Fingerstyle Guitar

It might be a surprise to some electric guitar players that there is a whole style of guitar playing where you pluck the guitar strings with your fingers without the benefit of a plectrum. It is called fingerstyle guitar. An alternative to using the tips of the fingers is the use of plectrums that attach to the fingers called fingerpicks. This style of guitar playing makes use of the thumb playing the bass notes on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings and the fingers keeping the rhythm going by playing a regular pattern of notes on the other strings.

This style was originally an attempt by guitarists to imitate the way piano players accompanies blues songs in the last years of the nineteenth century. Chet Atkins and Merle Travis were latter day champions of this interesting but easy to play guitar style.

Here is a simple fingerstyle blues instrumental which shows what one guy with a guitar can do armed with a finger picking pattern or two.

If you are looking to become a fingerstyle acoustic guitar player here is a video guitar lesson which shows you six simple picking patterns and a song to illustrate how to use them.

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