Rambler Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 the transition to fingerpicking for me is about as counterintuitive as it gets. I would love for some fingerpicker here to point out some good exercises for those of us who would like to begin to learn. And I do mean "begin". Break the parts down and put them back together. Lock down the thumb by practicing monotonic (6666) and alternating (6 4 6 4) bass (its boring but do it). Work on rolls: make a chord, work on a forward roll (inside-out ex, make a C, pick 2nd string to first) and a backward roll (outside-in, on a C, 1st string to 2nd). Do this before doing songs. Then put it together: Try a one chord songs with alternating bass (Spike Driver, 99 Year Blues). Here's Spike Driver by John Hurt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxAXM4LGnHQ Or easy changes with a montonic bass Ernie Hawkins Spoonful No fast track. Gotta do the reps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 I couldn't tell or show by written words. You have to search videos and there must be a load to 'pick' from. There are many different patterns and some are easier to grasp than others. Still if I should advice a beginner, then start with a pattern where the thumb plays the root-note on 1 in every bar and just that. Let the other fingers manage 2-3-4 (think Yesterday-intro though Paul doesn't really f-pick : 1-234 1-234). From there I would work my way up to where Jorma K. has his thumb running 1-2-1-2* per bar as a bass-motor while the other fingers take care of mids and trebs (check my post 13 featuring nickj45's link and see him play Freight Train). By the way Freight Train is pretty advanced as it contains both the 1-2-1-2 bass-motor and the melody, uuuuuhhh ! If or when you're ready for the 1-2-1-2 magical motor, go for something like Don't Think Twice (no melody). With the chords under control, the next hard part is to sew them smoothly together. Not untill later – as said - zoom in on the melody-line a'la f.x. McTells Streets of London. *He calls them quarter-note bass-line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasAK Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Rambler and Em7, Thanks! I am out of time today but will look at this next week. chasAK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt. Crash Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Slightly OT. My major picking break through was "dont think twice, it s allright" (which also aplies to picking itself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 Slightly OT. My major picking break through was "dont think twice, it s allright" (which also aplies to picking itself). Great. Do you play it in G - My recommendation anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aitch Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Good call. Need the space to dig in with the r/h. My J50 is like that. I make a go of it but it's not optimal. The units coming out of now Bozeman mostly have wider spacing. The J200s are on the narrow side. What bridge string spacing is coming out of Bozeman now? Are all models the same; and more specifically, are there any models that have greater than 2 3/16" spacing at the bridge? I have flat, stubby fingertips and the 2 1/4" + spacing that Martin offers really helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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