Any fingerpickers?

[Cliff Schecht]

Anybody here into fingerpicking? While I build electric amps, play electric gigs and love my electric guitars in general, I've always fancied myself an acoustic player and focus more and more on this when I can. With electric there is simply too much competition, too many players who will be better than I can ever be at rock and have the look that I lack (not that it's a competition but it's still competitive for gigs!). With acoustic, while there are some great great players out there, I got a head start by knowing and hearing great artists so early. My dad brought me up listening to the likes of Doc Watson, Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed and Stefan Grossman and this is a lot of what I play nowaday.

I've finally sat down and started learning "Jerrys Breakdown" lately. What a helluva finger twister! The left hand parts are easy but the reverse finger rolls are killing me, I never practiced smoothly (and quickly) rolling up from middle-index-thumb. This ones gonna take some time to get down..

It's your time Jerry... (my favorite version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8KBhnebwE

[M Fowler]

Everybody and their uncle is a finger-picker around here up north, where bluegrass is abundant.

I used to be happy I could stand out having hard rock in my blood. But yes I attend the festivals with my Taylor acoustic as well.

Mark

[fopoman]

always loved that youtube of jerry n chet!

[Reeltarded]

I am. Blame Michael Hedges.

[Cliff Schecht]

Aerial Boundaries is easily the best acoustic album of that decade and one of the best acoustic albums ever really. That man changed how guitar was played and now there is a whole record label (Candy Rat) that supports all of the Hedges wannabes. Not my style of acoustic obviously but Hedges was the man.

[KT66]

I have a kind of bastardized finger picking style that I picked up as a teenager when I learned to play the guitar because of some of the first songs that I learned - like Babe, I'm gonna leave you and Sultans of swing. One of my favorite players is Steve Howe, and he's a finger style maniac. I saw Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe at the Greek theater in LA a number of years back and he played "Clap" from The Yes Album and it was just amazing.

Thanks for posting the Jerry reed thing, are we gonna see your version once you get it down ?

If you really want to feel technically inferior, check this out :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcsSPzr7ays

[Dingleberry]

I just stumbled across this guy. It might not be the most traditional way of fingerpicking but I was pretty amazed how you can make a one guitar sound like a band. Is that slamming or what they call that tecnique?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niu_3H_6 ... re=related

-T

[Gibsonman63]

I started on acoustic and used to fingerpick quite a bit. Since I picked up electric, I dropped the thumbpick. I still fingerpick a few things on acoustic. On electric, I copped a few BFG licks and tend to hybrid pick now.

I can't get to YouTube from here, but check out Chet Atkins "Music to watch girls by" from Solo Flights. Banjo rolls from hell once he gets cranked up.

+1 on the Jerry Reed. He was very under rated as a guitar player once he became an actor. One of only a handful of guitar players bestowed with the title CGP by Chet Atkins. Another recipient of the CGP title was Tommy Emanual. Amazing stuff. The guy is a perpectual motion machine.

[Cliff Schecht]

So I must point out that I don't consider the slappy/bangy form of guitar playing true fingerstyle guitar. It's slappy/bangy style and IMO lacks some of the restraint that is typically displayed by fingerstyle guitarists. It can sound really cool or it can sound and look more ostentatious than musical. Hedges is my exception to this rule as he studied classical and composition before slapping his guitar and it shows in his music. His compositions are flawless, his style is amazing and his note control is scary.

Maybe what bugs me about modern slappy players is they play what can be boiled down to easy listening/contemporary pop. I can't stand that style of music but I can always appreciate classical guitarists, maybe why I'm biased towards Hedges and against the other players. With that said there are some players that can do some unique things with the slapping techniques that sound super cool. Dingle I'm at work so I can't listen to your clip but I'll give it a listen when I get home. I've never heard of the guy.


KT66, Steve Howe is a maniac period. Comfortable in any style and always a tasty guitar player. Clap is such a neat little ditty and something that I learned before I could handle it so of course I've forgotten it all. I'll relearn this someday.. Also, I don't know if you've seen this but Mark Knopfler is a SICK fingerstyle player as well. What he does in Sultans of Swing looks easy compared to his playing in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wTVLIZaxMk

Jerry is pure badass. His playing is full of flair, is cocky and is ballsy but still manages to be musical and a great song writer/composer. He's supposed to be a very humble and down to earth guy in real life as well (err, was ). Jerry is the guitar players guitar player and easily one of my favorites.

A lot of people really like Tommy Emmanual and while I in no way hate the guy, it bugs me that he boils guitar playing down to going as fast as you can and playing as flashy as possible. He's gained a sort of rock star status with this style but typically onstage he completely lacks restraint and overplays a lot of songs IMO. When he's sitting down playing in a room it's a different story and he seems like a super cool guy, but I'd like to see him play more to the songs and less to show everybody else how big his wang is. The videos of him playing at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society shows with different players are great, but I can't stand him when he plays solo onstage. Go on youtube and watch some CAAS videos if you want to see some scary Atkins style players!

Alas, I need to get to work, but not before I leave you guys with some of my favorites:

John Fahey - Poor Boy Long Way From Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReW9uUYm-DA

Lenny Breau covering Jerry Reed - The Claw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZKUcGTmvos

Last Steam Engine Train - Leo Kottke covering John Fahey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ-r8b2-tO8

Although he's not known as a fingerstyle player, this Brent Mason song just oozes class..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOCq6lh9DMc

Merle Travis - Cannonball Rag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8vOTKMqzw4

More to come!

[Fischerman]

I probably play half the time without a pick, mainly just because often I just pick it up and start playing and don't even think about it (and have done so for years, amp building/modding has its own 'influence' on our playing I think).

Kind of different/outside-the-box but Andy Mckee does some pretty cool stuff. I need to add some of the percussive-type stuff he does.

[Gibsonman63]

And let us not forget Jim Croce. His sidekick Maury Muehleisen got very little recognition. Very tasteful players.

[Zippy]

Me, too.

More "fingerstyle" these days than folk tradition finger picking.

Big fan of Martin Simpson and Larry Pattis.

[Bob S]

Not to mention - Jeff Beck seems to get away with it.

[crbowman]

Loves me some Bert Jansch.
Can't quite pull it off as well as I would like though.
The old Pentangle stuff is pretty great.

[Cliff Schecht]

My inner snob comes out when talking about fingerstyle because I am so deep rooted in the folk/bluegrass/blues/country style (all are similar right hand techniques). Andy Mckee is a great example of a really good player that IMO plays the equivalent of Kenny G easy listening type music on acoustic. It sounds like Christian music without the vocals. Not to play off the style completely, I'm a big Kaki King fan for example, but some of this stuff isn't my cup of tea.

Here's a more recent guy I learned about named Adam Rafferty. He's I think predominantly a jazz player but his touch and style kill me every time I watch this video (and he's a super clean player): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiXCyISQ ... re=related

Also check out his Superstition cover, it's got some serious groove!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvfFtb3 ... re=related

Most of the stuff I play requires a constant alternating bass line to be played. "Deep River Blues" is a great example of this, Doc's bass line doesn't stop except for a few small fills. While I've never been able to coordinate two hands on a piano handling bass and rhythm, something about separating the thumb for bass and fingers for melody makes a lot of sense and sounds magical.

Here's a great classic, Rev Gary Davis playing some ragtime style guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Hbuf6FEoY

Edit: Also a cool version of "Hey Hey", the same song that Clapton (sorta) plays minus the lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm1qtX7M ... re=related