efore you can begin to’ really start ” ,making

music as a fingerstyle gui- tar player, you need to get your right hand edu- cated. (If you’re a left- handed player, just adjust accordingly.) That’s true whether you’re playing classical or country. My style of picking depends a lot on the thumb keep- ing a steady bass line going, while the fingers take care of the melody and the rest of the accompaniment. In the first nart of this lesson

I’ll talk about ways to educate your right hand so working your thumb will come naturally.

I neverwas one to just play exercises-scales and things like that. I’d do them a little bit, because I heard that’s what other people did, but’1 preferredto just make up little tunes to practice the techniques I wanted to work on-like Ex. 1.

I’d start out with a 2-4 alternating bass: The thumb picks the bass notes on the first and third beats,

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THUMB FUN

and-in one stroke-simultaneously hits the rhythm notes on the second and fourth beats. In other words, on those 2 and 4 beats, the thumbpick is hitting the fourth string and just brushing the third string, which is muted slightly (except when the melody is on that string). I generally mute the strings with the palm of my hand so I get more of a “chiff” sound on the rhythm beats. This not only gets a percussive effect, but, just as important, pre- vents those notes from sustaining and mak- ing things muddy.

Ex. 2

In making up exercises along these lines,

I would next add melody notes, first on the first and third beats (Ex. 2), and then maybe on the second and fourth (Ex. 3). Try all

those things yourself, in sequence. It’s good practice. Do each one slowly until it comes easy When you’ve got everything down so that you don’t have to think about it, pick up the tempo.

Later on, you can try adding a simple

melody to the pattern (Ex. 4). I also use a lot of pull-offs and slurs in my melody pick- ing. Of course, it’s important to work out tunes in keys that work well on the guitar.

Since a basic part of my style is the boom- chick1 play behind solo lines, let’s look at how that works with eighth notes.

Ex 5 shows an eighth-note pattern on the first string, played against an alternating bass by the thumb. To stretch yourself, try dii- ferent patterns on the first string once you get this pattern down. Pay attention to the right-hand fingering.

You should get to a point where your thumb can pretty much go on automatic pilot. I use the heel of my right hand to damp the bass strings. That keeps the bass notes from getting muddy, and it makes the backup a little more percussive.

Remember, I play with a thumbpick. If you play with your bare thumb, you’ll prob- ably find it harder to get the same effect. Without a thumbpick, you’ll probably have to hold your hand at a higher angle so your

thumb can attack the strings better. When your hand is up like that, it’s awkward to damp the strings with the heel of your hand.

Ex. 5 is a good bare-bones exercise for working the fingers against the thumb. Once the technique comes naturally you can try applying the ideas to other music. By working pieces out on your own, you’ll come up with your own style. You’ll be a lot happier when someone says, “Where did you learn to do that!” than if they say, “Oh, I see you do Atkins-style picking.” And I won’t mind a bit.

Flex Your Picking Fingers Here’s some picking exercises that ought

to keep you going awhile-and something else to test those of you who think you’re start- ing to get pretty salty at this fingerstyle busi- ness.

Arpeggios-notes in a particular chord (like the A-C#-Eof an Achord, for instance) played in a regular pattern-are things I’ve been messing around with since I was a kid.

I still limber up with them, because they’re good for getting all your right-hand fingers working smoothly together.

Try the beginning of Ex. 6. Play a first- position A chord with your fretting hand. With the other hand, pick the fifth stringwith

your thumb and then, one after the other, pick the third string with your index finger, the sec- ond string with your middle finger, and the first string with your ring finger. Finish the

THUMB FUN

Ex. 5

Ex. 6 Ex. 7

Ex. 6

sequence by going back down (pitch-wise), playing the second string with the middle finger and the third stringwith the index iin- ger. Then start the next sequence by playing the fourth stringwith your thumb.

If being talked through an arpeggio seems confusing for you, just look at the music. The top part is standard notation. That shows you the pitch and time value of each note, along with the fingering. The bottom part is tablature. It shows you which strings to play and what frets the notes are on.

Together, tablature and notation make a pretty good roadmap for what you’re sup-

posed to be playing. In reading the fingering, you’ll see the

letters p-i-m-a. That comes from the tra- ditional Spanish method of indicating fin- gering, used by classical guitarists. “P” is for pulgar, the thumb; “i” is for indice, the index finger; “m” is for medio, the middle finger; and “a” is for anular, the ring finger. Some people use an Ameri- canized system, t-i-m-r (thumb-index- middle-ring). I f it helps you to mark that on your music, be my guest; but p-i-m-a is what I’m used to, and it’s what you’ll find on a lot of guitar music.

Now try the second part of Ex. 6. This shows you what it can feel and sound like when you work an arpeggio sequence off the a finger instead of off the i finger. Try putting together different arpeggio patterns like these, on different chords. Practice until you can roll them off like clockwork.

Ek 7 takes you a step further. You use two of your fingers, the i and the m, to pick simultaneously. I think every fingerstyle player has worked through this at one time or another. It’s a good exercise for building finger independence, and it also makes a nice rhythm lick.

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In Ex. 8, try playing through an A chord “and-a” beats. You don’t want your picking progression with that pattern, and note that to be uneven or jerky the m and a fingers play together. Work to get Ex. 9 starts you on the same sort of pat- everything sounding nice and regular. It tern, except this time the i and the m fingers might help to count aloud--“one-and-a- are coupled and the a finger picks alone. two-and-a-three-and-a-four”-as you play, If all this has seemed too simple for you, with the thumb picking on the “one-two- then check out Ex. 10. It’s pretty much the three-four” beats and the fingers on the pattern from Ex. 8, but it’s got a different feel

to the timing and it’s plugged into a nice lit- tle chord progression. I think you’ll have fun with it. n

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Chet Atkins has recorded more than 100 albums and is one of the most famous and influential pickers of all time.

Ex. 9

A D E

Ex. 10

Amaj7 A7 Dadd9

44 HOW TO PLAY GUITAR