Fingerpicking Guitar Basics
Fingerpicking is a method of setting the guitar strings in motion using the fingers, rather than a pick or a toothbrush, etc.
It's like having 4 picks rather than one.
It is important to have the most natural mechanics - this creates great tone - round & resonant. Using your hands in alliance with nature & human physiology gets the best results.
To get great tone, it all starts with the drivers.
The main knuckle joints for the fingers are the primary drivers .
These knuckles have a muscle in the hand connected to them. By using this knuckle, the finger will rebound.
The thumb's driver is the joint connected to the WRIST.
The fingers pluck upward into the hand and the thumb plucks downward (although they both strum in both directions).
Labels refer to Spanish terms
- p = pulgar
- i = indio
- m = medio
- a = anular
- c = chiquita
You may see pimac translated many other ways too.
Drivers for i, m, & a
The main driver for fingerpicking is the joint at the hand. This offers you rebound. When you pluck with this joint, the finger will return to its position. If you are getting ready to pluck a different string, you move your arm to get a different fingertip location.
As far as using the main knuckle, think about how you pick things up. Can you effectively pick up anything with the upper finger joints?
Stroke Cycle
A goal in learning to fingerpick is to find out how your hands work.
In modern playing, we play thumb out . The thumb plucks to the outside of the hand, as when you make a fist.
The X
The thumb & fingers need a pathway. A path that doesn't interfere with the follow through of the others.
Always keep in mind: thumb plucks down, outside the fingers, & the fingers pluck up, inside the thumb.
Play a basic arpeggio exercise. An arpeggio is a broken chord - playing tones in a chord one at a time.
Pick any chord or use open strings.
Let your fingers rebound - come back to where they started.
This allows your hand [fingers] to do most of the work.
