wear finger picks and individuals that don`t. We`ll disregard how many picking fingers these folks applied for now. I`ve witnessed ragtime blues performers 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 so that it`s tip lines up with the contact point of a naked finger plucking a string. This means there`s no realignment necessary for the weight of attack. Plastic finger picks are usually thicker and start a bit more, so an realignment in picking technique is essential. This is necessary if performing music which call for picks, and about that don`t, for example.
Thumb-pick vs naked thumb.
Normally, the pick gives a sharper, harder sound and amplifies substantially. Some techniques are simpler to get in this way, like `throwing` the thumb onto the string producing a percussive sound. A material advantage is that it saves the finger from getting sore. Naked finger guitarists must practice quite often in society to get a thick callous so that they can play in comfort. In general, picks are easier to get between the strings, so are excellent for plucking single strings in rapid succession.
Naked fingers technique.
A bare thumb can hook behind a string, pull it out from the go card of the guitar and let it snap back, making an accented note which can be good in some styles of blues. In general, bare fingers are very accurate and can give a good bouncy technique if playing ragtime music, either in the way of Scott Joplin-type piano rags or old ragtime blues in the fashion of Blind Blake. The thumb rolls and triplets featured in the latter`s guitar pieces make it quite hard to meet with finger picks.
Some of the later stylists, like Chet Atkins, used strengthened finger nails. I wonder if many older blues guitarists employed this method, but who can say? Rather a few Texas guitarists favored a plastic thumb pick and bare fingers, usually simply employing one digit of the powerful deal with amazing dexterity. Blind Blake appeared to have utilized bare fingers and and some contemporary blues men recollected that he had a trap in his picking hand thumb, exactly where it was drawn out by the bass strings of his guitar.
The mysterious Willie Walker, who only recorded two sides in the 20s, seemed to be a true lord of the ragtime style. His tunes feature lightning fast single train runs which seem difficult if utilizing the riff and index finger alternately striking the strings. It would appear likely that he utilized a plectrum held in between finger and forefinger, utilizing this to alternate the bass line while plucking with one or two fingers.
There are many styles of finger picking and we can get on the exercise of the fantastic guitar masters to help us to give our own approach as we wait for the perfect blues guitar lessons.
Shristy Chandran -
About the Author:
Author is an expert writer on playing blues guitar.