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Finger pickin' good
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:05 am    Post subject: Finger pickin' good Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

wmonk showed me this most excellent video and I learned how to do the first beginner's finger picking technique. I may never use that evil pick agaon. I struggled for ten months with that pick and now I take easily to the finger picking exercise.

It's clumsy and i miss the strings sometimes and I'm not sure about my rhythm, but I like it. So much fun to practice, i played until my left hand cramped up.

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Oskar



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

There you go! Speaking as a guitar teacher of more than twenty years, I'm wary of forcing a specific technique on my students, as long as you're not aiming for a specific musical end result I tend to take the "whatever gets you there" approach. If you're more comfortable playing ypur fingers rather than a pick, that's cool; There are so many great guitar players, even in the world of rock who play mostly, or even exclusively, with their fingers, Mark Knopfler and Jeff Beck, to mention two.
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Uncle Krunkus
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Being primarily a bass player/tech programmer, I hardly ever play 6 string guitar, but one song I love practicing is Blackbird by the Beatles. It's a great one if you like finger picking. Very satisfying. Gives me the "illusion" that I'm a competant guitar player! Laughing
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DrJustice



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I mostly play with a pick, but sometimes a bit of picking is in order too. The one thing that is annoying is that when picking I'd like long nails, when not, I certainly don't want that. I have some finger picks, where each pick has a ring that attaches it to a finger, but that feels too strange. The only real solution is to become a cat, with retractable claws and all Very Happy

DJ
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BobTheDog



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

DrJustice wrote:
The one thing that is annoying is that when picking I'd like long nails, when not, I certainly don't want that.
--


Just wondering why don't you like long nails?
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Antimon



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

BobTheDog wrote:
DrJustice wrote:
The one thing that is annoying is that when picking I'd like long nails, when not, I certainly don't want that.
--


Just wondering why don't you like long nails?


Ever tried bowling with a long thumb nail? Ouch! (i.e. for me it always splits when I let go of the ball and the thumbnail catches the side of the thumb hole). Also, I need to use my laptop keyboard every now and then, and when the nails get finger pickin' good they're laptop typin' bad.

Regardless, I've grown my fingernails long on the right hand for 20 years or so.

I have a bass that I play occasionally - finger picking that gives me blisters on the ends of the picking fingers - ouch again!

/Stefan

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BobTheDog



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Antimon wrote:
Ever tried bowling with a long thumb nail? Ouch! (i.e. for me it always splits when I let go of the ball and the thumbnail catches the side of the thumb hole). Also, I need to use my laptop keyboard every now and then, and when the nails get finger pickin' good they're laptop typin' bad.


Must admit these things have never bothered me and I do go bowling, maybe I have something to blame my poor scores on now Smile

I find the most annoying thing about long nails is breaking them, especially in the extreme pain lots of blood way.
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DrJustice



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

BobTheDog wrote:
DrJustice wrote:
The one thing that is annoying is that when picking I'd like long nails, when not, I certainly don't want that.
--


Just wondering why don't you like long nails?

I've sometimes broken them in the "pain & blood way", and the thought of that happening is unbearable. When doing the occasinal heavy work a nail may catch and break. In effect it's a bit of a phobia.

That said, there are times I wish I had long nails, like when attempting to pick up SMD components and working with fine details of small mechanical things and so on.

So i play fingerpicking with the fleshy part of my fingers, which gives a slightly dull tone...

DJ
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GovernorSilver



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I tend to hybrid pick. This is using a pick and fingers simultaneously. Took a good while to get the hang of it, but it suits me well.

I put the pick down altogether though when I play Preston Reed style. I can play this tune at 1/10th his speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLmWcRBzzAc

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Oskar



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

GovernorSilver wrote:
I tend to hybrid pick. This is using a pick and fingers simultaneously. Took a good while to get the hang of it, but it suits me well.

I put the pick down altogether though when I play Preston Reed style. I can play this tune at 1/10th his speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLmWcRBzzAc


Now we're talking, there are some great practitioners of that style as well, such as Albert Lee and James Burton, and indeed Preston Reed, but that's a bit beyond me, I'm afraid. Hats off to anyone who can do that at even a tenth of Mr Reed's speed! Cool

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BobTheDog



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Just holding the pick confuses the hell out of me.
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GovernorSilver



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Oskar wrote:
GovernorSilver wrote:

I put the pick down altogether though when I play Preston Reed style. I can play this tune at 1/10th his speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLmWcRBzzAc


Now we're talking, there are some great practitioners of that style as well, such as Albert Lee and James Burton, and indeed Preston Reed, but that's a bit beyond me, I'm afraid. Hats off to anyone who can do that at even a tenth of Mr Reed's speed! Cool


The good news is that this tune is possible for mere mortals to learn if one has Preston Reed's instructional DVD. Reed explains how he plays the tune in great detail and the booklet that comes with the DVD (tablature only, no standard notation) also helps a lot. The hardest part for me was coordinating my hands. I had to practice the left hand part and the right hand part separately, with a metronome, for at least a week.

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

GovernorSilver wrote:
I tend to hybrid pick. This is using a pick and fingers simultaneously. Took a good while to get the hang of it, but it suits me well.

I put the pick down altogether though when I play Preston Reed style. I can play this tune at 1/10th his speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLmWcRBzzAc


Impressive and an enjoyable tune. Those two don't always go together when it comes to these guitar wizards. Thanks for sharing.

/Stefan

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Stream Operator


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Here is a demo of my finger picking and it also demos the guitar invention that you're all familiar with by now...

Les


Demo090628.mp3
 Description:
Finger Picking + Guitar Invention Demo

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 Filename:  Demo090628.mp3
 Filesize:  4.98 MB
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GaryRea



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PostPosted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

[quote="GovernorSilver"]
Oskar wrote:
GovernorSilver wrote:

I put the pick down altogether though when I play Preston Reed style. I can play this tune at 1/10th his speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLmWcRBzzAc


Now we're talking, there are some great practitioners of that style as well, such as Albert Lee and James Burton, and indeed Preston Reed, but that's a bit beyond me, I'm afraid. Hats off to anyone who can do that at even a tenth of Mr Reed's speed! Cool


There's a whole peck of pickers like this at CandyRat Records, especially Andy McKee:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=rpoland&view=playlists

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

DrJustice wrote:

I've sometimes broken them in the "pain & blood way"


As I just have Sad
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Oskar



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

DrJustice wrote:
BobTheDog wrote:
DrJustice wrote:
The one thing that is annoying is that when picking I'd like long nails, when not, I certainly don't want that.
--


Just wondering why don't you like long nails?

I've sometimes broken them in the "pain & blood way", and the thought of that happening is unbearable. When doing the occasinal heavy work a nail may catch and break. In effect it's a bit of a phobia.

That said, there are times I wish I had long nails, like when attempting to pick up SMD components and working with fine details of small mechanical things and so on.

So i play fingerpicking with the fleshy part of my fingers, which gives a slightly dull tone...

DJ
--


Well, Leo Kottke, who used to play with fingerpicks and/or long nails, had to change his playing technique due to carpal tunnel syndrome, read about in this wiki article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Kottke

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Back when I was a guitarist (haven't been, really, since the eighties), I taught myself fingerpicking by emulating Leo Kottke and Peter Lang. I guess Kottke was my "mentor," then, by proxy. Thanks for the Kottke link, Dr. Justice. I wasn't aware of his style change or the reason for it.

Peter Lang:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lang_(guitarist)
(recommened: "The Thing at the Nursery Room Window")



Gary

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I'm an Andy McKee fan, and want to get the tab book that has "Rylynn". That song alone made me a McKee fan - none of the other young lions of the acoustic have written a song yet that moved me as much as "Rylynn": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU

McKee and a lot of other players of the percussive, two-hand acoustic guitar approach trace their lineage to Preston Reed and Michael Hedges. McKee openly says he learned from the same Reed instructional that I'm now studying in DVD form. Kaki King (another incredible player) studied with Reed. Yes, there are many great acoustic players, but if you see anybody slapping harmonics on the neck, tapping, etc. - that person probably was influenced by at least one of those two.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I now have discovered five finger picking techniques, three of which are related to each other in the same family: T123, T321, and T12321. I can mix these up now while holding E, A, or D chord with the left hand. I'm practicing smooth chord changes but they are still slow and require adjustment sometimes. I filed my fingernails down on both hands so stop that annoying sound when they touch the strings.

I have discovered that I can place my amp on Drive Select and increase the preamp gain to accentuate the flaws in the playing. Then I can practice eliminating the flaws with enhanced audio feedback. Each time I practice I get a little more familiar, a little smoother, etc.

So things are going well overall, I'm having fun and recording/sharing the music with family and friends. Kewlness!

Les

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

What/where was the original video?
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

jksuperstar wrote:
What/where was the original video?


Oh, I don't have it anymore sorry. But it was very relaxing and simple...

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