Advanced fingerstyle

[Ehvam]

Hey all, i was wondering if anyone here has any advanced fingerstyle excercises that they may share? Or maybe even some differnet ones than the ones i do now? Or lacking that, is there a really good website somewhere? It seems everone does the same old excercises for the right hand, and i'd like to try some new stuff.

[Metal Dan]

Learn some Villa-Lobos. Seriously. Forget exercises. Learn some songs. The Pumping Nylon book by Scott Tennant is a GREAT technique manual for classical guitar that shows you technique through song.

[Ehvam]

I've ben learning alot of songs, so i've been looking for some excercises. I find that excercises tend to open me up for composition more than songs for some reason. I will check out that pumping nylon though, i was curious about it. But is it good, you think, for someone playing in the Hedges/Bensusan style? I'm just not very interested in classical.

[mattblack850]

I seem to remember that Richard Thompson did a series of articles for one of the guitar magazines, I can't remember which one at the moment. If you can find those then they would be a fairly serious workout for the ear and fingers!!

[forgottenking2]

Mateo Carcasi has some great R/H exercises that sound real pretty too so you could easily play them at a gig. If you want the real hardcore stuff, che out Tarrega's tremolo studies: "Recuerdos de Alhambra" and "El Ultimo Tremolo(Una limosnita por el Amor de Dios)" I think songs is the way to go. That's how I was taught and that's how it is taught in conservatories as well. Remember that many of those "songs" are actually etudes that target specific technical problems so you what you are doing are "musical exercises".

Another advantage of learning through songs. You can get a HUGE book of classical compilations for about... 30 bucks. If you try a book by some modern guitarist you'll end up paying more than double for the same information.

I hope this helps.

[Ehvam]

I guess thats the way to go. I like musical excercises (or studies) and cant really stand the non musical kinds, so i'll get them. I just hope playing them on a steel string (i dont have a classical) will be o.k. But i'm sure it will. Thanks guys.

[curiousgeorge]

Learn Dust In The Wind by Kansas...play it the whole way through and it is a real workout for your pick hand. A great example of Travis fingerpicking... :cool:Babe I'm Gonna Leave You by Zeppelin is fun, as well as Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. Not sure how 'advanced' this stuff is for what you are seeking... :cool:

[Ehvam]

Curious- That kind of stuff is second nature by now. I gues i'm looking for really weird stuf, like polyphonic rythmns between the bass and melody, alternative composing structures, like Bensusan. Percussive, multivoiced rythmn like Hedges. I've got a few Hedges and Bensusan songs down pretty well. It just seems like most acoustic fingerstyle stuff is mostly classical oriented or "countryish" (you know doc watson, etc) or blues. I've been enterpreting african rythmns and latin afro-cuban rythmns and trying to expand my knowledge of odd meters, etc. But its really hard cause most acoustic stuff is traditional, and there arent many accessable books that address the other, more exotic stuff. Please dont take it to mean that i'm any good, mind you, its just a stylistic preferance i'm trying to cultivate. For a long time i've done things like everyone else and not being very happy, but not knowing how to get what i want, and now i'm just more inclined to avoiding the necessary "required" stuff to try to be myself. I guess i'm trying to learn the tools i'm gonna need to be the player i'd like to be, and it just doesnt seem like theres much out there. (at least without spending a fortune!)

[aaeolean]

I'm kind of the same way. I play steel string acoustic. So you're looking for something new to try. Try some open tunings. Look into DADGAD. You may find that changing tunings really helps you come up with something fresh. You may find that it leads you in a totally different direction.

As for exercises try doing a google search for fingerstyle patterns. I'm sure you'll find some picking patterns that maybe you haven't thought of before and hopefully you can take the new tuning along with some new finger picking patterns and come up with a new song or something.

BEN

[aaeolean]

Also look into some new players.

Ever heard any Don Ross, Alex Degrasi John Renbourn or Ben Winoski (<- that's my shameless plug, but there are a few songs on my site you can listen to)

Some others are Kaki King........man is she ever weird on the guitar
Bob Evans
Justin King

Ben

[mattblack850]

Ah, for more advanced stuff along the lines of Bensusan et all start learning some of Tommy Emmanuels' stuff!!!

[Pekkaman]

Yeah, Tommy Emmanuel is nice, try (the Man with the) Green Thumb, love that one. The live version of Fleetwood Mac's Big Love is nice (and pretty advanced) too, helps building thumb-endurance too. ^_^

[Ehvam]

Wow, lots of new names. I have heard alot of Don Ross, but no peice really got me, but maybe its worth learning a few for the challenge. I've gotta look into alot of those guys. I hear alot of Tommy, but havent gotten around to getting his stuff (its so hard to find fingerstyle cds!). Good ideas guys. Thanks

[curiousgeorge]

Curious- That kind of stuff is second nature by now. I gues i'm looking for really weird stuf, like polyphonic rythmns between the bass and melody, alternative composing structures, like Bensusan. Percussive, multivoiced rythmn like Hedges. I've got a few Hedges and Bensusan songs down pretty well. It just seems like most acoustic fingerstyle stuff is mostly classical oriented or "countryish" (you know doc watson, etc) or blues. I've been enterpreting african rythmns and latin afro-cuban rythmns and trying to expand my knowledge of odd meters, etc. But its really hard cause most acoustic stuff is traditional, and there arent many accessable books that address the other, more exotic stuff. Please dont take it to mean that i'm any good, mind you, its just a stylistic preferance i'm trying to cultivate. For a long time i've done things like everyone else and not being very happy, but not knowing how to get what i want, and now i'm just more inclined to avoiding the necessary "required" stuff to try to be myself. I guess i'm trying to learn the tools i'm gonna need to be the player i'd like to be, and it just doesnt seem like theres much out there. (at least without spending a fortune!)

What about the banjo runs that Bela Fleck and the Flecktones do? COuld you play those fingerstyle on guitar?

[Bizarro]

Check out some of the John Mayer stuff. He is very inventive.

I know what you mean about "Dust in the Wind" and all that type of thing. So easy, so boring.

I like to figure out and play pop songs and do the whole bass, chord, & melody thing. It's a challenge. I was taught "If" by Bread in that style a bazillion years ago. Very nice song.