Fingerpicking The Guitar.pdf

Fingerpicking The Guitar

a basic guide

Will Fly

Oreham Common Press

Fingerpicking The Guitar

A basic guide

By Will Fly

Oreham Common Press, 2011

Preface

I’ve been playing a steel strung guitar with both pick and fingers for

over 45 years. The purpose of this little book is to pass on to the

beginning guitar player some of the fingerpicking techniques I’ve

learned during this time. When I started playing the guitar in 1964, I

listened to a wide variety of players with very different styles: to

Merle Travis and Django Reinhardt; to Big Bill Broonzy and Segovia;

to Hank Marvin and Leadbelly. Every one of these players - and

many others – had something to offer to the budding guitarist. Of

course, I heard these people on the radio and on record, and never

met any of them in the flesh. However, I was also lucky enough to

make friends with and play with other, more experienced guitarists

in the places in the north-west where I lived. Each of them taught me

something in their own way. After a while, like many another before

me, I got the itch to perform. While some friends formed bands or

joined bands, I was attracted to solo performance and found the

world of the folk clubs to be an ideal place where a beginner like me

could start to learn the arts of playing and performing to an

audience. After moving down to London in 1968, I also joined a

band – a jug band, as it happened – and, over the following years,

went on from folk, blues and ragtime to play 1920s dance music,

jazz, rock’n roll, Memphis soul – and ceilidh music! I still enjoy

playing all these types of music in various ways and in various

places. And, whatever style I play, I keep the fingers picking away at

those steel strings. I hope this book inspires you to do the same.

Will Fly. 2011

Introduction

Diagrams form a major part of this book, so some preliminary

explanation of how they look and what they mean is in order here.

Here is a typical diagram showing the fretboard of the guitar:

In this book, the conventions are as follows:

The title of the song or part of the song being demonstrated is

shown in the box on the top left of the diagram.

Below the title box is the chord shape box showing what chord

is being fretted.

Below the chord box is a box showing the bar and in which

beat of the bar the chord is being played.

Blue circles indicate notes which are fingered but not played;

yellow circles indicate notes which are fingered and played; a

red X at the top of the fretboard means “don’t play this string”.

Some diagrams also include bars showing barred and half-

barred chords.

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