Learn Fingerpicking Guitar

Why do so many people want to learn fingerpicking guitar? The reason is because it’s expressive, dynamic, and intriguing. Listening to good fingerpicking can become an incredible experience. Moreover, once you learn some finger-style guitar rolls, you can learn to play almost anything you want, allowing you to learn and master guitar the easy way.

What do you need to know, in order to learn finger-style guitar? You need to know basic cord arrangements. Do you need to know how to read sheet music? No, you don't. So, how to start learning? Start with rolls (pattern of notes), which will help to get your finger used to picking particular strings. Choose a roll and repeat it until you are happy with it. For starters, choose 3 strings and start picking them with the same fingers over and over again. Let's look at learning a sample roll below. There are six strings on a guitar (the sixth string is at the bottom, and the first string is at the top). Employ three of your fingers, where the thumb will be picking the fourth string, the pointer finger will be picking the fifth string, while the middle finger will be picking the sixth string from the bottom.

Your pinky should be placed against the guitar's body, to keep your hand steady over the strings. Start playing the 4, 5, 6 sequence from top to bottom, and with the right finger hitting each string. Hit the strings as accurately as you can. Repeat this roll as many times as you need to perfect it. Practice, and eventually you will start running these three strings together, with no beginning and no end. This is what learning a roll is about.

Once you have mastered it, choose another sequence of strings. There's no need to use more than four fingers, since you will always need your pinky to keep your hand steady and in place. The following sequence employs four of your fingers: the thumb will be picking the first string (the top one), ring finger will be picking the sixth string (the bottom one), pointer finger will be picking the fourth string, and middle finger will be picking the fifth string. Keep doing this pattern, and ensure that you are using the right finger to pick each string. Practice until the 1, 6, 4, 5 sequence becomes a roll.

Now you can start changing chords and positions. You can pick any strings, but keep them in the order described above, as well as you can pick different octaves (two same notes that are 8 notes apart - higher or lower; picking octaves means picking two far away strings that sound good together). Your continuous roll sounds different now, and your fingers work how you want them to. The described four-finger roll will enable you to play almost anything you want, without even thinking about your fingers. You can use tabs (tablatures) for more roll ideas. Tabs are easy to read fingering notations that show the strings and the order played, with no need to know how to read sheet music.