Hey guys, today I am going to talk to you about the five things that will take your guitar playing to the next level.
Now, we are going to leave out things such as “You have to practice for more hours” or “You should practice with the metronome”. We kind of know that these things are important but they don’t really fire up your motivation.
The very first thing you need to become better at playing guitar and take it to the next level is to get inspired.
We will talk about:
Getting your technique right.
Know your scales.
Melodic chords.
Think small.
Consistency over Repetition.
If you find yourself disagreeing with some of these points just be reminded that we are all different human beings with different goals. What I am trying to teach you in this video should be taken as a piece of “friendly” advice and not like something you should immediately try to implement in your playing.
Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson. Today I am going to show you how to play this beautiful piece called Pavana by Arcangelo dal Liuto. This song was written in the 16th century and it sounds awesome!
This Pavana is played in A minor and it features a lot of simple chords such as A minor, D minor, and E major. The melody is simple, soothing, and not too difficult to play.
You can listen to this beautiful piece in the video below and watch the three parts tutorial on my Patreon page.
Hey guys, in this guitar lesson I am going to show you how to add chords to a simple chord progression, precisely, Dominant chords.
The Dominant chord is built on the fifth degree on the Major scale. Musicians, refer to it as the “Five chord”, written with the Roman numeral V. The main job of the Dominant chord is to resolve on the Tonic chord, also called the “One chord”, written with the Roman numeral I.
In this guitar lesson, I am going to show you how to add the Dominant chord (as well as the subdominant II) to a simple chord progression to make it more interesting and musical.
Welcome back to another lesson. Today I am going to show how to get the best tone out of your acoustic guitar using the fingerpicking technique.
In this lesson, we are going to talk about general things about the plucking technique (which you probably already know), plus things that are less obvious and more specific.
So, how can I get the tone that I want on the guitar? To get a beautiful guitar tone, pluck the strings smoothly. If you are playing with a guitar pick, try to pick the strings with the rounded side. To get a beautiful tone with the fingerpicking technique, learn how to control the plucking movement, dynamics, and volume. Also, use fingernails to increase the volume of the notes.
In this lesson we are going to talk about:
The fingerpicking technique: How to position the right-hand correctly.
Fingernails: How to file your nails to get the best tone out of your guitar.
Dynamics: Change the plucking technique based on the music style.
This lesson is perfect for any guitar player who wants to know more about the fingerstyle technique and how finally get the tone, dynamics, and musicality you want.
The Fingerpicking Technique: How to Position the Right-Hand
Learn how to position the right-hand correctly and how to pluck the strings to achieve the tone that you want.
But what’s the fingerpicking technique? The fingerpicking technique occurs when we pluck the strings with the right-hand fingers. The plucking fingers are thumb, index, middle, and ring even though some guitar players also use the little finger.
There are three important aspects you should consider when it comes to fingerstyle.
1.Technique: The way you position your hand.
2.Angle: Which is responsible for the tone and dynamics.
3.Articulation: How the plucking fingers should move.
1.Technique: Plucking Hand Position
How should I position my right-hand to get a beautiful guitar tone?
The basic concept of fingerstyle is that the thumb plucks the bass notes, which are the low E, A, and D string while the index, middle, and ring finger are responsible for plucking the top three strings, the G, B, and E string.
However, this is just a major, and it only applies 60% of the time. The fingerstyle technique is a versatile approach that changes depending on which style of music you play.
Most of the time the starting point of any guitar player is to position the index, middle, and ring on the G, B, and E string to practice basic pattern.
2.Angle: How to Pluck the Strings for Best Tone and Dynamics
To achieve a beautiful, mellow, and rounded fingerpicking tone you should position the index, middle, and ring finger at a 45-degree angle. Rest the index, middle, and ring finger on the strings and then turn the right-hand to a 45-degree angle.
But why the 45-degree angle is so important to fingerstyle players? Plucking the strings with the side of the fingers creates a smooth, rounded, and dull sound which is pleasant to hear.
We can break down the plucking movement into two separate moments. The very first part of the finger that touches the string is not the fingernail but the flesh, which gives the typical rounded and dull tone. Next, the nail plucks the strings adding volume and dynamics.
Without a 45-degree angle, you will be striking the strings with the fingernail only which gives you a bright, metallic sound.
3.Articulation: How the Plucking Fingers Move
Thumb and fingers pluck the strings differently.
The thumb only has two joints or knuckles, the major knuckle, which is the one that connects the finger to the hand, and the minor knuckle which is the one between the major knuckle and the fingertip.
The index, middle, and ring finger have three knuckles. The major, and 1st and 2nd minor.
Thumb movement: When we pluck the strings with the thumb, we mostly only use the Major knuckle. If you try to articulate the minor knuckle, it feels quite unnatural and uncomfortable. This is also why the downwards movement feels so natural with the thumb.
Fingers movement: When we pluck the strings with the fingers, we use two knuckles, the Major and the 1st minor. The preparation, which gives speed and momentum to the finger, starts with the Major knuckle. When I pluck the string though, the minor knuckle moves upwards, striking the string.
How to file your Nails to Get the Best tone Out of Your Guitar
One of the questions that I get asked the most is “Do you need fingernails to play acoustic guitar?”
You don’t need nails to play fingerstyle acoustic guitar. There are plenty of great acoustic guitar players who are fantastic players and don’t have nails. However, fingernails can give you a wider range of dynamics, more control, and volume.
So how do you file your nails to get the best tone out of your guitar? You should give your nails a rounded shape similar to a water drop. Make the left side very smooth. Pluck the strings with the side of the finger and combine skin (flesh) and fingernails.
Advantages of Playing Guitar with Nails
Playing guitar with fingernails gives you access to a huge range of dynamics. There are a lot of timbres available depending on how you pluck the strings. You should learn how to master each timbre by trying to pluck the strings in different positions. Also, try to pluck the strings using more skin or nail.
Below some of the timbres, I use all the time.
Bright: Mainly played with nails and with the right-hand close to the bridge.
Bright-Dull: Close to the bridge but with less nails and more flesh.
Rounded: 45-degree angle with flesh and nails. Hand position on soundhole.
Rounded-Bright: 45-degree angle with more nails.
There are countless ways of plucking the strings. You should spend a good amount of time practicing and experimenting with different right-hand positions.
Dynamics: Change the Plucking Technique Based on the Music Style
One of the awesome things about the fingerstyle technique is that we can pluck the strings in different ways depending on the style of music we are playing. This way of changing the tone and dynamics through your plucking fingers allows you to express yourself like no other instrument.
We could, for example, decide to play a set of chords using the rounded tone. This timbre is perfect if you are playing with a singer because the chords don’t sound too bright and loud. You could then switch to the bright tone when you solo over the chords.
Deciding which dynamics and tone you should use is totally up to you. Learn as many timbres as possible so that you will be able to use them instinctively and with confidence.
Related Questions
Do I need a good guitar to become a good guitar player? You don’t need a good guitar to become good at playing guitar. However, a good quality guitar is going to develop your technique, tone, and musicality quicker than a cheap guitar. The quality of the instrument influences the tone and dynamics. I recommend that you save up for a while to by a good guitar and good strings.
Can I use Fake Nails to Play Guitar? I see a lot of guitar players using fake nails to play fingerstyle guitar. If you struggle growing your nails, artificial nails can be quite helpful. Just make sure you file them correctly to get a smooth and rounded tone.
Let’s Wrap This Up
I hope this video answers some of your questions about tone and dynamics.
If your goal is to become a fingerstyle guitar player, you should try some of the things we talked about in this lesson. Learning how to pluck the strings correctly is just one ingredient in a plate full of different types of food.
On top of the basic technique, you should also focus on finding your voice on the instrument, which is what we call “the Tone.”
The tone is what makes you different from other guitar players. It’s your voice. Spend a reasonable amount of time experimenting with it until you find the tone you love.
Hey guys, welcome back to another tutorial. Today I am going to show you how to play this beautiful classical piece by Santiago de Murcia called Menuet (or Minuet).
I love the clever counterpoint so characteristic of 1700. The melody is soothing and straightforward moving between the chords with elegance and rhythm.
One of the challenging things about this music is the plucking thumb, which plays the bass notes up to the B string (2nd string). This is a skill not everyone has as the thumb is usually used to pluck the low E, A, and D string.
Apart from that, the melody should be easy to play, and the rhythm is quite straightforward.
The lesson is broken down into three sections. Take it step-by-step and practice one part at a time if need.
Hey guys, let me show you this fantastic Spanish rhythmic pattern over a beautiful chord progression in E minor. The goal for this lesson is to break down the rhythmic pattern into different sections that you can practice it step-by-step.
There will be mainly three significant sections
Learn the chords.
Learn the rhythmic pattern.
Learn the full fingerpicking pattern.
I am also going to add a B section with different chords based on the famous Spanish chord progression Em, D, C, Am, and B7.
This lesson is perfect if you want to improve your fingerpicking technique and practice a more rhythmic fingerpicking pattern.
How long should it take to improve your fingerpicking technique? Tricky question but not impossible to answer. I have been testing this three weeks system that combines scales, arpeggios, chords, melodies, and technical exercises. If done correctly this program can make you a better fingerpicking guitar player in a matter of weeks.
So, how do you improve your fingerpicking technique? To improve your fingerpicking technique combine scales, arpeggios, chords, melodies, and technical exercises that become progressively more difficult every week. Each week, the scales should be played faster, the arpeggios become more complex, the chords become more stretchy, the melodies more intricate, and the technical exercises more challenging. Practice as an athlete does, progressively and consistently.
How to Improve your Fingerstyle Technique
Becoming better at playing guitar isn’t just about repeating the same chord or scale over and over again. Instead, you should practice just as an athlete does, progressively and consistently. You should start slow and then make things more challenging as you become better.
But why three weeks? Well, it takes time for your fingers to get used to the movement and stretch. I have been testing this three weeks program with some of my students and I found that it’s just the best length of time to really see an improvement in your fingerpicking technique. I tried with four weeks but it was too short and we missed the final boost for massive improvement. On the other hand, programs longer than six weeks become boring and monotonous.
Three weeks is just about the right time to make a significant improvement in your fingerpicking guitar technique.
How does it work? I am going to give you a practice schedule to follow. Each week you will be practicing a bunch of exercises and key movements that will improve your fingerpicking technique with consistency. The exercises are practical and musical so you have the feeling you are actually playing music.
Fingerpicking Program
Here’s Your Fingerpicking Program
Week 1
E Major Scale
Four Chords in E major
Fingerpicking Exercise
Melody in E major
Warm Up Exercise
Week 2
A minor scale
Four Chords in A minor
Fingerpicking Exercise
Melody in A minor
Stretch Exercise
Week 3
G major scale
Four Chords in G major
Fingerpicking Exercise
Melody in G major
Symmetrical Exericse
Other things you will learn in this lesson:
How to organize your practice routine.
How to increment speed.
How to Organize your Practice Routine
Before we get started let me quickly show you how you should organize your practice routing to maximize the time you have available for your session. It obvious that you should already know how to position your right-hand to pluck the strings correctly.
You will need between 60 to 90 minutes per session to complete each weekly program. Obviously, if you practice six days a week, you will be able to get more benefits from the things you are about to practice.
Each week we are cover five different topics: A major or minor scale, chords, a fingerpicking exercise, a simple melody, and a warm-up or technical exercise.
If you can practice 60 minutes each session, you should spend roughly 12 minutes for each exercise. Obviously, 90 minutes as you will dedicate 18 minutes for each exercise.
Divide your practice routing into five sections. If you practice for 60 minutes, spend 12 minutes on each exercise. 90 minutes is recommended as it will give you 18 minutes to spend on each exercise.
How to Increment Speed
Each exercise has a starting speed indicated on top of the music stave. This is the Goal Speed and it shouldn’t be treated as the Starting Speed. If you are just getting started, practice the exercises for a while without metronome. Then, when you feel ready, play along with the click to track your speed.
For each week try to increase each exercise of at least 10 Bmp (beats per minutes).
Week 1 – E major Scale
In this first week, we are going to learn the E major scale in one position of the neck. Don’t see the scale as a technical exercise, but teat it as a melodic exercise. In fact, the notes we are learning will soon become a simple melody.
E major scale: E F# G# A B C# D# E
Here is the E major scale diagram. The scale is played with eighth notes (two notes per beat).
The speed is 90Bpm.
Week 1 – Four Chords in E Major
In this section we are going to learn four chords in E major key. Chords are one of the best thing you can practice to improve your fingerpicking technique.
The chord progression we are learning is E | C#m | A | B. Notice how with the fingerpicking technique we can simplify difficult chords such as the C# minor and B major chord.
The speed is 90Bpm.
Week 1 – Fingerpicking Exercise
In this fingerpicking exercise we are going to practice one of the most popular fingerpicking pattern exercise. This fingerstyle pattern is great for developing speed and control. It involves alternating the thumb with the index and middle finger.
To keep the exercise simple, I am only going to show you how to play it on two chords, but you can apply this pattern on any chord or chord progression.
The fingerpicking pattern is the P i P m, which stands for thumb, index, thumb, middle finger.
The Speed Goal is 100 Bpm.
Week 1 – Melody in E Major
We are going to use the E major scale you just learned to write a simple fingerstyle melody. The goal is not to write the most difficult melody you can possible play. Instead, we will focus on playing a few notes that sound good and melodic.
When you practice and play this melody, focus on improving the plucking, dynamics, and tone.
Week 1 – Fingerstyle Warm-up Exercise
The warm-ups are some of my favorite fingerpicking exercises. This particular exercise will help you warm-up both right-hand and left-hand. It’s based on the famous 1 2 3 4 guitar exercises that every guitar player know but the one I am about to show you comes with an interesting twist.
This warm-up exercise is played on two strings, the B and top E string, but it can be transposed in other set of strings to. You will pluck the B string with the index finger and the E string with the middle finger.
The Speed Goal is 60 Bpm but notice that the exercise is played with sixteenth notes (four notes per beat).
Week 2 – A minor Scale
We will now learn the A minor scale in position I. This scale is very simple to learn as it combines fretted notes and open strings.
A minor scale: A B C D E F G
Speed goal is 115 Bpm
Week 2 – Four Chords in A minor
Improve your fingerpicking technique with this simple chord progression in A minor. Pluck the strings together with Thumb, index and middle finger. Keep the plucking as evenly as possible and work on the dynamics and tone.
The speed for this exercise is 80 Bpm
Week 2 – Fingerpicking Exercise
One of the things that will improve your fingerpicking technique is practicing arpeggio patterns of eight notes. This pattern is one of the most common classical fingerpicking patterns ever played.
The pattern is called P i m i a i m a.
Speed 85 Bpm
Week 2 – Melody in A minor
Time to improve your fingerstyle tone and dynamics with this simple melody in A minor. The notes are played in triplets, three notes per beat. The number three on top of the notes means in fact “triplet”.
Speed 70 Bpm
Week 2 – Stretch Exercise
This stretch exercise is perfect for both right-hand and left-hand improvement. Pluck the strings with alternate fingering.
Speed 75 Bpm
Week 3 – G Major Scale
Learn this very simple G major scale in 1st position using the alternate fingering i-m-i-m.
G Major Scale: G A B C D E F# G
Week 3 – Four Chords in G Major
In this chord progression, we are going to combine two fingerpicking patterns. The first one is P i m a and the second pattern is P a m i.
Speed 125 Bpm
Week 3 – Fingerpicking Pattern
The fingerpicking pattern we will learn in this lesson will improve your alternate fingering technique as well as control and speed.
Speed 75 Bpm
Week 3 – Melody in G Major
Learn this simple melody and develop your musicality and tone. When you practice and play the melody, don’t really worry about speed. Instead, focus on tone and dynamics.
Week 3 – Symmetrical Exercise
The last exercise of this program is this symmetrical exercise played on one string. The goal for this exercise is to develop alternate fingering, finger stretch, and finger dexterity.
Related Questions
Can I practice each week for longer? Absolutely! If it takes longer for you to master one week than don’t worry about it. At the end of each week you should feel like you learned something. There is no point to finish the program as quickly as possible.
I am a beginner. Can I start playing guitar with the fingerstyle technique? You can start playing guitar with the fingerstyle technique. However, you should focus on exercises that develop your plucking technique like fingerpicking scales and arpeggios as well as playing chords, songs, and fingerstyle melodies. It is absolutely possible for beginners to learn fingerpicking technique.
Hey guys, welcome to another lesson! Today I am going to show you how to transform a simple chord progression from basic to super chords. We will be using a lot of different techniques combined.
Fingerstyle technique.
Chords.
Melody.
Rhythm.
Percussion.
Implementing this ways of playing will definitely change the way you sound and it will add more color, dynamics, and groove to your progressions.
This approach moves towards the intermediate/advanced level so If you have been playing guitar for a while I recommend that you try this. Take your time and learn one chord at a time if you need to.
Hey guys, welcome to another lesson. Today I am going to show you how to play a beautiful and soulful chord progression in D minor.
In this lesson, we are going to learn a lot of different chords such as the Bbmaj7, the Am7, and Dm9 chord. We are also going to explore altered chords such as the A7(b13).
Some of these chords can be quite challenging to play and they are more intermediate/advanced so they are perfect for guitar players who want to try different chords.
We will also add a melody between the chords … just to make things even more interesting.
