Just started on this book and have I hope a simple query.
It suggested what fingers to use for fretting but what about playing the strings. Is it like finger style with strings generally allocated stings or is it hybrid picking with pick and fingers when you get onto playing two notes together.
Some help on this would be appreciated before I head off in the wrong direction.
Michael
It’s either or both it doesn’t matter. Which style are you interested in learning.
Rick @stitch
I think I am inclined to go with a pick to start with, always move onto fingers later, but also starting to look at finger style so don’t want to get confused.
The more I think about it Justin doesn’t give any guidance as it is more about playing the notes however you do it.
Michael
Hello Matt, I think the book’s main aim is to introduce Music Standard Notation to learn to read it on the musicsheet and on the guitar and it’s not about the picking technique. To start off with I suggest you alternate i/m (index/middle) because it’s a very effective technique, once it’s automated your fingers always know what to do and where to go on their own, and you don’t have to think about working out fingerings. In case you want to use a pick, I would do the alternate picking up and down. I wonder why Note Reading when Tabs might be so much easier? Ah…those elegant dots on the stave 
Silva @SILVIA
You are right about it being all about reading music not necessarily about playing it.
Why am I doing it, that’s a good question, a number of reasons
Because it is there and a bit of a challenge, I never did any music at school it I was all science based. Don’t worry I am not neglecting other guitar related learning.
I did try to learn guitar from a book many many decades ago when I was a teenager but I couldn’t read standard notation and didn’t know what the notes were on the fretboard so you can see that didn’t turn out well.I do now know all the notes up to the twelfth fret pretty well and certainly to the fifth fret which is need for this course.
But perhaps the main reason is that I have been taking singing lessons, I was embarrassing at the start but my teacher says I am improving, take her word for it. But reached the stage where I trying to vary the pitch which is generally following the melody. So have been looking at sheet music to see how it goes up and down and thought it would be nice to play at least some of the melody notes on the guitar. I don’t kid myself that I am singing the right pitch or that I could sing the right pitches from a sheet at this stage but hopefully one day, you never know.
Michael
Singing: Michael you’ve given the best reason for wanting to put your commitment in this 
. I’ll keep my reply short…
Sol Do La Fa Mi Do Re…Sol Do La Ti Do Re Do
“…but it doesn’t mean anything!”
When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything!
Keep at it…you’ll do great! 
Remember Listening is key!
Silva @SILVIA
Interesting you mention the solfege and The Sound of Music, as you would expect so did my music teacher in the early days, on both occasions I groaned.
The film reminded me of when it first came out and my parents dragged me to see it, would rather to have gone to a James Bond film.
With more mature reflection it contains some nice songs. The next time the house is empty might give “do a deer” a bit of a sing along.
Michael
Learn to play it on your guitar using single notes. It is the major scale and will teach you how intervals work together.
Quiet everybody, was that a gauntlet I heard landing on the ground.
Rick @stitch I accept the challenge!
Michael 