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Learn fingerpicking


Localboylost

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Just tried to play under the bridge and realised it's finger picked, i can only get so far in the song but i keep messing up with my right hand. I remember a friend who plays classical from school showing me how finger picking is done, but can't remember as that's a long time ago, anybody here know which fingers pick which string? also any fingerpicking tips would be awsome, cheers :up:

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The E,A and D is played with your thumb. Play the G with your index, B with your middle and E with the ring finger. I generally use my pinky as a resting finger to keep my shape.

In terms of exercises, it is easy to make your own up. Just be disciplined and make sure you don't get in to the habit of only using your thumb and your index finger. Be strict with yourself and you'll reap the benefit.

This is my take on it anyway.

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I remember having a proper struggle trying to learn how to fingerpick. In the end I just sat down with the sheet music for hallelujah by Jeff Buckley and flew in amongst it like a hobo eating hot chips. Don't think what finger should be plucking what string, just practice and you'll get there. Good luck sir!!

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The E,A and D is played with your thumb. Play the G with your index, B with your middle and E with the ring finger. I generally use my pinky as a resting finger to keep my shape.

In terms of exercises, it is easy to make your own up. Just be disciplined and make sure you don't get in to the habit of only using your thumb and your index finger. Be strict with yourself and you'll reap the benefit.

This is my take on it anyway.

Yeah i tried under the bridge kinda like that, except only using the thumb for e and a, which made it 20 times harder for myself as the fingers are ment to be positioned in a pinching motion as the man himself shows here:

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Agree with Runcie: just slow it right down and play it however is comfortable, once your fingers have learned it, gradually speed it up, same with anything else. I had a quick check and I would play it with just thumb and index finger. Don't know a great deal about classical guitar but I would only think more fingers would be necessary if you were doing really fast and complicated classical patterns and learning Under the Bridge isn't anything like that.

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In "Under the Bridge" Frusciante uses a plectrum to play the root notes and picks the rest with his middle and ring finger. It's called "hybrid picking" and it's is pretty hard to get comfy with, but it frees you from dicking around with grabbing a plec if you need it for the rest of a tune as he does here. I'd learn that! Affa handy you must agree!!

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The Chilli Peppers get a bad rep but there is no denying Frusciante is a great guitarist, ably demonstrated by the fact that the Chilli Peppers level of goodness is directly attributable to whether JF is in the band or not.

At least this held up until Stadium Arcadia or whatever it was called, now they are just pish full stop.

I should note here that I have held somewhat of a RHCP grudge after trekking to see them in Edinburgh a few years back and Kiedis acted the cock moaning about how tired he was and couldn't be bothered. Diddums.

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The E,A and D is played with your thumb. Play the G with your index, B with your middle and E with the ring finger. I generally use my pinky as a resting finger to keep my shape.

In terms of exercises, it is easy to make your own up. Just be disciplined and make sure you don't get in to the habit of only using your thumb and your index finger. Be strict with yourself and you'll reap the benefit.

This is my take on it anyway.

Good advice. I'd also point out that the thumb is the rhythm and when you're starting out it's useful just to sit and practice playing alternating bass string patterns (open e, open a, open e, open d) just to get your thumb trained. It needs to be able to keep playing the bassline while the other fingers are working on the melody

Then once you've got used to that you can start introducing the other fingers.

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I'm the opposite, I taught myself to fingerpick when I first started the guitar, so I struggle more with a plectrum.

Paul Simon was a big influence on me, he really is a master finger picker. Also, do some searches on you tube and the like for Travis picking.

For lead I use thumb and first and second fingers, but the ring finger gets used for arpeggio stuff.

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The Chilli Peppers get a bad rep but there is no denying Frusciante is a great guitarist, ably demonstrated by the fact that the Chilli Peppers level of goodness is directly attributable to whether JF is in the band or not.

At least this held up until Stadium Arcadia or whatever it was called, now they are just pish full stop.

I should note here that I have held somewhat of a RHCP grudge after trekking to see them in Edinburgh a few years back and Kiedis acted the cock moaning about how tired he was and couldn't be bothered. Diddums.

I agree. Individually, they are great musicians. I just don't like the sound they make as a unit.

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I seem to remember that when starting out your always told to use the thumb for EAD strings and fingers for GBE, but you shouldnt limit yourself by worrying too much about using certain fingers for certain strings cause it rly just depends what your playing.

Im kinda the opposite here cause my picking could do with some work lol. Guess its just what your used to.

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I seem to remember that when starting out your always told to use the thumb for EAD strings and fingers for GBE, but you shouldnt limit yourself by worrying too much about using certain fingers for certain strings cause it rly just depends what your playing.

Im kinda the opposite here cause my picking could do with some work lol. Guess its just what your used to.

Totally. For under the bridge (first chord) I'd tend to use my thumb on the A string, then index on D, middle on G and last one on the B. Just do whats comfy. That first chords a right dick to fret though.

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