Fingerstyle Guitar Basics

Course details

What is ‘fingerstyle guitar’? Theoretically ‘fingerstyle’ can be used to describe any style of guitar playing that uses the fingers to pluck the strings, rather than using a plectrum. As such, it can be said to encompass every style of music in which the guitar is used. However the term ‘fingerstyle guitar’, has in more recent years been used to describe a distinct guitar style centred around the steel string acoustic guitar.

Waltons New School of Music's Fingerstyle Guitar Basics course aims to introduce students to some of the fundamentals of fingerstyle guitar playing, including:

Styles & Techniques. Positions, patterns and exercises; classical and folk variations; alternating bass (the ‘granddaddy’ of all fingerstyle guitar styles); monotonic bass; arpeggios and strumming styles.

History & Major Players. We’ll listen to music by some of the genre’s most influential players.

Songs. There is a large repertoire of songs that can only be played fingerstyle, and students will get a chance to learn some of these songs and see how they’re performed. Songs covered may include:

• Ride On/Black Is the Colour – Christy Moore
• Scarborough Fair – Simon & Garfunkel
• Freight Train – Elizabeth Cotton
• Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) – Don McLean
• Streets of London – Ralph McTell
• Babe I’m Gonna Leave You – Led Zeppelin
• Blackbird – The Beatles
• Never Going Back Again – Fleetwood Mac

(This list is by no means exhaustive. Songs to study will be chosen at the discretion of the teacher depending on the level of the class, although individual tablatures may be available upon request.)

Instrumentals. Selections from blues, folk, ragtime, classical and more modern fingerstyle pieces to illustrate the application of specific techniques and indicate the range and breadth of styles available. Instrumentals covered may include:

• Is There Anybody Out There – Pink Floyd
• Angi – Davey Graham
• Orchid – Black Sabbath
• Sligo River Blues – John Fahey
• Romance – Anon.

Although this course is an introduction to fingerstyle guitar, it is not a course for guitar beginners. Participants should have at least one year’s playing experience, must be able to read guitar tablature and have a good grasp of basic open-position chords as well as standard barre chord fingerings. Changing from one chord to another should not be a problem. To gain the maximum benefit from the course, a steel string acoustic guitar is recommended, although nylon string or classical type guitars can also be used.

Fingerstyle Guitar Basics is one of our group courses. Private, partner, group and intensive lessons in fingerstyle guitar and other guitar styles are also available.