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!
Firstly, I just want to say how fantastic this lesson was! Iām really starting to feel like Iām exploring the instrument now. Huge thanks to Justin and the whole team!
One thing Iāve noticed in my practiceāand perhaps others have experienced this tooāis that when changing chords (e.g. from G to D), I can hear an open string ringing as I lift my fingers. This is especially noticeable in fingerstyle, as it adds an unintended note. Iād really appreciate any advice on muting this, particularly when lifting off the G chord and hearing the low E string ring out.
Thanks a million!
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Hi @Lawrence_27
Getting noise when lifting off can be from a few things:
- You are not lifting off straight. Basically, you are doing a small pick-off in your lifting. Be sure to practice slowly lifting off straight up. This is highly likely the cause.
- Sticky fingers - soft fingertips, sticky substances on them, or on the strings can let the string stay with the finger as it leaves for just enough time it will ring a little as it snaps off the finger. Clean dry fingers can help.
- Not using any muting techniques - I need to use muting techniques. Thumb over string 6 to mute it, fretting with fingers touching unused adjacent strings. Being able to get into these muting positions quickly on moving to a new chord will help. I personally have trouble with string 2 in many cases.
Iām sure there are more, but these are what I have fought so far. Justin has a string muting lesson that is worth watching. This search looks useful: https://www.justinguitar.com/advanced_search?q=Muting
Great lesson - finger style is a lot less intimidating than I thought. Iām having fun playing house of the rising sun with it. Itās a nice break from my constant experimentation with different picks and grips and gives me some creative freedom on how to translate songs into a finger style pattern. Kind of a funny story, when I first started playing guitar 9 weeks ago for some reason I wanted to learn the intro to stairway to heaven. I managed to stumble through it without really knowing any chords - just Em, Am and E - by looking at the tabs and making it happen. Now after learning all these chords and this fingerstyle lesson, I realize how itās actually supposed to be played, and itās much easier this way once you can retrain your hands.
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