slapping and tapping and fingerpicking...

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CDT-sHaG

CDT-sHaG

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check this out:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/genfan

listen to the style of guitar she plays on..say...."new grass"...or "catch me"

im not crazy about the whole songs just the techmique of slapping on acoustic..

i played funk bass for years as well as played acoustic guitar...

i've listened to michael hedges and a few others who are amazing fingerpicking guitarists....

i always played bass three ways..pick, fingers or slap...depending on the tune i was writing/playing...

im into acoustic guitar now to do some solo gigs...

but on guitar i have always used a pick..untill i heard some of this stuff....

i dont wanna play folk but i love the possibilities of this style of acoustic playing.....i actually wrote a little funk ditty last nite but it's soo hard on a guitar..i mean the string spacing is weird to me...

(finaly he gets to the point lol)...

ok..whats the best way to learn proper fingerpicking on acoustic?

i have tried by reading tutorials on the web....but i cant get it lol..

i can play/slap the lowest two strings easily with my thumb..getting some killer sounding harmonics in the process..but i cant seem to curl my hand enough to pick the other strings...

maybe i've played with a pick too long?? lol......
 
very Billy McLaugllin

Very similar to Billy McLaughlin, Phil Keaggy, or Michael Hedges.

Problem is, most independant guitarists who use this slap tap harmonic technique end up kinda overusing it. it's a tasteful addition to a great solo acoutic tune, but overused on every track, well, its like using GCD for every song...gets old after a while.

Not bad though...

Offically, you use your thumb for the top three strings, and use your Index, Middle, and Ring fingers for the the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings respectivly. Usually you approach the strings from the side (as opposed to the top like a bass player) - and you leave the three fingers on those strings for when you need them.

I've seen some players take that pinky and jam it against the guitar body so they don't lose where their hand is and they don't use it all...others do sometimes. Then you got guys like Lindsey Buckingham, who break every rule about fivefold regarding guitar. (he even plays leads with his fingers!) -

However, there are as many ways to do it as there are ways to tune a guitar...find what works best for you and don't let official technique sway you too much.

RB
 
I don't know about best, but the way I learned was by reverse engineering songs and by developing comfortable patterns of finger movement.

The one song that taught me the very most about fingerstyle, and the artist, was Canadian Railroad Trilogy by Gordon Lightfoot. Try to find an early recording, from before he got caught up in his "lush strings" period (akkk). That song is wonderful for many reasons, but one of them is that it is a consistent, long tutorial in very basic fingerstyle playing. Once I got that rhytmic bass / treble alternating pattern in my fingers (still can't really explain what it is that they do) I found it could be adapted to all kinds of music.

For a trip to never land, and a look at what can be done with an acoustic, click on this guy's site:

www.prestonreed.com

And listen to a few of his tunes here:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/244/preston_reed.html



He also does instructional videos...:D
 
thanks guys..

damn treeline......now i gotta board myself up in the woodshed lol...preston rocks...omg.

i agree 100% that ANY technique can become mundaine if you over use it...i used to be really into dave matthews but recently i dont see him expanding (that's just one example i can think of right off...)....just kinda does the whole suspended chord thing to death...and like i said i dont care for vicki genfan's songs per se......

john mayer does this a little also..he's like a dave matthews mixed with jazz/blues...better guitarist though..

i wanna do this the same way i would slap a bass....or sweep pick guitar..or do pull-offs for that matter..as an accent...not for a whole song....

i fogot about Phil Keaggy...that tune "jam in the pocket" from acoustic sketches is one that comes to mind...he combines soo many techniques just in that one little tune...amazing.
lyndsy buck is amazing also...

i played a bit at lunch today and found one style that works pretty well for a couple types of sounds....i dunno if it's a standard or not..

basically slapping the low "E" and "A" strings with my thumb and up-strumming the others with my index..then "plucking" intervals with my thumb and index...but i see a lot of limitations of this....basically im using 2 fingers...

oh..and i forgot to mention that alot of these folks use alternate tunings.....dropped-d...C...open E....also they use wierd gage strings..some even use lighter gage bass strings sometimes (read that in acoustic guitar mag..)...

i dont really want to get into that until i get more guitars....dropped-d and a capo is about as far as i go right now..for chord soloing...i may venture out a bit in the future though...

thanks again....
 
Dropped - D and a capo is a good place to begin; I'm fooling with it myself. Another good tuning is open D (great for flat out blues slide and Kottke style stuff).

Here are two more another string masters for you go get familiar with. Martin Simpson gives simple advice - pick out a melody, and the rest will follow. These are giants of the genre in my view.

www.martinsimpson.com

www.edgerhard.com
 
man...im still reading up on preston lol..this is kool...

[edit]http://www.shubb.com/c7b.htm[/edit] (this looks kool...)

pick out a melody, and the rest will follow
Click to expand...

my whole approach to music has always been just that....when i started playing bass in rock bands in my younger days i always got recognized as being different....whenever i had to learn a cover song i just listened to the tune 2-3 times and never focused on just the bass part...most of the time i came up with some really kool parts that way...writing was where i really wanted to be..or doing a different take on a cover....

when i first heard jaco i was floored...beneath the muddiness were these beautiful melodies just singing out...that approach has stayed with me and now i apply that to my acoustic playing...

i have no formal training other than a bit of piano when i was a kid...the basics...im 98% ear.....

i have to look at charts to figure out what scales and chords im playing sometimes...lol..mostly i dont even bother unless im trying to learn something new and need to practice running the patterns...not to say that training is bad..i often wish i could transcribe things.....

looking at tabs mean nothing to me except to get going sometimes....i constantly push myelf though to learn more....im rarely satisifed...

how about you treeline? what's your background and such?

do you have any recordings up?

funny thing is i found this site to get going in home recording but hell..ive spent the last few months just playing....bought ntracks and it's just rotting away lol...hopefully ill get some material together when i can quit trying to learn new things lol...
 
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Preston is killer. Reminds me of Ralph Towner, another sick fellow. This is some great "at work" listening!
 
CDT- sHaG -

Similar stories here. I started playing guitar in 1969 or 1970. My first real guitar was given to me in 1970 - a '59 Gibson LG2 acoustic, which I still have. That thing got me through high school in one piece. I took one or two lessons and it didn't click. Tried to learn to read music with it (chorus, band etc; tried clarinet and horn; lacked discipline), but I found that I would memorize a phrase almost immediately and it would never have time to connect with the notes on the printed page. So I listened, and played, and listened, and played; I got to be a bit of a "one pass wonder."

The closest I ever got to being able to sight read music notation was what little I gained through high school and community choruses, where we were doing pieces that were not always intuitive. Those were wonderful experiences!

So I'm the archetype improv guitar guy. Never play the same thing the same way twice. Some like it, some shake their heads at the lack of discipline; they probably both have a point. I don't think anything intimidates me quite as much as sitting in with an accomplished musician who has developed an intimate understanding of music theory and knows the instrument cold. And its funny because that's also the same point that I really let loose. Sometimes it works.

One high point was in 1973 when I was at a fiddler's contest / banjo festival at Burke Mountain. A few of us were jamming to "Little Maggie" or something like that in one of the back rooms at the resort, probably a ski shop or something, when in walks Vassar Clements, pulls out a fiddle (yes, that fiddle) and joins in for about half an hour. Made this high school kid's eyes pop, I'll tell you.

These days I'm playing out of my ruts, if I can. So it's all on a steep learning curve: bluegrass, hot flatpicking solos, ragtime fingerstyle, blues slide, "Come All ye" call and response folkie stuff, the occasional harmonic experiments (usually right after a new set of strings), standard church fare every Sunday, and the "someday I'll know all these" solo setlist, and the altered state / altered tuning thingie. I suffer from "plays by himself too much" syndrome and keep being reminded of the need for solid rhythm chops.

And no, I haven't really recorded a blinking thing. Oh well, someday…but, hey - life is awesome anyway!!
 
lol...yeah...im 33 so when you started i was in diapers beating on me moms pots and pans lol...and as far as brushes with "greatness"..closest ive gotten to that is opening for the ramones once..omg..lol..

but i totally relate to the improv' thing...

that's the joy of music to me...improv and fun and creativity...

not a dsiplined repeating of things...

just my 2 cents....ive always played rock and funk mostly..some jazz that i pick up...my tastes in music really are wierd..

i love, with a passion, listening to such artists as tool, james taylor, sade, soundgarden, marvin gaye, jaco pastoriius, miles davis, jane's addiction, parliment funkadelic.......i never know whats gonna move me until i hear it..

i mean i never care WHO the artists is..just WHAT they're doing....

if it's the beatles? fine...

if it'a a knock-off band? fine...

if it's hendrix? fine...

if it's stevie ray? BETTER!! lol..

i could give 2 shits if i like a popular band or an obscure one...lol.....i see so many of these "purists" who will only listen to certain artists without opening their minds to other interpretations of those artists work...that's how we grow imho..

oh well..enough ranting..i just had a conversation on this very thing with a friend so im kinda steamed lol.....:D
 
oh..and back on the subject..lol..

i restrung last nite and tuned down a whole step and then did a dropped-d and got some killer sounds going playing the way i use to play my bass sometimes...just by slapping with my thumb...

(yes i had to restring because my dumbass was slapping a bit too hard before and broke 2 strings at once lol...the "G" and "B" lol..but the groove was killer lol)

and BTW..im looking at new acoustics...

i know, i know this has been beat to death on this forum...ive seen some of your excellent posts on the matter...

but i really like the simon and patrick's in my price range...$600-$700....or maybe lower end martins..i dunno..im gonna keep playing different ones...

and i'll say it..seagulls are just plain UGLY to me lol..the headstock all the way down the fretboard.....i dont need a damn seagull reminding what brand im playing lol...

i love taylors but they seem fragile to me as compared to other guitars.....more delicate, beautiful things....plus the costs is outta me reach right now.....
 
In that range, you have a whole bunch of choices, and maybe the thing to do is play one after another. Make sure you play the guitar detuned to see what it's like. Lots of instruments really open up when you do that, but they may require a little different setup, and if you toss heavier strings on it, you may void the warranty. So think it through.

I'd hold out for a solid top, absolutely. But you can shave a few bucks and still get great sound with laminated backs / sides, and that can open up the choices quite a bit. Watch for no-name tuners - if you drop $700 or more on a basic guitar, you really are entitled to get Grovers, Schallers or Gotohs (look similar to Grovers; tend to be a few bucks more), and they really do a better job than some of the lookalikes out there. Maybe enough so that if you find a guitar that seems to be what you want but comes with a second quality set of tuners, you might be able to negotiate an upgrade right then and there. Street price for a set of Grovers will be in the area of $30 - 40 and installation would be extra. But what the heck - get talking and something might happen.
 
i put schallers on my yamaha acoustic a few years back..they're awesome.....

definetly i want a solid top..and actually...i really dont mind laminated sides and back (for durability)....i mean i could buy a taylor, maybe a 300 or 400 series, but i'd wreck it in a month lol.....

in fact..i was really, really considering buying a taylor big baby..i mean $320? that's nothing..the thing had a sweet sound and played like an eletric...but i felt like i had a toy in my hand..i was having to be soo careful with it..and once i get caught up in a tune forget it..im gonna bust that thing lol...and the frets were sloppy..about cut my hand off lol...and the neck was bowed like an elephant's boner...the idiot at this shop mucked it up i believe...taylor doesnt send out crap like that i dont think...at least ive never seen one before..

but....im visiting every music store i can within 100 miles of me..and that's a few stores...i wont buy online...too risky..

i'm playing everything under the sun....but im finding the same models everywhere...

washburn (bad feel to me),

yamaha (they made the last good one for me in 1982 lol),

seagull (u-g-l-y),

simon and patrick (i like 80% of the ones ive played),

fender (WTF is a tele or strat acoustic doing being made?)

ibanez (well...i like my sdgr bass...uh?)

takamines (eh..eh...something feels wrong about them)

and of course martin's and taylors and godins....guild's, gibsons......

omg my head's gonna explode.....:confused:

im getting to the point where i just want to get one...then another after a while.......have 3 total........

i think i would rather have 3 that had unique tones than one showpiece like a collings, lowden, froggy foggy whatever, or a higher-end martin or taylor...

but hell.....this is a phucking addiction!! HELP!! lol...:rolleyes: :D
 
Shag, you should take a look at Larrivee's offerings. Jean Larrivee makes a sweet sounding guitar (I've owned two, a D-03 and D-05), and he's recently come out with a new affordable 01 line ($499) that is still built with solid woods throughout. He also makes a Parlor guitar for about $349 that blows the Baby Taylor away IMO.

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/larrivee.htm
 
i've definetly heard about Larrivee...i wouldn't know where to find some to try out in north carolina...i'd love to see some of their models..i hadn't considered them because i thought, like $4495 was about the norm for them...a tad over my budget...

but....


these look sweet...

New! Larrivee LV-03: Very versatile grand auditorium cutaway with the tiny price tag. The Larrivee folks have given this satin finish, Spruce and Mahogany cutaway a very lively response, comfortable neck and a low price too! with hard case
$799 stock#NGB5660
NGB5660.jpg


and...

New! Larrivee L-01: This is a fantastic value in an acoustic guitar! All solid wood, Spruce top, Mahogany back & sides. The fingerboard & bridge are Ebony, with the fingerboard bound in ivoroid. Greta sound, great playability,and look at the price!! with gig bag
$499 stock#NGB8316

DSCN3081.jpg



oooo me mouth waters over ebony lol....

:D

now..dammit..i gotta find 'em!!!
 
Heehee. I love doing this...

Well, look'ee here:

http://www.tacomaguitars.com/download/pk30.jpg

Here's the spec sheet:

http://www.tacomaguitars.com/download/pdf/pk30_spec.pdf

And it's on sale at this place, at the high end of your price range,perhaps, but there nonetheless:

www.guitarsam.com

Surprising volume, nice chunky neck, deep sides, good feel, (not a budget feel or sound): I might go back there myself. I forgot to ask whether the price buys a case.

Buying from afar isn't so bad if you have confidence in who you're working with. This place is owned by a guy who earned a good reputation the hard way in a tough business. Call 'em up and ask for Kevin.

(No, I don't work there!:D)
 
TREELINE!! my god man your gonna make my head explode!!

too.......................................many....................................options............................... cant.....................................compute......lol...

:D

well look'ee here:

shag's head exploded!!:D

LOL...

ok ok ..deep breaths............................now.....that's a sweet looking axe there.......tacoma..ok..now i gott find one in person...i'm funny that way..

thanks bro..i do really appreciate the info...never can get too much of it imho...
 
When I said "on sale" I meant on sale. It's a markdown. Find the axe, play it (nice curly koa sides & back! Specs say laminated back, but the grain seems to match inside and out...) then call this guy.

:D :D
 
Gotta watch closely. Looks to me that the Alvarez has a laminated top, back and sides, the Martin has a solid top, but high pressure laminate (formica - like concept) back and sides with a mahogany photographic finish, and the Fender has a solid cedar top with laminated backs and sides. Try them all but know what you're buying... I would avoid a laminated top.
 
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