Fingerpicking can open a world of new possibilities for your playing. It allows you to break chords down to their individual notes and then deliver the notes in varying order with rhythm and syncopation. You can create intricate patterns, delicate or driving, that are captivating to listeners. I still remember being blown away by the talent of my 10-year-old friend Howie Hoffman at summer camp who could fingerpick lightning-fast patterns on his banjo. Here was a kid my own age who could wail! He immediately became a major inspiration behind my own desire to be a good player.
Most fingerpicking is done by the thumb and first two fingers. Occasionally, the third finger gets involved, especially for pulling out specific chord voicings. But your fourth finger also has an important job in the process—it rests on the face of the guitar just below the strings, providing stability for the active fingers to stay positioned above their strings. This is known as anchoring your fourth finger, or pinkie.
Try this by placing your thumb on top of the low E string, your first finger below the B string and your second finger below the high E string. Then, allow your fourth finger to drop onto the face of the guitar wherever it’s comfortable. This will eliminate the problem of your fingers drifting out of position while you’re fingerpicking.
[photo: Vintage Collective]
As a musician, it’s critical to play in time and not drift off the beat by rushing or dragging. But, that said, there are times when you can purposely use rushing or dragging to your advantage.
The term “playing legato” on guitar refers to playing long, continuous runs using a combination of hammer-ons and pull-offs to create a smooth stream of connected notes. For most guitarists I’ve met, the hammer-ons come naturally and easily. A good hammer-on is played by picking the first note and then attacking the following notes by hitting the string with your fingertips with some velocity and then holding the string down to sustain each of the notes for as long as you want.
Practicing with a metronome is the long-established method for learning to keep solid time. Playing scales and chord progressions with the metronome forces you to recognize any tendency you might have to speed up or slow down while you’re playing and helps you correct it. Metronome practice also allows you to gradually and effectively improve the speed of all your techniques.