Fingerstyle Guitar: Can You Do It?

One other thing: in those books he says to use your left thumb to fret certain bass notes, like an F. Obviously I've seen people do this and I've seen it recommended elsewhere, in the Arnie Berle book for instance, but I can't physically do it, so end up having to play the F barre, which is my least favorite barre chord.

Since I learned trying to play from an axis bold as love songbook, I use my thumb for practically everything. It often causes trouble for me when playing more complicated finger style stuff bc my other fingers are often not arched enough to produce clear ringing notes. I'd suggest toughing it out with developing a good 6 string barred technique.

I have no idea what kind of students you have, whether they are part of some program at your university or private

I teach guitar lessons privately, from home and at a private music school. I'm pretty much fine for resources to teach classical. (The Royal Conservatory makes that pretty easy up here.) However, I can always use more resources for teaching non-classical students, i.e. the majority of guitar students. I mostly just use popular tunes to teach fingerpicking ("Landslide", "Dust in the Wind", "Freight Train", "Blackbird", etc); a good method book would be very useful.

I found this some time ago: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/product/9781423487432-item.html?s_campaign=goo-PLATest&gclid=CMOOy9Tj9L0CFa5DMgodhj8Akw

It's for intermediate-level players but it's not bad at all, especially for its price.

No classical player frets notes with his or her thumb btw, except maybe as a special technique for some modern piece. I think you're fine without doing this.

I also use some of the Giuliani exercises just to build fingerpicking technique even for non-classical players.

Thanks. The two Amazon reviewers hated that Blues book but I'll take your word. Looked at the Giuliani book-one guy said get Pumping Nylon instead but hate both the title and the cover.

Not fingerstyle but this guy has some good stuff for jazz guitar. Plus he's Canadian. http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/beginners-guide-to-jazz-guitar
http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/category/front-page

Pumping Nylon is essential if you're learning classical guitar imo. You get the Giuliani exercises in that book, actually. I wouldn't buy a book that was just the Giuliani exercises.

Are you studying classical guitar? I'd seriously recommend seeing if you can find some of the Royal Conservatory's books (http://bookstore.rcmusic.ca/books.html?cat=14). They provide a gradual, progressive method that is used nearly universally across this country: repertoire, studies, technique. At the very least, the technique book would be useful. (Their theory method is also good if you want to learn the basics of classical theory.)

xpost Btw, I'm not an expert on blues guitar per se so those Amazon reviewers may well be right that there are better books. I liked that book because it's i) cheap and ii) easy to learn from for not-very-advanced players. I also have a book of 'authentic' Robert Johnson transcriptions but those are much harder.

Studying Brazilian/Jazz, so there is lots of overlap with classical.

Recently got a book called 50 Classical Guitar Pieces by Joseph Harris which seems to have a lot of nice intermediate arrangements, although I haven't really made a dent in it. Also, guy seems to think Galileo's father was his son.

Some of the arrangements really pretty easy but they all sound good, at least the ones I've attempted.

there is lots ofsome overlap with classical.

Just got this DVD ¡Guitarra! a documentary with Julian Bream playing everything in sight although in the first episode he just plays the vihuela. Just saw some 16th Century tablature. I guess you can watch this thing on YouTube if you want.

Lenny Breau documentary The Genius of Lenny Breau has gone off of Youtube because of you, but trailer you can still watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeFD1oz4BuY

Forgot to remove the 's' sorry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeFD1oz4BuY

But this Chet Atkins documentary that I was unaware of until just now is up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEJOily0AcA

Maybe documentary is the wrong word. PBS performance.

Version of "Come On In My Kitchen" in that book sounds more like John Lee Hooker than Robert Johnson but still kind of cool.

The book Guitar: An American Life by Tim Brookes, has an alternating chapters structure- I skipped the ones about him getting a guitar built by a luthier- but the historical stuff in the other chapters is very good.

Version of "Come On In My Kitchen" in that book sounds more like John Lee Hooker than Robert Johnson but still kind of cool.

The book I mentioned? Yeah, that's not authentic at all to Johnson's style but that's part of what makes it easier for students to learn from. The version of "Spoonful" is pretty good for getting a feel for the style and playing something that sounds decent.

Anyway, imo Pumping Nylon is great for anyone playing/learning nylon-string guitar.

Got that one too. How do you suggest I should approach it?

Wow, that was fast. Definitely read and try to apply the general principles in the "Dos and Don'ts", "Left Hand", and "Right Hand" section. (Maybe it's all familiar for you? The way they break things down was eye-opening for me. I had developed some horrible painful habits previously.) As exercises go, I'd recommend using ones that are relevant to the techniques you're most concerned about. "Odair's Favourite Drill" (on p 21 in my book) is good. I used the slur drills on pp 50-51, the "Synchronization" drill on p 65, and the Giuliani Studies that start on p 80. (I might just use sequential planting as opposed to the full plant/sequential plant method they suggest.) I'd recommend starting with just a couple of those studies at a time but I don't really know what your current level is.

My current level can probably best be described as "my mind is writing a check my fingers can't cash."

And thanks for the advice, I'll take a look.

Also, what do you do about nails?

Not sure what you're asking, sorry. Are you asking what a good nail shape is?

My current level can probably best be described as "my mind is writing a check my fingers can't cash."

If this is the case, you will probably find Pumping Nylon useful (if possibly gruelling).

Yes about the nails. Just saw guitar player filing his before he went on.

Just got back to my own neighborhood and stopped off to see some Latin Jazz but meanwhile Indian guitar master and composer Prasanna is playing behind singer doing "My Favorite Things."

Sorry wrong thread.

Note that I am not actually familiar with this guitarist except for the brief bit I heard tonight. I just saw those words on the website, probably should have put them in quotes.

Had another book before by an author I usually think is pretty good but in this case I was disappointed. More later.

Don't see "Spoonful" in that book, see "Stormy Monday."

Book I was disappointed in is Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar by Arnie Berle and Mark Galbo. Exercises which take up most of the book are insufficiently bluesy. But there are six transcriptions at the back and the only one I really looked at, because it was the only sing I recognized, "32-20 Blues," is awesome.

Disappointed because I found another Arnie Berle book, Chords and Progressions For Jazz and Popular Guitar, very useful.

Remembered the main thing I've been working on recently is just to get strict mi alteration in the right hand. Previously I had been mixing in one finger stuff and/or raking.

I mean if a fingering was written out I would play that but otherwise sight-reading a melody I would play whatever I wanted.

OK, looking backward through the Berle blues book, I see that the I was being too harsh. The section on playing inversions of the 7th Chord is good, as is Picking-Hand techniques. Book starts to really pick up, as it were, around page 47, when Blue Notes are introduced.

I knew something was missing!

OK, think this PN is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks, Sund4r.

Without seeing your nails in person, or knowing more about what you're looking for, I'm hesitant to give specific advice on shaping them, beyond the general principles that you would find in books like Pumping Nylon. It's a pretty individual thing. Have you talked to a teacher?

You file with a regular nail file from the drugstore (ideally 'diamond dust') and buff with extremely fine sandpaper from the hardware store (no less than 500 grit).

There is some more info here, although I use the opposite thumbnail shape as this guy: http://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/fingernails-on-classical-guitar/

Artificial nails and the glue that comes with them seem to really weaken my actual nails. I'm not sure why: I didn't have this problem in my early 20s.

Definitely practise scales with strict mi alternation if that's what you need to work on. If you can find the Royal Conservatory technique book, it has scalar exercise after scalar exercise that are designed to progressively build this technique.

Tbh, I don't remember if there were scales in PN. Will check when I get home.

This is useful. Thanks, more later.

(I love Prasanna btw.)

Quick question: two octave scales or three?

Prasanna has been playing recently at that place both as a leader and with some other projects I am interested in. I need to go back and check him out properly the next time.

Think he must have met some of the other musicians at that music school in India, what is it called? Oh, I see, Swarnabhoomi, and I see it says he is the President.

You didn't go to his workshop in Banff a few years back, did you?

Do you really think I need that Royal Conservatory book? Like to think I can figure out my own fingerings at this point- avoiding repeating a finger at all costs, as I've been told- and have some pattern books if I need them.

I was just mentioning it because it's a collection of good technical exercises that I'm familiar with that is readily available where I am. I'm quite sure there are others. Certainly, I can understand if you don't want to spend money on it, especially if it would be an import for you (idk if this is the case). If you want to work on stricter RH fingerings, then working through repetitive scales and patterns with these fingerings, with a metronome, seems like a good way to go about it, whatever source you're using for the material. But, honestly, I can't really say what you need with any certitude: I haven't seen you play.

I've never been to the Banff Centre, actually.

Sorry if the tone was a little snippy in the last reply. But yeah, any good technique book will probably be useful.

Quick question: two octave scales or three?

For practising right-hand technique? Both could work. If you haven't been doing them a lot, it would probably make sense to start with 2-octave scales before working up to the longer ones. Obviously, some scales, e.g. C, will be easier to do as 2-octave scales.

I didn't find your tone particularly snippy, I'm used to you by now:) Your advice in general has been very helpful so far, really, thanks for taking the time. Now that I think about it, I did order a music book from Canada once. The Jazz Bass Line Book, by Mike Downes. Recommended highly by another Canadian bass player, Don Thompson.

Prasanna is no longer associated with that school.

Was assigned one of those Giuliani exercises this week.

Sorry, étude not exercise.