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Acoustic Guitar Flatpicking Tips for Faster, Cleaner, Crisper Playing
By Lee Griffith
Whether you pick bluegrass, fiddle tunes, and old-time music on a
guitar like I do, or other styles of music, here are some good
basics to learn that will get you on the road to playing fast,
clean, crisp lead on an acoustic guitar:
1. The first thing you need to do is start with a pick that is
thick enough! Use at least a medium pick--usually about .73-.81mm.
This may seem difficult at first, but it is absolutely necessary,
so that you'll get strong, snappy notes that really make a
statement.
2. Be sure to grip the pick firmly so that your thumb and index
finger cover most of the area of the pick. Choke up on that pick!
You don't want to play little wimpy licks!
3. DO NOT rest the palm or wrist of your picking hand on the bridge
or on the top of your guitar. Your hand needs to float freely so
that you can keep the edge of the pick at pretty much a 90 degree
angle from the strings. Keep your pinky or ring finger (or both)
stiff so that one of these fingers glides LOOSELY over the top as a
reference. This will definitely seem awkward if you are not used to
it, but it is a must if you're going to be a good acoustic guitar
picker!
4. On the left hand (or the hand that works the fretboard): Keep
those fingernails trimmed well! You need to be able to press the
strings down with the least amount of effort in order to be a good
picker--and long fingernails throw a monkey wrench into the works.
5. When you pick out guitar lead parts in the first position, the
index finger will cover the notes played at the first fret. The
second finger will cover notes in the second fret. The third finger
will finger the notes in the third fret. And, "Mr. Pinkie" will
finger the notes played on the fourth fret. As with most things in
life, there are exceptions. This principle should be regarded
primarily as a guideline. From time to time, you will find it
necessary to break this rule. Many chords, for instance, simply
cannot be played unless the "one finger per fret" rule is violated.
Certain licks will be played more speedily and cleanly by straying
from the principle. But as a general rule, it is best to discipline
yourself to abide by the precept of "every finger has its fret and
every fret has its finger." Make exceptions only when there is a
definite purpose in doing so.
6. Play the G Chord, not as it is commonly played, but like this:
Put your THIRD finger behind the third fret of the sixth string, your
SECOND finger behind the second fret of the fifth string, and MR.
PINKIE behind the third fret of the first string. THE FIRST FINGER
WILL NOT EVEN BE USED IN THE CHORD! This will allow you to switch
to the C chord with much more speed that ever before. And when you
switch to the C chord, you have the option of leaving your pinkie
behind the third fret of the high E string, which gives the C chord
an entirely new dimension. Then leave it on the same way and go
right back to G. Most importantly, playing the G this way leaves
your first finger and other fingers in an ideal position to go
quickly into lead licks. It may seem difficult to learn, but once
you learn, you'll never go back!
7. If you want to be a fast and clean flatpicker, one of the
smartest things you can do is to practice using a metronome. You
might say, "I don't have a metronome." Well, I will not allow you
to use that as an excuse--because you can now go to an online
metronome any time you wish, and it doesn't cost you a cent! Just
go to:
http://www.metronomeonline.com
These are, I believe, the most important basics. If you would like
to read more details about these techniques and other valuable
acoustic guitar information, plus some danged good recipes, read some of my other articles on this website.
Copyright © 2007 Lee Griffith. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Griffith is an avid acoustic guitar player and a vintage instrument enthusiast. He invites you to receive a FREE REPORT on a revolutionary acoustic guitar lesson kit, along with his weekly newsletter via email. just click on http://optin.flatpickpost.com
Check out Lee's blog, "The Flatpick Post" at http://flatpickpost.com
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