The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hiya

    Does anyone have any advice/exercises/references about fingerpicking in the right hand whilst holding the pick still?

    Trying to learn some finger-style patterns whilst still holding the pick so I can switch between chord stuff and line playing easily. Anyway It seems so goddamn hard to fingerpick with the middle,ring and pinky! My pinky is so damn clumsy and all I can really do convincingly is play strings simultaneously. Don't get me wrong I've tried working on developing this technique for a while but it seems progress is very minimal. Does anyone know of any great players that use this sort of technique? Or do any of you?

    Help!

    Cheers

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  3. #2

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    I have a little advice.

    1. Practice!
    2. Also practice a lot without a pick and using four fingers. I don't think it interferes with learning a hybrid style. Others may disagree.
    3. Have an extra pick immediately available. That's good advice for all performers. Some very accomplished guitarists keep one in their mouth. Besides being disgusting, a choking hazard (maybe), and making slippery picks, audiences will mostly remember that you put that pick in your mouth. Here are two good options: the Dunlop pick holder (it's not supposed to react with nitro and I've never seen that happen over the years of my use) and the Wedgie.

    There is an instructional DVD by Johnny A that is very interesting and probably helpful.

    https://www.amazon.com/Johnny-Taste-Tone-Space-DVD/dp/0757940757


    Fingerpicking with pick in hand-wedgie-holder-jpgFingerpicking with pick in hand-dunlop-pick-holder-jpgFingerpicking with pick in hand-wedgie-2-jpg

  4. #3

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    A couple of incredible guitarists who use their pick and fingers together are Scotty Anderson and Johnny Hiland.

    And yes the Johnny A DVD mentioned above could help you out in that area.

    Here's a link to his page on the Chord Melody Guitar Music.com website that has video clips from that DVD.

  5. #4

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    Like any other technique, start slowly, even very slowly to develop the muscles, feel etc. Be patient and it will come together in time. One thing I like to do is use all fingers at once when playing chord melodies. Eric Johnson calls this Piano attack or style.

    Vince Gill mostly uses the pick and middle finger only. Danny Gatton is good at going from pick, middle finger to ring finger real fast. This is harder for me than going in the reverse direction for some reason. Try both directions to see which is easiest for you.

    The Pinky is the weakest finger and is best used sparingly. Some players have a knack for using the pinky and some don't. I like comping by using the pick for bass lines while the rest of the fingers play chords.

  6. #5

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    you might look at how Brian Setzer use's His Pick, I my self cant do it that way

  7. #6

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    When I was learning to do it, it took a lot of time - more time than any other technique I have learned - and tons of easy chord progressions working on rolls before starting string-skipping exercises. The best way I found was to assign strings to fingers and consistently use them that way.

    But then I started playing with five fingers (or four, giving my pinky a break) and things got a lot easier and more even, volume-wise. Now I do that mostly.

  8. #7

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  9. #8

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    I usually just flip the pick inside the hand. Either held by the middle finger or somewhere between the index and middle finger. Happens very quickly. I may also hybrid pick, but I much prefer the sound I get from thumb and the 3 usual suspects!

  10. #9

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    The pinky is quite strong and more independent than either the ring or middle fingers, it's just short. Growing out the nail and reinforcing it can be very effective, giving hybrid pickers another tool to use. Gustav Assis-Brasil's various books on hybrid picking are very thorough.

  11. #10

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    Advice from my teacher: To develop your ring finger, play scales with ring finger and pinky. That will help your pinky, too.

    Be that as it may, there are some Classical players who advocate the use of all five fingers. Heitor Villa-Lobos is said to have told Segovia that if he didn't use his pinky, he might as well cut it off. Some of his stuff calls for the pinky. Try his Prelude No. 2, especially the middle part. The left hand just slides up and down, so don't worry about the accidentals.

    But honestly, I'm one of the players who put the pick in the mouth. You shouldn't do that when you're singing. Happened to me once, to the great delight of my wife. I've got Wedgies on my guitars but I can't seem to put the pick in fast enough.

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steven Herron
    A couple of incredible guitarists who use their pick and fingers together are Scotty Anderson and Johnny Hiland.

    And yes the Johnny A DVD mentioned above could help you out in that area.

    Here's a link to his page on the Chord Melody Guitar Music.com website that has video clips from that DVD.

    Regards,
    Steven Herron
    Johnny A Tabs - Guitar Solos, Tab Books, Instruction DVDs + Video Lessons
    There use to be a small club/rest. close by, the Dodge Street Bar and Grill. Johnny A. had a long running Monday night solo gig there when ever he was home. This was before he got his solo deal and it's where he tested out the tunes. He was mostly playing with Peter Wolf at that time. It was a fun place to play. Never a cover charge so you didn't make much $ but you knew that. Johnny A. is a really nice guy.

  13. #12

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    Try taking some classical guitar lessons and learning some of that repertoire. Very early on, you will learn pieces that will teach independence of each of the right-hand fingers and thumb.

  14. #13

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    Check out the Bumblebee thumb picks from Fred Kelly. Might be the ticket for you.


  15. #14

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    You might want to try the "SharkTooth" crossover pick - not a flatpack/not a thumb pick. See demo..

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

  16. #15

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    Just for the heck of it, I took a look at the promo for Pasquale Grasso's Master Class 1 video earlier today - turns out, he uses a combination of pick and fingers. Plays a lot of very fast, clean phrases using that method...

  17. #16

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    As an off the wall suggestion maybe consider using a thumb-pick. As an example, look at Jerry Donahue - although not a jazz guitarist - who achieves miracles with a thumb-pick and 3 fingers. I spoke with Jerry a few years ago and he said that he developed this very personal technique on the basis that nobody told him that playing this way was not the usual way to do things......

  18. #17

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    One odd fact I learned years ago. Merle Travis used his thumb and just one finger. That was enough to make me comfortable about hybrid picking; I'm just using the pick and middle finger 90% of the time, so there is no reason to put the pick anywhere.