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Basic Fingerpicking Guitar Techniques

Learn basic fingerpicking guitar techniques from guitarist Adam Smale in this online guitar lesson from Howcast.


I'd like to talk to you about some basic finger style techniques that I use. I'm going to start off with my thumb, which is letter-P and my index finger, letter-I. I'm going to alternate back and forth. This technique allows you to play fast lines on a single string. If I'm going to do some soloing techniques, I would do something like that. I use that technique a lot.

Something that comes from the flamenco tradition, called piccato, where you're using these 2 fingers. I can't do it as fast as some of those flamenco guys that do that for a living, but it's good to explore new avenues from different techniques and bring it all in to your own technique. Good to explore other styles of music. They might, on a fast run like that, that's what a flamenco player might do.

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