Learning Fingerstyle Guitar

[JGaulard]

I just finished up a really great lesson. I've been learning how to play fingerstyle, or fingerpicking, guitar for about a week now and while at first I didn't have much confidence that I'd learn anything at all, I now feel as though I'm actually getting someplace. What I've been working on is a certain simple pattern with the Em and Am chords and then another very similar pattern with the D and A chords. I have to tell you, while I thought the first group of chords sounded good, the second is so much better. Fingerstyle guitar is so elegant and wonderful. It's really what I want to stick with forever, so I think I'll give this an all out effort. Learning how to play the guitar can get quite depressing at times because it's a lonesome thing and it's tough to gauge your progress, but from what I hear, you really need to push through that. Once you begin making actual music, there's no stopping you. After four years of learning, I think I'm about ready to make some music. I really need to take things to the next level because I've stagnated badly.

I'm going to use this thread to track my progress. Perhaps I'll take some video here and there and post it here, just so I can see how far I've come. Right now, I've only been doing this for about a week, so any video I post early on is going to sound pretty bad. I don't care though. Every person who can play guitar proficiently today began somewhere.

A few problems I'm experiencing thus far: I'm way too tense. I can feel my fingers and bicep tighten as I increase the speed of playing and that's not a good thing. Every instructor on the planet says to stay loose while practicing, so I'll have to remember that. Also, my fingertips are killing me. There's so much repetition at this point that my left hand fingers are pretty much glued to the fretboard the entire time. In almost the same positions. I'll get past that though because yesterday was worse than today and the day before was worse than yesterday.

The instructor who is teaching me this skill at Guitar Tricks is Lisa McCormick. She's pretty great at playing and is a wonderful teacher. Patient, kind, and has a nice smile.

 

[JGaulard]

The Four Step Pattern​

Just to catch up, let me explain the very first lesson. It was very basic, but Lisa went over how to use three fingers on my right hand to sort of pluck the guitar strings. I used my thumb on the low E string, my middle finger on the high E string, my thumb again on the G string, and then my pointer finger on the B string. I didn't hold down any chords or anything like that. I just lightly plucked E, E, G, B, Down, up, down, up. Here are the notes for that.



I practiced this over and over again until it was very smooth.

 

[JGaulard]

Changing Chords with a 4-Step Pattern​

In this lesson, Lisa explained how to change chords while playing with four strings, sort of like the ones I just described above. While it wasn't imperative to actually use any chords for this lesson, she emphasized which bass string was appropriate for each chord. For example, if I was using an open G chord, I'd use the low E string for the bass note because the G is a six string chord. For Am, I'd use the A string because that's a five string chord. For D, I'd use the D string because that's a four string chord. So Em - E string, Dm - D string, A - A string, C - A string, F - D string, and so on. Whatever string the chord uses as its bass note, you'll need to pluck with your thumb when playing fingerpicking.

 

[JGaulard]

2-Chord Practice Drill #1 - Switching Chords: Exercise #1​

This was the first lesson where I was challenged. In this lesson, I had to hold the Em chord with my left hand and pluck the strings with my right hand. The strings I plucked were:

Thumb - Low E
Middle - High E
Thumb - G
Pointer - B

Then I switched chords to the Am and plucked the following strings:

Thumb - A
Middle - High E
Thumb - G
Pointer - B

So it was almost the same string pattern, but it was changed slightly because the chord changed. Here's the sheet music for that exercise.



This is a fairly easy exercise to play at low speeds. It wasn't until the instructor ramped the speed up that I got lost. I did manage to follow her all the way through after a few days of practicing, which was promising. I felt good because I knew I had learned something. What I did was use a digital metronome I found on Google to practice at different speeds. I began at 100bpm and slowly incremented up 10bpm until I reached 150bpm. That's my range. Surprisingly, 100bpm isn't fast at all for fingerpicking. For flatpicking, it seems a lot faster, but you can go pretty fast early on with fingerpicking.

 

[JGaulard]

2-Chord Practice Drill #2 - Switching Chords: Exercise #2​

Okay, this is where I currently am. I practiced this exercise twice today in two 15-minute increments. I am finding that breaking up my practice sessions is working out very well. I stay motivated and don't dread a longer half hour practice session. I was beginning to dread those sessions which was taking a toll on my motivation.

Anyway, this is the same exact exercise as the previous one, but for this one, I used the D and A chords. For the D chord, I plucked the following strings in this order with these fingers:


Thumb - D
Middle - High E
Thumb - G
Pointer - B

So all I plucked were the four highest strings. And when I switched over to the A chord, I plucked these strings with these fingers in this order:

Thumb - A
Middle - High E
Thumb - G
Pointer - B

This was just like in the first exercise when I was using the Am chord. There similar chords that use the A string as the bass note.

Here's the sheet music for this exercise.



I will tell you that playing the D chord with this simple pattern is simply beautiful sounding. So lovely. I practiced over and over and had a lot of fun. Tonight I felt like I can actually learn this, so that's what I'll do. I felt success. Yesterday though, when I first began this exercise, I did notice some buzzing that stemmed from the D string when I plucked the G string. You see, I plucked the D string with my thumb first, then the E with my pointer finger, and then the G with my thumb again. The issue was, when I plucked the G string, the D was still vibrating and because I wasn't used to playing with the D chord yet, I kept placing my thumb nail too close to the D string, which would buzz. I fixed that today with a lot of practice and I don't seem to be doing that anymore. It really does just take a whole heck of a lot of practice and repetition.

 

[JGaulard]

3-Chord Practice Drill - Switching Chords: Exercise #3​

I have now moved onto the three chord practice drill from the two chord practice drill. I felt I was ready to go because I was doing very well at the previous lesson. Also, I figured that this one is just more of the same, which it is. Although, in this drill, I'm playing the G, C, and D chords as opposed to the D and A. Here, take a look at the lesson music.



I'm doing well with this exercise. Of course, since it's the first time playing it, there are some screw ups, but overall, I'm doing better at this one one the first day than I did with the other two on the first day. That's got to say something. Although, I'll tell you that I'm noticing more finger strength is necessary when playing the G and C chords. With all of the other exercises so far, the bass note was left open, so I didn't have to fret that string. With this exercise, I need to fret both the G and the C chords with my left ring finger. Holding those fat strings down to have the note ring out clearly isn't the easiest thing in the world. I'm also noticing that I need to be fast with that finger when switching chords. If I hesitate and don't get it all the way down to the fret in time, the note is either a dead thump or a buzz. So that little element has changed things somewhat. Onward and upward.

I'll most likely be working on this exercise for a few nights. I'm still breaking my practice lessons up into two 15 minute chunks. It's been working out well that way. I've done one already and in about an hour I'll do another. My fingers get pretty sore after one session, so it's nice to give them a break. After this is the first fingerpicking song, which is really just another few chords in succession.

 

[JGaulard]

If you already know the basic open chords, leaning very rudimentary fingerpicking isn't too tough. And by rudimentary, I mean, like, first week stuff. The trick with fingerpicking seems to be speed, accuracy, and coordination. I suppose that's true with any type of guitar playing, but with fingerpicking as opposed to, say, strumming rhythm guitar, you need to be extra careful with where your fingers end up. Any false moment can result in plucking the wrong string or even touching the wrong string, which would make a buzzing sound.

I just finished up my first lesson of the day. I missed yesterday because we were out. And because we had to go out, we had to let our wood burning stove die down. I don't keep it going when we're not here. It's been very cold outside, which makes the inside of the house very cold when no heat is on. And I'm not sure about you, but I can't play the guitar when my fingers are cold, no matter how hard I try. It's just not worth the effort.

Today I worked on the same exercise as I worked on last time. Basically it was the four string pattern going through the G, C, and D chords. This is pretty easy, but I'm now working on increasing my speed, my accuracy, and playing along with Lisa in the video lesson.

I usually begin my metronome work at 100bpm, but today I began at 150bpm. I stayed relaxed and that speed wasn't much of a challenge for me. I increased the speed to 175bpm and then 200bpm and remarkably, I was able to play both rather well with little error. After that, I reduced the speed back down to 150bpm and that felt slow. I love doing that because what once felt out of my reach became rather easy to accomplish. By the way, I use the free metronome on Google for my practice. I bought a physical metronome back in 2012, but I hardly use that anymore. There are virtual ones available that are pretty cool.

To wrap up my first 15 minute practice of the day, I played along with Lisa McCormick. I was surprised to discover that I was able to keep up with her the entire time. This is a first for that. She plays very quickly towards the end and I made it all the way through. I did stumble a bit in the middle, but that wasn't because of the speed. It was because she was talking and I got distracted. I need to get used to other players and singers while I'm playing or I'll never be the star on stage I'm planning on being. That was a joke. Okay, until next time, which will be in a few hours.

 

[JGaulard]

All the Pretty Little Horses by Lisa McCormick​

Today's lesson was lots of fun. I actually began practicing this simple song last night, but I turned to it in earnest this afternoon. Since I have to go out tonight, I am probably only going to be getting 15 minutes of practice today. Although, if I get back early enough, I may try to sneak in a second practice session. At least I was able to get one in so far. The days when I go out in the evenings are tough. I rarely get to practice at all. I'm trying harder now though. I'm making much more of an effort to get some playing in twice each and every day. Good playing too. Purposeful playing.

Take a look at this song. This is the first fingerpicking song I've played and I think I did okay.



This was composed by Lisa McCormick and it's fairly nice to play to. It's actually only three chords, which keeps the playing simple. There is one change when compared to the previous exercises though. Previously, we played two bars for each chord in each exercise and in this one, it's only one bar. That is, until the end of the song when the Em chord repeats.

The addition of this small factor didn't rock my world. I handled it well. I do need to sit and focus more during my next practice though because what I'm finding is that as soon as I "get" something, I want to move onto the next thing. I need to resist that temptation because my fingers aren't ready for more advanced technique. I still tend to screw things up and make weird noises with the strings, so I should spend more time practicing with the metronome.

Also, Lisa sings during this lesson and that screws me all up. I spend so much effort focusing on the sound of my guitar that when something else is going on in the room, I lose all of that focus. I can't be doing that, so I really should learn how to work that out. I guess I'll just keep going. At least it's something to pay attention to.

 

[JGaulard]

I went into town today and visited the local music store. I was looking around at Yamaha keyboards when I noticed the shop owner also sold guitar thumb picks. I wasn't aware of that and I hadn't thought about wearing one for my fingerpicking as of yet. I have seen these in the past and tonight, my curiosity got the better of me. I bought a large sized white National pick for $2 and just tried it out on my guitar. I have to tell you, this is either going to be the greatest or worst thing that's ever happened to my playing. At first, I couldn't use it at all and I wanted to throw the thing across the room. It's a big change going from playing fingerstyle with the fleshy part of my thumb to using a pick. The pick requires me to keep my thumb at a bit of a distance from the strings. Once I got use to that, I played fine and after a few minutes, I played almost to speed. I tried things out for approximately 20 minutes and then decided that I should save it for tomorrow. I'm glad I gave it a shot though.

I also read a few opinions about thumb picks vs. no pick in some acoustic guitar forums online. From what I read, it seems that if you can get used to the pick and become proficient at it, then use one. The bass notes ring out much more clearly and the sound can be much more dynamic than using no pick at all. I'll admit that right now, my bass notes are somewhat dull while using just my thumb.

Here's a photo for you. After I played, I looked at picks on Amazon and realized that I got ripped off down at the store this evening. The going rate for a plastic thumb pick online is $.50 or less each. I paid the $2 and thought it was a steal. Guess not. If I decide that I like playing with one, I'll likely buy a 12-pack of picks or something. We'll see.

 

[JGaulard]

Well, I played through two practice sessions today with my new thumb pick. My decision on the whole thing is - I don't know. I just don't know. I do like the way it sounds and I know I can get used to it. I'm actually almost used to it completely. I can play just as fast and accurately with the pick than without. The thing is, it really does make the bass notes quite a bit louder than the high notes and one of the reasons I began playing fingerstyle guitar in the first place was because of the beautiful sounding high strings. Another thing about playing with a pick is that I'm not getting that tactile satisfaction I was getting with just my fingers. When I take the pick off my thumb and play again, it's so refreshing. I love the feel of the strings on my naked fingers. So I think I'll continue my training without the pick for now. If there comes a time that I need it, I'll slip it on my thumb. No big deal.

I don't have much to report today because I was so focused on the whole pick thing - trying to get used to it. I played through All the Pretty Little Horses a few times and became fairly proficient with it. My greatest struggle thus far is changing chords. I can do the fingerpicking pretty well, but when it comes time to change those chords while picking, it gets a little hairy. That's just coordination though, so I'll keep working. I definitely don't want to go through these exercises too fast. I've done that before and I've regretted it. So I'll creep along and enjoy the ride.

 

[JGaulard]

It's tough to know when to move on from one exercise to another when learning how to play the guitar. Do I need to be perfect? Should I stay on this exercise for a day? A week? A month? How long? I pretty much hang around until I get bored. Right now, we're rotating between some fairly basic chords. We've got Em, Am, A, D, G, and C. I think that's all of them. So every exercise so far has included some combination of them. I'm good at them now and at this point, I'm trying to clean up my accuracy. That's what I was working on tonight. Trying to play a little bit lighter and trying to avoid having my thumbnail tough the vibrating string above it. I can do it, but I get lazy and forget sometimes. That's when I hear the distinctive buzzzz. It's so annoying, but it wakes me up.

I played through the previous exercise a few times tonight and then moved on to the next one. That was a song called Simple Gifts. It's a traditional Shaker hymn that I believe was arranged by Lisa McCormick. I'd include the sheet music in this post, but I don't want Guitar Tricks to yell at me. They don't allow downloading of the songs, so I'll leave it out.

The previous exercise shook things up somewhat in that they had the chords play for only one measure. That sped up the chord changes, which was fun. In this song, the chords are staggered. There are only two of them; G and D, but it goes like this (per measure) G, G, D, D, G, G, D, G, G, G, G, D, G, G, D, G. So instead of G, G, D, D, G, G, and so on, there was neither rhyme nor reason to their arrangement. That's fine. It just took a little getting used to is all. But I played well with very little practice. I'll continue on with this lesson next time too, so I avoid jumping ahead too quickly. I feel guilty every time I do that.

I wanted to mention something funny. When I said above that I was playing at 200bpm, I was actually playing at 100bpm. I completely forgot that I was playing eighth notes. Duh. So tonight, when I was practicing Simple Gifts, I set the metronome to 90bpm and played two beats per click.

Also, I practiced straight through the half hour this evening. I was having fun and focusing pretty well, so I didn't see any need to stop at the 15 minute mark, only to start up later on. That would have been silly.

 

[JGaulard]

I don't know if I've been living under a rock or something, but I just noticed that a website called JamPlay exists. Apparently, this site has been trying to take the top spot from GuitarTricks, which has been live since 1998. I actually found JamPlay on YouTube as I was searching around for fingerpicking videos. I'm still trying to see who uses the thumb pick and who doesn't. One of the instructors on JamPlay (Don Ross) uses one and I really like the sound. I also notice that Lisa McCormick on GuitarTricks uses her fingernails, so that's sort of like a pick, or picks. I don't have any nails and I'm really not planning on growing any, so I'm wondering if I should try this thumb pick again. I'm so confused.

Anyway, I may look into JamPlay for instruction. They've got a holiday sale going on right now for $99 per year. I like the way their courses are broken up by instructor too. It's sort of cool. And they've got badges and points, which I really like for motivation. Okay, until next time.

 

[JGaulard]

Travis Picking with Don Ross​

After I wrote my post about Don Ross and JamPlay last night, I watched one of his instructional videos on YouTube. I liked what I saw, so I pulled out my Martin Road Series DRS2 guitar and started playing a bit. I wanted to try the pattern he was teaching. After all, beginning fingerpicking is all about patterns. I've been playing the one that Lisa McCormick has been teaching for the past week, so I was itching to try something new. Not that I'm committed to this new one at all. I merely wanted to see if I could do it.

Well, after some practice, I was able to perform the pattern as well as to be expected. I wasn't able to play it at speed or anything, but my accuracy was there. In case you're interested, here it is:

Chord: Em

Thumb - Low E
Pointer - G
Thumb - D
Middle - B

Thumb - A
Pointer - G
Thumb - D
Middle - B

So really, all you're doing is alternating the bass note, which is pretty cool. It's a little confusing in the beginning, but once you play it through a few times, it's okay. It only took me about five times through very slowly to get it.

What's nice about this pattern is that you can switch chords with it too and it sounds great. Just change up the bass notes. Towards the end of the video, Don added another finger to the mix on the High E string, which added some flavor. I'm actually going to go back and practice this pattern tonight so I can give it some more time. I'll do that after I'm finished with my regular practice. This is a bit of a bonus. And by the way, I did play this with my thumbpick because that's what Don was using. I'm glad I bought that.

Check out the video:

 

[JGaulard]

Speed Building Exercise #1​

I didn't even get to the Don Ross practice tonight. I spent an entire half hour trying to get used to the thumbpick. By the end of the practice session, I pretty much had it. I mean, I was fairly good at it. And then, right before I put my guitar back in its case, I tried exactly what I was doing with my naked thumb and did about 100 times better. I think I'm going to call it quits with the pick for now. I mean it this time. Unless someone specifically instructs me to use it, I'll practice without. I am so much faster without it and, again, I love how tactile it is. I just wish I could get the strings to ring out more.

Anyway, I moved on from Simple Gifts this evening and began a speed building exercise. Here is the exercise itself:



This was pretty easy. Basically, it calls for the C chord and the Fm7 chord and alternates between the two, plucking the same patter with the right hand. If you aren't familiar with the Fm7 chord, it's almost the same as the C chord. Set up the C chord and then move the ring and middle finger down one string, respectively. And there you go. I thought this was the F chord for a moment, but then I remember that the F chord uses a mini bar with the pointer finger over the B and high E strings. So you'd bar the C and F notes there.

The exercise is like this: you play the notes just as the music asks for; two measures each. Then, after a few runs though, cut it down to one measure for each chord. And then increase the speed somewhat. I only got through it a little, so I'll work on this again tomorrow. This is the second time I've gone for the half hour straight, so we'll see how that goes. I would like to go back to the two 15 minute sessions, but I have been getting myself involved with work, so time is limited. Until next time!

 

[JGaulard]

As it ends up, this speed building exercise isn't the easiest things in the world to work through. The first thing I'm having issues with has nothing to do with the exercise at all. It has to do with the fact that I can't seem to get the guitar strings to ring out nicely like I did just a few days ago. I'm thinking that I might need to change my strings. I needed to do this before I began playing fingerstyle, so I think that's catching up with me. Some of them just sound dead and it's so annoying. Instead of focusing on my finger movement and the chords, which is all I'm supposed to be focusing on at this point, I'm battling with the sound. I will get to that tonight.

Also, the way this exercise works is like this: I play two measures of C and then two measures of Fm7. Then I repeat that a few times at approximately 80bpm. Then I switch to only one measure each. Then I go back to two measures, but increase the speed to about 90bpm. And then I switch to only one measure each at that speed. It gets a little hairy towards the end because of fatigue. The last time I tried it, my fingers got tied in a knot. I'm sure that's normal at this point in my learning, but it's totally demotivating. I'll keep practicing with my metronome though and then I'll play along with Lisa. But first, I'll change those strings because that dull thudding is getting on my nerves.

 

[JGaulard]

Check out these pictures. What a beautiful instrument. They're of my Martin Road Series DRS2 guitar. I just changed the strings, tuned that bad boy up, and played a bit more. What a difference new strings make. Wow. The sound just rings out so clearly. I will say that I still hate the F note, but whatever. That's neither my nor the guitar's fault. It's just the way it is.

I practiced the speed building exercise again and was slightly better at it. It's still pretty rough at higher speeds, but I'll get there. I was better than I was previously, so that's hopeful. Really, it's partially the chord change from C to Fm7. I'm not great at it. Also, because my pointer finger sits far too long on the C note on the second string, I mix up the chords a bit at times. I'll throw a G and a D in there, just to give that finger a break. There's no need for that type of stress.

 

[JGaulard]

I just finished this afternoon's guitar practice. I'm starting to split the 15 minute practice sessions up a bit more. I'd like to space them out some. Typically, I was holding them about an hour apart from one another, but now I think I'd like to hold them at least a few hours apart with six hours being the optimal spacing. I think my brain will absorb the material better and more thoroughly this way.

Anyway, I tried the speed building practice again. I'm still not great at it, but I think I'm better than I was. After I followed Lisa a few times, I went off on my own ad did a sequence of G, C, Fm7, and then D. And then I did that backwards. And forwards and backwards again. For the first few rounds, I'd do two measures of each chord and then after that, I'd switch to just one measure each. I began at 80bpm and then after a few minutes, I raised that to 90bpm. Finally, I raised the metronome speed to 100bpm and played until I screwed up consistently. That's when I know my 15 minutes is up - when I can't hold it together anymore.

I've got such respect for those who can play the guitar beautifully. I was watching a Joe Bonamassa concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London last night and man, that guy can play. I can't even get through a speed building exercise and this dude can play in his sleep. And not only that, he memorizes all the songs he plays. I suppose it doesn't hurt that Joe began playing when he was four years old, but still.

A question I've been asking myself lately is: can I just play fingerstyle guitar? I'm not really interested in playing with a pick. I'm also not interested in acting like I'm playing with a pick, but using my fingers. What I'd like to do is dedicate myself to only plucking strings. I've seen plenty of people do this and those are the ones I love the most. After about four years of attempting to learn how to play the guitar, I'm very much attracted to fingerpicking, so I'd like to dedicate my time there. Anyone have any advice? Do you (or anyone you know) do this? I'll never be a professional guitar player. I know this. I just want to use what limited time I have to learn something that sounds nice to play for people.

 

[JGaulard]

Wow, what a great practice. I'm still feeling the high. My speed and accuracy with this speed building exercise is getting so much better. I was just picking at 110 bpm and was doing fairly well. I began at 80 bpm and then went to 90, 100, and finally 110. I began to lose it at the end, so I felt like I may have pushed it too far. But whenever I do that and then go down in speed, I'm so much better at that slower speeds. I'm sure to keep my good habits intact though. I don't want to train myself to be fast and sloppy. I want to be fast and clean, so if it takes a while to get there, then so be it.

I noticed two things recently that help with this exercise. First, if I practice my G, C, Fm7, and D combo and then go to the C and Fm7 combo and practice with Lisa, I'm much better. Adding those extra chords pushes me somehow and then going back to the easy two chords that she's practicing is a snap. I still couldn't hang with her at the fastest speed though, but that may be because she was plucking at around 150 bpm. It'll take a while to get there.

Also, I noticed that if I listen to the notes while I'm picking, I concentrate less on what I'm doing with my fingers and I actually do much better overall. So if I pluck the higher notes a trifle more ambitiously, as to sort of make music, I let my fingers do their thing and I get in less trouble. It's an interesting phenomenon.

 

[JGaulard]

I did more of the same last night. I'm still trying to get my fingers to accurately pluck the correct strings. I worked on my G, C, Fm7, and D circuit and then I played the speed exercise along with Lisa. I'm happy to say that I made it through at full speed, but I also made many mistakes. I'm really trying to work on my cleanliness and accurately plucking the correct and only the correct strings. The faster I play, the more prone I am to getting all fumbled up. It's not an easy thing, but I have a feeling that once my fingers get used to this type of playing, I'll be fine and the future will be bright.

I also took my first guitar practice video last night. I learned something from this video - well actually a few things. First, I played okay in some respects, but I made a lot of mistakes. I don't care how it looks because this is my first week. Some people concern themselves with what others will say about them on YouTube, but I look at it like this: you go ahead and pick up a guitar and try learning to play it. If you can do better than I'm doing at this style after a week, more power to you. But really, everyone starts someplace. We are what we are.

The second thing I learned is that when I record the next video, I need to set the camera on the other side of me for a better angle. I'd like to see my chord hand and my picking hand. That's what I've seen most people show online. Here's the video.

 

[JGaulard]

Speed Building Exercise #2​

For the past few nights, I've been practicing a new speed building exercise. This one consists of three chords; Am, C, and Em. I was doing pretty well with the previous exercise and I thought I'd breeze right through this one. What I'm finding though is that while my right hand picking is getting better, I'm actually getting worse with the chord changes. I know that it takes a while to get used to things, but I sometimes feel like I'm going backwards. I'm sure this is all part of learning guitar and if I did a Google search right now for something like, "I feel like I'm getting worse at guitar," I'd see thousands of entries. I know I'm not the only one. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep practicing. Practice makes perfect, as they say. I do have the fear, although, that I'll die before I get any good. I wonder if many others have that fear as well.

Here is the exercise I'm working on. Again, Lisa likes to follow the measures as they're shown on the paper to begin with, but then reduces the measures to only one per chord the further we go. And then she ramps up the speed to make it even tougher. I'm sure this is having an effect and if I were to play any of this at 80bpm as opposed to 140, then I'd be better than I ever was. But I'm pushing it, which is screwing me up.

 

[JGaulard]

I had two exceptionally purposeful practice sessions today. I feel very good about them. If there's one thing I need to remember, it's that I need to slow down with my practicing and focus on my trouble spots. I can't emphasize this enough. This morning, I was having trouble with changing chords from Am to C to Em. Going from Am to C, I was getting some buzz in the strings. It also sounded choppy. So today's mission was to work specifically on that change. Going from C to Em is easy, since I'm not even touching the plucking strings with my left hand. Going from Em to Am is pretty good too. It's just that other change. I'd like to see my chord changes become a lot smoother, so I'm willing to put some time into focusing on just that. My plucking hand is doing well. To work on the chords, I'm keeping my metronome speed down and I'm really concentrating on my left hand. It seems to be working.

 

[JGaulard]

You know something? I actually feel like I'm getting better. Ever since I began the "purposeful" practicing a few evenings ago, my fingers have been plucking the guitar strings much more accurately. I'm also keeping the metronome around 100bpm to 110bpm and it's been working out. Just lots and lots of repetition. I mean, like 15 minutes of flipping back and forth between the 100 and 110. The longer I play through these speed drill exercises, the better I become at them. What I used to do was become merely proficient at a pattern or a set of chords and then I'd move on. I wouldn't become "expert" at it, as I've heard suggested out there in the guitar world. Really, I just need to slow down, practice more, and let things sink in. Tonight's another night.

 

[JGaulard]

Wow, another great practice. I tell ya, when I sit down and focus only on what I'm doing, I do so much better. I just finished up the speed drill exercise and am moving on to a song called The Wabash Cannonball. I'll tell you about that tomorrow night after I play through it once or twice. As far as the exercise I just finished, I figured it was time to move on. I played at 130bpm accurately and somewhat easily and kept up with Lisa as she played two nights in a row. The slower speeds are becoming like second nature and I am now looking forward to the faster speeds. I am so excited to see if I can play a song or two and I'm thrilled about what's to come. I can't wait to actually play fingerstyle.

With that past exercise, I began rotating through two measures each of Am, C, and Em at 100bpm. I'd go to one measure at times and then go back to two measures. Then I'd increase the speed to 110bpm and do the same thing. Then 120 and finally 130. Fingerpicking at 130bpm is crazy. I don't care what anyone says. That's pretty fast. For now, that's good enough for me.

 

[JGaulard]

Wabash Cannonball​

I just spent my first 15 minutes playing The Wabash Cannonball and it was interesting. I wouldn't say it was difficult, but it'll take some time to play it smoothly. Basically, the song (our version) uses three chords. They are D, G, and A7. All pretty easy with fairly straightforward transitions. If there is anything that might trip me up, it would be the transition from G to A7, but I really don't think it will be a problem. Again, it'll just take a lot of repetition to get used to. By far, the greatest challenge will be playing this song up to speed. That's 150bpm and that's wicked fast. No doubt about it. I may be able to figure that out though - in a while.

If you're interested, here are the chords and measures for this one. We're using the same pattern as described above.

D D
D G A7
A7 A7 D
D D D
G A7 A7
A7 D D

And that's it! I'll give it another go this evening with my metronome. I'll probably stay between 80bpm and 100bpm tonight.

 

[JGaulard]

I had a very tough practice this evening. Everything went well, but I played less than stellar because my hands were cold. Like, literally cold. My lady and I went out this evening and when we go out, we keep the heat down low in the house. When we came back, the house was about 50°. I made a fire in the wood stove, but it didn't heat my practice room up nearly enough for my hands to thaw out. It dreadfully affected my playing. There was fingernail buzzing all over the place. I'm happy to report that my chord changes were spot on though. For some reason, that hand seemed to move somewhat well, but those minute adjustments didn't seem to take place for my picking hand. Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow.

Does temperature affect your guitar playing? It does for me. I remember trying to practice my strumming when I was cold and I definitely can't do that. I guess my wrist doesn't like it or something. Strangely enough, the problem usually lies with my chord hand, but tonight, that was okay. Weird.

 

[JGaulard]

I just experienced my best fingerpicking practice to date. While the actual closed door practice was good, what was even better was my mini-concert for my lady. Once I had played Wabash Cannonball for about a half hour with varying success, I went out into our living room and simply began plucking quietly next to her. She was telling me about something, so I played more quietly. Then she became quiet because the sounds of soft guitar strings are utterly beautiful. Then I began playing more loudly and I must say, the experience was wonderful. I rarely play for anyone and to have the opportunity to make hardly any mistakes in front of someone is magical. There's something special about learning how to play the guitar. If you can find your rhythm, it all just seems to work out. It really isn't until you begin to make music that you become interested in learning more. It's that whole music thing.

I did want to mention something else. I was actually thinking of this before I picked up my guitar today. It seems as though I may play slightly better when I play slightly faster. I wondered why this was and I think it has to do with the difficulty of being accurate at such slow speeds. For instance, I'll warm up at 80bpm or 100bpm, but it isn't until I reach 110-120bpm that I smooth out and stop buzzing my thumb against the string above it. At first, I thought I was playing better because I was finally warmed up, but I'll play faster and then when I begin playing more slowly again, I'll begin making mistakes. Simply put - it's tough to play slowly. I don't know why.

Today, I focused heavily on my chord changes. I now have very little difficulty with my right plucking hand. It's almost as if my fingers have a mind of their own. They just do their thing, which is nice because that gives me a chance to work on my left hand. The chords are easy enough, but what's tripping me up is the change. There's a split second in there that offers the smoothest of changes and that's what I'm working on.

I'm so happy I did so well tonight. Doing well truly invigorates me. To think, I almost quit learning how to play the guitar again. It's a tough instrument, but well worth it. My advice to myself is to stick with fingerpicking. I enjoy it too much to do anything else.

 

[JGaulard]

I am officially finished with Wabash Cannonball. I was able to play well with Lisa after about a week and at 110bpm, but when she increased her tempo to about 150bpm, I had to bow out. I'm fine with that. She simply played too fast. There are other things I need to learn before I learn to play extremely quickly and those things are accuracy, keeping an even tempo, and clean plucking, meaning no nail buzzing on strings directly above. Just the fact that I can hang with the speed of 120bpm surprises me. I would have never thought I could do that. And now, I sometimes feel like my fingers have minds of their own. I no longer have issues with trying to land on the correct strings. What I'm now working on is trying to actually sound reasonable. for being only a few weeks into this, I'm fairly pleased with myself. No complaints here.

 

[JGaulard]

Slant the Rhythm & Play it Folky​

Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners 2 Lesson 2B

Some days I feel as though I'm doing extraordinarily well and some days not so much. One thing is for sure - if I repeat whatever it is I'm working on enough during one of my practices, I eventually get it. By the time my half hour is over, I want to head out into the living room to show off. Sometimes I even do that.

For the past few nights, I've been working on what Lisa calls, slanting the rhythm. Basically, this is akin to italicizing text. Instead of playing straight up eighth notes, it's a quarter note, eighth note, quarter note, eighth note, etc... Here, take a look at what I'm referring to. This is the practice exercise I've been working on.



When I first began playing this, I thought it was really easy. I said, "Oh, I'll simply do what I've been doing." Well, my success was merely a mirage. My second night working on this revealed my mistake. Getting the rhythm down is sort of tricky. I've got it now and I actually think I'm starting to sound good, but it's taken a lot of practice.

In the exercise, I go back and forth between D7 and A7. It's an easy chord change. I don't play these two chords much at all, so it did take a bit of practice, but now, since I've got it, I've expanded into a little loop that sounds very nice. I start off with G and then continue on with C to D to A7 to D7 and then back to G (or any variation of that). The exercise that I'm working on with Lisa calls for two measures of each chord, but after a little while, she'll jump to only what she calls one measure. What it actually is is a half measure of each, so it's kind of quick. But since it's such an easy chord change, it's doable. She increases the tempo throughout too, so the exercise gets very challenging.

Near the end of tonight's practice, I began doing my little chord circle, but not with the half measure. I'll see how far I can get with that tomorrow night. I'll start off at 80bpm and then move up in speed from there. I think this will be good to record on video once I get it because it'll be a huge leap from my last video. When I watch that now I feel so lame. But hey, I guess that's what it's all about. Feeling lame until the fame kicks in. I'm comfortable with learning at my slow pace for the rest of my life. What else have I got to do? I own an incredible guitar that plays beautifully. It's not like I've got shows booked. I honestly think that I'll be much better in a year's time though. Progress with fingerpicking comes fast. Until next time!

 

[JGaulard]

Play it Jazzy​

Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners 2 Lesson 2C

I finished up the previous exercise this evening and moved on to the jazzy version of the same thing. Instead of practicing with the D7 and the A7 chords, this exercise uses the Dm7 and the Am7, neither of which I've ever played wtih. Since these chords were so new to me, I had to crawl along at a snails pace. It's not that the chords are particularly difficult, it's just that my fingers aren't used to them. I'm still having issues with a hint of buzzing with this new slanted pattern, but I'm assuming I'll get past that soon. I was doing so well before I began playing with the new notes. It's sort of a downer. When this happens, I go back to 80bpm and start over. I swear, I have no idea how anyone ever gets good at playing this instrument. It's so damn challenging. I'll continue to plow though though. What I'm actually looking for are some cool riffs that I can chew on for a month or so each. Guitar Tricks has lots of these things, so once I get through these lessons, I'll tackle them to see what happens. That'll be fun. Until then though, I'll keep doing what I'm doing. Practice.

 

[JGaulard]

Play it Bluesy​

Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners 2 Lesson 2D

Okay, I'm back on the saddle again. After tonight's practice, I've realized why I was sort of down the last time I wrote. I'll tell you, those two previous chords were awful to play. Well, the AM7 wasn't bad, but someone should take the DM7 out in the back and shoot it. What a terrible chord. Not only does it sound terrible when played correctly, it sounds terrible when it's played incorrectly, which is most of the time. Hopefully I won't see that one again for a while. I do feel bad that I hate it so much and part of me feels as though I should practice until perfect, but I have to say, I played that thing exactly the way it was meant to be played and I'm not sure why that's included in this whole thing at all. It's ugly.

For the past few days now, I've been working on the most recent exercise, which is called "Play it Bluesy." I really enjoyed this one a lot. The three chords were E, A7, and B7. Take a look:



If this is what blues fingerpicking is all about, I want more. Lisa McCormick actually has an entire other course dedicated to the blues and fingerpicking, so I'll take that one along the lines. It's not tough stuff. She sticks with the same pattern for almost everything I've seen her teach. It's good to get the fundamentals with something consistent like that, just to learn how to move your fingers.

I did well tonight. Partly because these chords went together so well. I did have difficulty with the chord change between A7 and B7 for a while last night and the night before, but I seem to have worked through that. Now it's pretty much smooth sailing. And believe it or not, the syncopation is coming along well too. When I play regularly now, it sounds so boring. I feel like I'm making progress.

 

[JGaulard]

Build Your Speed: Practice Drill #5​

Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners 2 Lesson 2F

I had another awesome practice last night. I'm telling ya, I can sit for hours running through that E, A7, B7 chord combo. It's so damn pretty. The low E is beautiful as it hums through the rest of the chords. And the B7 is lovely as well. I hated it just a few days ago, but since I've learned how to transition from the A7 to it, it's become my best friend. Out of the three chords, it's the B7 that sings the blues the most. What a great sound.

Last night I began a new exercise. Like two previous exercises, this one was all about speed building. When trying to learn guitar fingerpicking, it's important to isolate techniques that you're actually attempting to get better at. For instance, this was a right hand exercise. It's all about getting those fingers on the correct strings and working them as fast as they'll go. By this point, my fingers have gotten quite quick. I'm actually surprised how nicely they've come along. The trick with speed building exercises such as this one is to stick with easy chords. If you'll notice which two were chosen for this, they're identical. The E chord is directly above the Am chord. All you have to do is lift your fingers from one position and plop them down about a half inch away in another position. You don't even need to change their configuration at all.

Learning like this is a great idea because it isolates techniques. Far too often, new players take on way too much. They end up sounding horribly and then quitting. That's no good. If you keep the lessons isolated, each one is easy to succeed at. It's those small successes that keep the player coming back for more. I love that.

 

[JGaulard]

Build Your Speed: Practice Drill #6​

Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners 2 Lesson 2G

I get the feeling that I'm moving through these speed building exercises faster than I was just a week or two ago. Back then, I had a lot more difficulty keeping up, but now I can pretty much make it through to the end with Lisa the first try. I may mess up the first time because I'm not used to what things are going to sound like, but I get through. And then after just a few more tries, I'm good to go. Of course I hang around the exercise for a few more days and work with my metronome, but that's just simple practice. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I may be getting better. Just slightly.

Tonight, I finished up the speed building exercise below. It was easy. I love the simple combo of the G, C, and D chords. They go well together. For the second half of my practice though, I merged the previous bluesy exercise with this one and practiced at 100, 110, and then 120bpm. Basically, it went like this: G, C, G, D, E, A7, and B7. And then I'd keep looping that. With the syncopation, it was a lot of fun. I think some of that syncopation disappeared at 120bpm though. It was too fast. To get it back, I had to do some hard focusing.

Up next, the final lesson in the module. I can't believe I got this far so successfully. What I'll be doing is playing a song called The Freight Train Blues. It's a beginners song, but I may just try to play it well so I can capture it on video. Who knows.

 

[JGaulard]

Freight Train Blues​

Well, I just finished up Acoustic Fingerpicking, Step-by-Step, Level 1A on Guitar Tricks with Lisa McCormick. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually feel like I got someplace. I actually learned something. The best part of this course was that she stuck with the same picking pattern throughout. I took a few previous courses on fingerpicking and because we changed patterns so much, I never quite felt like I understood or perfected the lessons. Granted, this one was slightly more advanced than this one, but I'm a slow learner. I guess I'm a fast learner when I want to be, but you know what I mean. Some things come naturally and some don't. I hope playing the guitar begins to come naturally. As it stands, I just played Freight Train Blues at 120bpm very well. It's an easy beginner song, but hey, what do you expect from beginner fingerpicking? Part of what I learned was moving the actual fingers and getting them used to touching the strings, as opposed to using a pick. I really do prefer fingerpicking so much more than using a pick. I wouldn't mind never touching another pick as long as I live.

Anyway, on to Acoustic Fingerpicking, Step-by-Step, Level 1B. And after this, there's so much more on Guitar Tricks. All sorts of lessons from many different instructors. I've even dabbled with the idea of trying out JamPlay if I get bored in a year or two. They've got tons of instructors too who teach fingerstyle too. We'll see what happens, but I can tell you that I'm thoroughly satisfied with my progress from this first module with Lisa.

 

[JGaulard]

Build Your Speed: 3-Chord Practice Drill​

Lesson 3B: Super Great Variation #1

A few days ago, I began the Acoustic Fingerpicking Step-by-Step, Level 1B module with Lisa McCormick. I'd say it's pretty awesome. It's one of 11 modules that she offers. I'll work my way through them all and then move onto another instructor. In this module so far, we're working on a new pattern. Instead of picking all eighth notes, we're using a quarter note to begin with in each measure and then continue with all eighth notes for the remainder of the measure. It adds a bit of flair. Below is an example of the first lesson from the Guitar Tricks site. It's easy, but fun. For this lesson, we used only three chords. For the next one, we'll increase that to four. Also, in this lesson, we stick with all double measures that increase in speed as we go. In the next one, we play double measures with increasing speeds and then single measures with increasing speeds. For now though, I'm practicing this exercise with Lisa and then by myself with the metronome. I am so much better than I was just a few weeks ago. I can't believe my progress. Fingerpicking is so much fun. I actually look forward to more challenging exercises, as opposed to dreading them like I used to. Good times.

 

[JGaulard]

I have been having the best time playing guitar lately. I'm not even sure how much material I've covered since I left off above, but I do know that I've got four different fingerstyle patterns down pat, three of them with syncopation. They sound very good. I'm now working on a song called Star of the County Down and am using the fourth pattern I learned. This actually isn't my favorite one, but it's interesting nonetheless. I'd say the song flows along at around 90bpm, so it's not too bad. With this pattern though, it gets tricky at times. The chords I'm using are Asus, Am, F, C, and G. Everything is fairly straightforward.

I'll say this one more time. I'm so glad I moved on from the strumming I got stuck in for the past few years. It seems like I was going nowhere. With fingerpicking, I feel like I can now actually play music. The guitar has the ability to produce such pretty sound and I simply wasn't getting that from strumming. I know it's possible because I've heard it, but it would have taken years to make it work for me. Fingerpicking is easier in ways and the reward is much more front loaded.

 

[JGaulard]

Learning Fingerstyle Guitar with JamPlay + Don Ross​

I have a quick update. Just yesterday, I jumped over to JamPlay for my "learning to play fingerstyle guitar" adventure. This wasn't because Guitar Tricks did anything wrong, it was simply because I needed something new. I learned a heck of a lot with Guitar Tricks; they've got some awesome instructors and a world class program, but really, I needed a change. I've been using their course material almost every night for at least three years and I was curious to see what some new faces looked like. That's probably normal for someone in my position. One of the primary driving forces for my making this change was the ability and character of one Don Ross. What attracted me to Don was his commitment to fingerpicking. That's all he plays. Also, he's a huge deal within the guitar fingerstyle scene. He's got tons of street cred and he's even gone on tour with Andy McKee, another player who's one of the best in the business. So really, it was a no-brainer. For $120 a year, I could be trained by a pro like Don.

One more thing. I've always said that just because someone is great at playing guitar doesn't mean that they're great at teaching others how to play. So many people out there are wonderful at what they do, but are absolutely horrible teachers. I was looking for someone who's great at playing and great at teaching too. That's Don. He's an awesome teacher. I've already practiced with him during a few of his lessons and I'm excited about the prospects. He's slow, clear, and progresses through his material at a steady pace. I think I'll get a lot out of him. After all, he's got 71 lessons for me to work through. All fingerpicking. I love that focus.

Finally, since I'm still a member of Guitar Tricks, I wasn't thrilled at dropping more cash for a new website to learn from. But since JamPlay had a 25% off discount coupon code (shred25) that dropped the yearly price from $157 to $119, I took the plunge. There's a 30-day money back guarantee too, so that helped.

One final note about learning how to play the guitar. I've always been bothered about learning from multiple instructors. I know this is something these websites like to push, as if it's a good thing, but I'm not too keen on it. It's fine to offer multiple instructors so a student can find one and settle on him or her, but I think, for me at least, it's beneficial to keep some continuity while attempting to learn an instrument as complex as the guitar. That's actually why I settled on learning from Don Ross at JamPlay. Everyone (other students) seems to love him and he's super relatable. And since he's such a pro with incredible credentials, well, that just made my decision easier.

Who is Don Ross? Take a look. Here he is playing his song titled, The Is-Ought Controversy.

 

[JGaulard]

Switching From Learning Guitar to Piano​

I've been playing guitar consistently for about four years now. I've gotten somewhat decent at playing a few things, but I wouldn't say I'm good by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not sure what the problem is. My fingers? My age? My learning ability? I practice using Guitar Tricks and have an awesome guitar (Martin Road Series DRS2). I really don't know.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very decent when it comes to playing a few different styles, but I honestly don't think I'm where I should be by this point. I would never play in front of anyone because I would only embarrass myself. I've recently begun practicing daily in two 15 minute sessions as opposed to the one half hour session. I read that breaking the practice sessions down into multiple ones throughout the day can help. But honestly, sometimes I wonder why I'm playing guitar at all. I used to feel this way when I was learning how to fly airplanes. After 35 hours, I asked myself why I was learning in the first place. A hobby? To go places? I never answered that question, so I quit. With me, I need a goal or a reason to do things. I don't just do them for nothing at all.

So here I am, semi-decent at playing guitar, wondering if I should quit. A few days ago, I emailed a friend who also plays, asking him if he would like to purchase my guitar from me. At the time, I decided that I'd like to go ahead with learning how to play the piano instead. It seems easier and I don't want to be trying to learn how to do something for the rest of my life that I'll never be good at. I'd like to learn how to actually be good at something. I feel as though I can do that with the piano because in all honesty, it's not the learning that's stopping me, it's the fact that sometimes my fingers can't do what's required on the strings. It's mechanical. When it comes to piano, you don't need to bend and twist the fingers like you do with guitar. It's like a man who has huge hands and thick fingers trying to learn how to play the violin. No, don't do it. Learn the tuba instead. You're built for the tuba.

Anyway, I offered for my friend to buy me the Yamaha YPG535 grand piano keyboard and I would give him the guitar. It's a really good keyboard and it costs around $550. My guitar sells for $650 used, so I thought that would be a win/win for both of us. Apparently, my friend, while interested in my guitar, can't swing the funds right now.

Learning this, I decided to continue on with my playing, but to switch tracks a bit. Through Guitar Tricks, I've located some lessons on fingerpicking, or otherwise known as fingerstyle. This is a very pretty sound style of guitar playing that I've always wanted to learn. I figure that if I can focus my efforts on just one style, I may be able to get somewhere. I really don't want to quit playing this instrument, so I'll need to get a grip on my motivations to stay moving forward. And the best part is, fingerstyle playing isn't terribly difficult. Within just one week of playing twice per day, I feel excellent and that I've gotten somewhere. I really do.

I have a lot invested into learning this instrument and I don't want to throw it all away. Last night, I decided that in the future, when I get the extra cash, I'll buy the keyboard as well. I already know that I want to use Playground Sessions as a learning aid, so it's all set. I'll do both. For an hour a day, I'll learn how to play the guitar as well as the piano. Two 15 minute sessions for each. That would be pretty awesome.

Are you trying to learn how to play an instrument? Have you ever wanted to quit? What do you do to stay motivated? I do rather well in that department because I'm very committed and methodical, but sometimes, I just wish that I could succeed faster.

UPDATE

I watched a fairly long video today that was put out by Tony Polecastro of Tony's Acoustic Challenge and I must say, I was pretty impressed. I was actually just searching around for courses that focused primarily on fingerpicking and bumped into him. Tony is pretty big on YouTube and I've been seeing him around for years, so I figured I'd take his eight question quiz to get to his price list. Before taking the quiz, I couldn't, for the life of me, find out anything about his course. He's got a pretty serious marketing thing going on and to be honest, I think it would have been a lot faster to just advertise his prices without making me watch a 45 minute video first. But I get marketing and how the "sales funnel" works. It's very effective and in this case, it did its job well.

His course focuses on five new lessons per week. They take about 15 minutes per lesson and they cover five different areas. I can't remember what they are right now. Oh wait, here they are: technique, licks, soloing and scales, rhythm guitar, and chord transitions and keys. So basically, you rotate around those five topics weekly. I like the approach, but I'm not sure I'm going to join up right now. At least I have his prices, which are:

Quarterly @ $29 per month ($87)
Yearly @ $16 per month ($197)
Lifetime @ $599

It seems like a very guided course, which is what I'm looking for. What I'm bumping into is not having the direction I seek. I follow "tracks" sometimes, but those quickly turn into segments that are way over my head, so I turn around to look for another track that's easier. It's sort of a habit of mine. With Tony's TAC method, you rotate around these five areas so you don't get bored and so you continue to have fun. His ratings are very solid and it seems like everyone likes what he offers. As long as it's guided, I'll seriously consider the program in the future. I'll need to look into it more though. For now, I'll stick with learning my fingerstyle on Guitar Tricks. I'm just not sure how much fingerstyle content they've got on the site. I searched around and there seems to be a little bit, but overall, not that much. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Tony focuses primarily on acoustic guitar strumming, flat picking, and fingerpicking. This is really all I need. Much of Guitar Tricks' content is of little interested to me because I don't play the electric guitar. So Rock and Blues and some other stuff isn't really what I need to learn. I play the acoustic, so that's where I want to be.

Anyway, I'll keep this thread updated with what I decide to do. And if you have any information on Tony Polecastro and his program, please let me know. He seems like a very good guy. Smart. That's for sure.