Right Hand Fingerpicking

Lesson 2/151 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Blues Guitar

Right Hand Fingerpicking

In most fingerpicking styles, the fingernails strike the strings to make a strong clear sound. For best results, let the fingernails of your right hand grow to about 1/16" (1 millimeter) clear of the fingertip. The thumb nail should be longer. Fingernails should be shaped using a nail file (emery board) so that they have a rounded edge and flow smoothly off the string after it has been picked. However, many Blues players prefer to use just the skin of the fingers, and often snap the strings against the fretboard as well. Experiment with both ways of playing and decide which works best for you.

Right Hand Finger Names

The right hand fingers are named using the following fingering symbols.

The little finger is not used in fingerpicking.

Picking With Your Right Hand Fingers

Start with your fingers not touching the strings, then pick the first string with your index finger (i) with an upward motion (do not pull the string outwards). Your finger should move from the first finger joint below the knuckle as shown in the following diagram.

The sound is produced by the fingertip and the nail striking the string simultaneously. Move only your fingers, not your hand. The i, m and a fingers usually pick the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings.

The best way of learning how to pick with the fingers is to practice with open strings as shown in the following example. Rest the thumb on the 6th string and remember that only the individual fingers should move as you pick a note, not the whole hand.

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- Tuning Up 3- Rhythm Notation 4- Understanding Chords 5- Eighth Note Rhythms 6- Identifying Eighth Note Rhythms 7- Playing Single Notes (Picking) 8- Notes on the 4th String 9- Notes on the 6th String 10- Learning all the Notes 11- The Triplet 12- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 13- The Blues Scale 14- The Mixolydian Scale 15- Boogie Rhythms 16- Bar Chords 17- 7th Bar Chords 18- Learning the Whole Fretboard 19- Movable Shuffle Patterns 20- Turnarounds 21- Ninth Chords 22- LESSON TWENTY ONE 23- Movable Chord Shapes in Five Forms 24- Picking Technique 25- Slurs 26- The Slide 27- Bending Notes 28- The Release Bend 29- Vibrato 30- The Trail-off 31- Moving to Different Keys 32- Analyzing What You Play 33- Five Forms of the Pentatonic Scale 34- Moving Between Forms 35- More About the Blues Scale 36- Twelve Eight Time 37- Arpeggios 38- Common 16th Note Rhythms 39- The Trill 40- Swinging Sixteenth Notes 41- R&B Rhythms 42- Minor Key Sounds 43- New Orleans Rhumba 44- Eight Bar Blues 45- Swamp Sounds 46- Quarter Note Triplets 47- Intros 48- Double Guitar Effects 49- Right Hand Fingerpicking 50- Picking Notes Together 51- The Shuffle Bass 52- How to Tune Your Guitar 53- GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS 54- Tuning Your Guitar 55- The G Major Chord 56- Blues Chords 57- The 12 Bar Blues Progression 58- Alternate Strumming 59- Ties 60- Notes on the 3rd String 61- Blues in Minor Keys 62- Playing Chords Staccato 63- Sharps 64- Strumming Triplets 65- Open Position Minor Pentatonic 66- Open Position A Blues Scale 67- Open String Mixolydian Riffs 68- Notes on the Sixth String 69- Minor Bar Chords 70- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 71- Shuffle Variations 72- Movable 7th Chord Forms 73- The Whip 74- Open String Sounds 75- Combining Scales and Arpeggios 76- The Symbol 8va 77- The Rake 78- The Seven Sharp Nine Chord 79- More New Chords 80- Slow Blues in Minor Keys 81- Sliding Ninth Chords 82- Chicago Blues Sounds 83- Jazz Style Blues 84- Endings 85- Combining Rhythm and Lead 86- Picking With Your Thumb 87- Constant Bass Style 88- Adding Extra Bass Notes 89- Acoustic Guitars 90- Strumming 91- Keys 92- Chords I IV and V in all Keys 93- Syncopation 94- Notes on the 2nd String 95- Notes on the 5th String 96- The Lead-in 97- The Chromatic Scale 98- Swing Rhythms 99- Blues Licks 100- Open Position E Blues Scale 101- Experimenting With Sounds 102- Percussive Strumming 103- The Half Bar 104- Notes in More Than One Place 105- Voicings 106- Lost in the Blues 107- Classic Blues Rhythm Patterns 108- Augmented and Diminished Chords 109- One Chord Grooves 110- Putting it all Together 111- Electric Guitars 112- The Seventh Chord 113- I IV and V as 7th Chords 114- Note and Rest Values 115- Riffs 116- Flats 117- The Shuffle 118- E Minor Pentatonic Scale 119- Root 5 Bar Chords 120- Position Playing 121- Super-imposing Chord Forms 122- Summary of Blues Scales 123- The Charleston Rhythm 124- Amplifiers 125- Slide Finger 126- Alternate Picking 127- Power Chords 128- Notes on the Fifth String 129- Unison Notes 130- Jam Along Progressions 131- Summary of Dominant 7th 132- Understanding the Control Knobs 133- Chord Progressions 134- Notes on the 1st String 135- Right Hand Damping 136- Changing Between Shapes 137- Higher and Lower Octaves of Notes 138- Listening 139- Strings 140- The C Major Chord 141- Tablature Size and Style 142- Chord Diagrams 143- The Pivot 144- Rhythm Notation 145- Scale Diagrams 146- Tablature 147- Tablature Symbols 148- How to Hold the Guitar 149- Technique 150- How to Read Music 151- Music Notation

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Right Hand Fingerpicking