FINGERPICKING Stuff … Played on ELECTRIC GUITAR [awesome]

Hey guys, I just had a ton of fun playing my electric guitar so I thought I would record a lesson of what I was playing. I really like the badass fingerpicking stuff in A minor I was playing 🙂

I used to play electric guitar a lot before and it is still one of my favorite instrument even though acoustic guitar is still my favorite.

I hope you enjoy this lessons guys and remember that you can play this example on both electric and acoustic guitar so if you don’t have an electric guitar you can still give it a try.

About this exercise

Key: A minor

Chord progression: Am7(9) | Fmaj7(9) | Dm7 | Fmaj7(9).

How to Practice: Most of the time we will be playing arpeggiated chords with a simple melody on the B string. You should start by learning the chords and how to pluck them before adding the melody. Each chord has his own structure and some of them can be quite stretchy for the left hand. Practice slowly.

Additional resources: Get the tab and video with tab on screen on my Patreon page 🙂

Tab Available on Patreon!

Get the Tab here!

The Video

Fingerstyle Guitar Vs Electric Guitar

The fingerpicking technique is one of the most popular fingerstyle approach on acoustic guitar.

With this technique, guitar players play the strings by plucking them with the fingertips or nails. Each finger will pluck the assigned string depending on the chord, melody and style of music.

One of the most amazing thing about fingerstyle guitar is that we can combine both chords and melody withing the guitar part. The accompaniment is usually played with the thumb plucking the bass notes (bottom three strings D, A and low E) while the fingers take care of the treble strings (G, B and high E).

There are a lot of different fingerpicking styles and each one of them has a slightly different rhythmic and melodic approach. This about the Travis picking in which the thumb plays on two bass notes or the classical guitar style which is beautiful and really complex.

The electric guitar is a completely different instrument so many people wander if it is possible to play fingerpicking stuff on the electric guitar.

Electric Guitar Approach

The electric guitar is a awesome, fun to play instrument. The very first electric guitar was built in 1931 by The Rickenbacker “Frying Pan” The “frying pan” was the first electric guitar ever produced. Les Paul is also considered to be the very first guy who invented this awesome instrument.

Usually the electric guitar is played with a pick, a plastic tool which the guitar player holds between thumb and index finger. There are so many different style of music that can be played on the electric guitar such as: Blues, Rock, Jazz, Funk and Metal.

One of the question I get asked the most is: “Can I play fingerpicking stuff on my electric guitar?” The answer is simple! Yes indeed.

In this fingerpicking lesson I am going to show you how to play fingerstyle chords and melody using the electric guitar.

There are few differences you must consider though:

The body of an electric guitar is smaller than the acoustic guitar. If you have been playing acoustic for a while you will feel the different body shape especially with the right arm.
The electric guitar has a different sound depending on which amp of effects you are using which will affect the way you pluck the strings. Try to adjust the volume on the guitar and amp in order to achieve the tone you feel more comfortable playing with.
Another important difference between electric and acoustic guitar is the space between the strings which is significantly smaller on the electric guitar. When you start playing fingerpicking chords or melodies on the electric guitar you will notice that the right hand fingers will pluck multiple strings involuntary due to the tighter space between the strings. Keep practicing slowly while the fingers adjust.