Picking The Strings

Lesson 5/64 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Fingerpicking Guitar

Picking The Strings

It is best to pick the strings with your fingernails as this gives a better sound. Grow your fingernails to a comfortable length for your playing with attention to the following points.

The length of the nail should be approx. 2 - 3mm (3/32 - 5/32"). Generally the middle finger has the shortest nail and the ring finger the longest.
The thumb nail should be longer than all three fingers.
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.
Experiment with the overall shape of each nail.

Picking with the Fingers - the Free Stroke

The free stroke is the picking of a string with a right hand finger when the finger moves freely away from the string after it is picked. The finger picks the string then bends slightly into the palm of the hand. The finger will move across the adjacent string.

Position second finger to pick first string.

Second finger moves across second string after picking first string

Finger Names and Numbers

The left hand fingers are numbered as such.

The letters p, i, m and a are used to indicate the right hand fingers.
p (pulgar) - thumb
i (indicio) - index finger
m (medio) - middle finger
a (anular) - ring finger

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Class Sessions

1- Advanced Picking Techniques 2- Advanced Arrangements 3- Extended chord licks 4- Blues Fingerpicking Guitar 5- Constant Bass Line in the Key of E 6- Blues Bass Line Techniques 7- More Blues Scale Patterns 8- Introduction 9- Ragtime Fingerpicking Solos 10- Classic Rags 11- Basic Jazz Fingerpicking 12- More Jazz Chords and Techniques 13- Ragtime Fingerpicking Guitar 14- Advanced Jazz Chord Shapes 15- Single Note Runs 16- Combining Chords and Runs 17- Jazz Fingerpicking Arrangements 18- Open Tunings 19- Dropped G Tuning 20- Open G Tuning 21- Open D Tuning 22- Open C Tuning 23- Scales 24- GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS 25- Fingerpicking A Melody 26- Adding Extra Notes to A Chord 27- Left Hand Slurring Techniques 28- Arpeggio Styles 29- Accompaniment Styles 30- Second Position - Right Hand 31- Fingerpicking Technique 32- More Picking Patterns 33- Alternating Thumb Style 34- Fingerpicking Guitar Solo - Boots "N" All 35- Electronic Tuner 36- The Chromatic Scale 37- Dropped D Tuning 38- Playing Position 39- Harmonics 40- Jazz Chord Shapes 41- The Triplet Rhythm 42- Arpeggio Picking Patterns - <span class="symbolA">*</span>Time 43- Syncopation 44- Picking Patterns 45- Hand Technique 46- Changing Chords 47- The Major Scale 48- Tablature 49- Picking The Strings 50- The Minor Scale 51- Tablature Symbols 52- Chord Diagrams Used in This Book 53- First Position - Right Hand 54- The Major Pentatonic Scale 55- Picking with the Thumb 56- Scale Diagrams Used in This Book 57- The Blues Scale 58- Keys and Key Signatures 59- Combining Thumb and Fingers 60- Relative Keys 61- Learning All the Keys 62- Transposing 63- How to Transpose 64- How Chords Are Formed

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Picking The Strings