5 posts were split to a new topic: Grade 2 Finger Style First Steps - HOTRS - ish
Canāt do the pinky anchor for the life of me but can pick okay without doing so. 
You donāt have to. Justin says he canāt use his pinkie to anchor either.
I notice the G Chord finger style Justin presents seems to only use the 1st and 3rd intervals and not the 5th. Wouldnāt it be better to include the 2nd 3rd and 4th strings instead of the highest three (that way the 4th string will hit the 5th interval of scale for a fuller sound)?
One tip which really made practicing the āsuper easy patternā less boring for me: use the chord progressions from the previous module.
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Take your time - and do it right. Relax. Youāre doing it: JUST LOVE YOUR WORK! Thank you.
just started this today, am I right in thinking that when I play the Em chord finger style I do not need to hold the chord shape as I do not play the A and D strings just the open E and G B E
When first learning fingerstyle it best to play the full chord even when those notes arenāt played. When you get into more complicated pieces of music youāll be adding bass lines and chord melodys using those notes.
OK thanks also is it OK to combine the sus chords into fingerstyle sort of 2 lessons in one
John, that is a good idea ( combining fingerstyle and sus chords) when you learn each separately first. I did that and recorded for my learning log when I finished.
Hi everyone!
Is there any disadvantage to using a pick as my thumb and using digits 3-4-5 instead of 2-3-4 when learning fingerstyle?
Thanks a lot!
I guess youāre talking about hybrid picking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_picking
You could also get a thumb pick, which would free-up your index finger to pick.
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Hi Daniel, welcome to the community! Iām a fellow beginner, in the first modules of Grade 3. My advice to you would be to follow Justinās methods as much as possible. The techniques and information he introduces build on each other. If he feels there are alternatives to the main technique heās presenting he usually states that explicitly in the lesson. That said: asking questions here is great too! Just be aware that some of the responses you get might not be the best advice for beginners.
To your questions specifically: As @jacksprat Chris pointed out, using a pick and fingers is called hybrid picking, and is a more advanced technique. Iād suggest that itās best to be able to control your fingers on the strings before introducing the pick.
As for which fingers to use on the strings: In my experience, all finger style techniques primarily use the thumb and first three fingers. Many people use the pinky as an anchor finger when playing finger style. Some donāt, but they still primarily play with thumb and first three fingers. Having been through this recently, Iād recommend you spend significant time trying to use the pinky as an anchor.
Iām not experienced enough to explain the advantages of using thumb-1-2-3, but the fact that most guitarists play this way and most teachers teach this way must be rooted in some logic!
I love playing finger style, but it definitely took me some time to teach my hand how to do it.
Keep us posted on how itās going! And definitely keep asking questions. Finally, if youāre up for it, head over to the Introduce Yourself topic and say hello!
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Thanks for the kind answers. Yeah, I think hybrid picking is what I mean. I noticed it when watching some jazz guitarists on Youtube. I like the clarity and tonal qualities of strumming and picking single notes with a pick all while still being able to play chords in a non arpeggiated way.
Ideally, Iād like to learn one technique and stick to it instead of having to change the way I play once I get to more complex pieces or when I finally get to explore some genres I like (jazz mostly).
Iām very thankful to be part of this community!