Electric Fingerstyle Guitar

Playing fingerstyle on an electric guitar or steel string acoustic can be a very different experience than on a classical guitar. If you use nails you need to keep them in prime condition and steel strings can sure be tough on nails! In this class I’ll demonstrate which techniques have personally worked for me though years of experimentation in various playing situations. The material presented is also applicable to acoustic steel string guitarists and the jazz nylon string player. For most guitarists playing single note lines on an electric is frustrating because it’s hard to equal the tone, conviction and swing of an expertly flat-picked line. But it can be done and can often give a fuller sound than a flatpick possibly with more tonal variation and nuances. The class will address many issues: principals in achieving a full sound before plugging into an amp, ideal free stroke angles, muting techniques, all things nail; nail lengths, nail shapes, filing etc, left hand slurs, right hand one finger sweeps, discussion of string gauges and types, alternating index and middle, alternating index and ring, using the same finger to play 2 and 3 consecutive notes between slurs, pattern picking, and more.  Written examples accompany the video that further clarify the right hand fingerstyle picking techniques applied to distinct musical phrases. In the examples the left hand notation is also given to show the optimal positions that make the lines swing, project and yield a horn-like phrasing and articulation that can only occur when both hands are in sync and balanced. Fingerstyle guitar can add another dimension to your electric playing by expanding the variety of textures and adding counterpoint much more easily. Join me for a fun and informative class on fingerstyle electric guitar techniques. View clips from this class.