Observations on Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar

[James W]

A few observations on what I've realised after a few weeks getting back into jazz guitar.

I decided to practice alternating I and M, rest stroke, and to get comfortable doing all the exercises I like to do with this combination. I decided the index will be used for on-beats and middle for off-beats; however, as everyone will know, we like to slur into on-beats quite a lot, which, if following the system just described, means the middle finger used for all these plucked notes. This takes some getting used to because the tendency is for the two fingers (I and M) to do that walking alternating motion irrespective of whether your other hand is slurring some of the notes, and the result can be a bit confusing sometimes, when you're improvising and you might start using the M finger for on-beat notes etc. But I am currently learning a chorus I've composed on a well-known standard and I am - very consciously and deliberately - using the abovementioned system of fingering, and I am hoping the system's logic seeps into my subconscience naturally at some point - I mean, obviously I can't be thinking about such stuff when actually performing (I think it was Mike Stern who said thinking about technique while you're performing is like looking over your shoulder or some such). It's this that I want to get down ASAP at the moment, quite apart from questions of how fast I can play. Probably because I can actually go fairly fast albeit in short bursts. So yeah, it's a question of knowing what I'm doing and making the RH fingers intelligent, so to speak. I'd also like to start integrating the annular for some things, and from what I've tried there is lots of potential for alternating P and I too.

One thing I would say is - apart from questions of idiom, because I'd have to agree that using a plectrum is just a more idiomatic RH technique for jazz guitar - I do feel that fingerstyle is more 'organic' in a way; in the sense that I feel I have to work on tone, touch and simple articulation of melodies that I would take for granted using a plectrum, which I think might be similar to what horn players have to work on - sound-production, in other words.

Anyway, I know I'm not the only fingerstyle player here. I'd like to hear from others about how they go about this technique.

[pcjazz]

Fingered etudes by Jimmy Wyble and George Van Eps can help in getting out of the I-M alternation trap.

[pamosmusic]

I don’t play single notes with finger style, but I do pretty deliberately slur into as many downbeats as possible. So I have some ideas on that.

1. I think I probably down stroke on downbeats more often than not, but I pretty deliberately avoid a strict right hand system. The big technical practice thing I do is transcribe lines, sort out the left hand first, then decide where to slur and come up with the best picking pattern I can. Over time I think my right hand just makes better decisions on the fly.

2. I got a copy of Stick Control for the Snare Drummer. just replace R with down and L with up and work on those sticking/picking patterns through scales and things like that. I work on it fairly slowly, but I use that as a way of preparing myself for some of the asymmetrical picking that is kind of inevitable with all the slurs. I think you could probably do the same with R L corresponding to i m

[rictroll]

I spent a number of years studying classical guitar. Generally play solos with a pick but everything else with fingers.

Ridiculous number of moves of the pick back and forth from my mouth to transition.

I'm really not that quick with a pick, though I prefer the sound. Probably should choose a direction and develop it further.

[jazzyfan]

Play all the scales, but with a slur before every string change - ascending and descending.
This doesn't result in consistent "slurs-into-the-beat" but will definitely train you to get comfortable with either i or m playing into a "downbeat".