Thanks you.
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Iām having trouble with fingerstyle (almost to the point where I wonder if I should just give up)ā¦ the trouble lies in getting the string I hit with finger 3 (ring finger) to sound out at all. It either doesnāt sound out, or just barely, or just thumps. Iāve been trying the same 6/8 rhythm since a couple of weeks before Christmas (I was gonna play āGreensleevesā for the monks here, but gave up 'cuz I couldnāt get it to sound right). Any suggestions, or suggestions on building up the virtue of patience? I play along with the videoā¦ should I just try to slow down more?
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brozzerb, is it happening on one chord in particular? Sounds like you might not have the chord down perfectly. Make sure you have the chord fretted properly and that each string rings out clearly before you even start the fingerpicking.
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Dude I have been there and did give up. After all not everything is for everyone. Donāt get me wrong Justin has been my mentor for a few years now and pretty much everything is well balanced and achievable as we progress but I really struggle with finger style and his lessons go from super easy to super difficult far too quickly for me.
Butā¦ I have found a resource for free which teaches fingerstyle a lot more gradually and is proving to be a great supplemental study to Justins lessons. Unfortunately I am not allowed to post the link but will be happy to share via personal message if you like.
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Probably youāre not fretting the B string properly. Try to place your finger as close to the fret as you can. It also helps if you try and keep your fingers as rounded as possible so that you fret the strings with your fingertips.
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Donāt give up! None of this should be impossible.
For me, I have noticed that my 3rd or ring finger is just remarkably weak and poorly coordinated compared to my 1st and second.
It is usually a follower finger and for the first time in itās (your) life, you are asking it to do something precise and with similar strength. Give it slack, the poor digit needs time to come to grips with the demands you are placing on it.
Spend some time just working with it, feeling how it hits the string and make this an exercise in precision and strength. Eventually it will do better. Sooner than you think. At least in my experience.
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Jamolay, thanks for the encouragement. Itās so easy to just āgive upā when I hit a damn wall. Pushed through today, and already (at least sometimes) it was slightly better. I guess I just gotta keep goinā, just like I did with barre chords. Itāll come, sooner or later. I had forgotten that bit of info about the third finger being a follower finger. Brings me back to when I was first starting to do finger gym exercises a few months ago. Iāll do my best to be patient. Thanks again for the encouragementā¦ 
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Thanks a million, Mr Pritchard. Iām an old fogey, and still learning how to use this wonderful, amazing site. And a lot of newer internet technology still evades my know-how
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Hello. Quick question. The second pattern has a T. What does the T stand for?
Thanks,
Tom
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I would guess it stands for Thumb.
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Thank you thank you. I am making great progress but that T threw me for a total loop.
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Ok. Now I see why I was confused. I thought they were 2 different patterns.
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Hi guys! Does the type of guitar matter? I only ask because i have a classical guitar in the house as well. Should i be practising fingerstyle on that, or should i stick with my acoustic for the time being?
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Which do you see yourself playing in the future? Either would be great, but if you see yourself as a steel string finger picker, I would think that practicing on the steel string would be better.
The classical will allow some things to be easier, and others not so much, but both are fine options.
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Who said you are not allowed to post links here? Good for me to see what other people like too - might help me make my own lessons better - or at least understand what people want/need 
If youāre new you canāt post links (to stop spammers!) but you can say the name or whatever!
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Well Dave, how are you going to get out of this. 
ā¦I get what you mean, but if a lesson isnāt immediately available (itās easier to determine with a song of course) we can just post links hereā¦ ā¦and for doubt we have 3 moderators constantly snooping around here ā¦and apparently the big boss himself sometimes interferes with itā¦ 
I didnāt want to get involved in it, but it is clear to mo me that sharing information from outside, which can really be an addition, is no problem at allā¦ 
Greetings ,Rogier
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Hi Justin, I seem to remember reading in the terms and conditions about the links. The fingerstyle tuition I have been visiting can be found on You Tube from GCH Academy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx63XRXD3-I
The lessons are boring in their presentation but for me the pace is a lot more manageable. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks Dave. I had a quick look and there are things I donāt like about it, but I donāt like to publicly criticize other teachers unless itās ādangerousā
But if it works for you then that is the most important thing!
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I will not deny that there are many faults with the site I found.
- Boring delivery
- Questionable finger placement for chords {as well as being too far from the desired fret}
- Picking finger choices at the start when this will all need to change
- Ebooks hard to read
However I find that by using the correct pima fingering for picking along with Justins chord practice I am making more progress than with Justin alone on this particular skill. No disrespect as you know, but this combination of tutors whilst not a miracle cure for these sausages at the ends of my hands, progress is a good thing
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I am slightly confused. When picking a chord do you play every bass note in the chord or just the root note? Like on the E chord you would are usually hitting the notes on the second and third strings in the second fret. Do you not play these using this pattern and just pluck the the low E string with your thumb?
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