finger picking song suggestions

I'm looking for some suggestions on melodic finger picking songs. A really good example would be "youve got a friend" by carol king. Nothing to easy please like black bird. Thanks.

you want some of that traverse picking? like csn? helplessly hoping? really only stuff that i know that solid fingerpicking is csn james taylor etc... unless u go for leads like albert king, jeff beck and others

i hope i dont regret this but what is csn? Also what does traverse picking mean?

I'm hoping that EMB meant Travis Picking. There are some really classic acoustic tunes that use fingerpicking. I listened to that Carole King song and didn't hear a guitar at all... so I don't know EXACTLY what you're looking for.

Travis Picking follows this kind of pattern on say, a C chord:

E|-------------|

B|---1-----1---|

G|-------0---0-|

D|------2---2--|

A|---3----3----|

E|-------------|

So the first is a pinch on two notes, using your thumb and middle fingers. Then you follow that with a pattern going thumb, pointer, thumb, middle, thumb, pointer, repeat.

The best example of this pattern is in Kansas' song, "Dust in the Wind".

Freight Train is usually a "Go To" tune for beginning pickers. If you look up someone like Chet Atkins or Jerry Reed, they might do some nice fingerpicking songs that might interest your learning.

Fingerpicking is NOT an easy task to undertake. Maybe one of these days I'll make a lesson about starting fingerstyle/fingerpicking.

If you're on the electric side of things, I always point people in the direction of Dire Straits and lead guitarist Mark Knopfler. One of the best on electric guitar. Eric Clapton is another guy to check out in that sort of genre :)

Good Luck!

JustJeff, have you ever heard A Perfect Circle's "Three Libras"? I think that might be a good example of that style of finger picking.

Something like this.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/print.php/id73272/?transpose=0

Thanks jeff. But i allready know how to do the finger picking. Im just looking for some melodic stuff similar to my link above. Thanks

This isn't the actual song obviously, but a cover of the song, so you could see the picking.

the first song I learned how to finger pick was Tesla's "Love Song". I'm not sure if they use picks or not, but I did finger picking since there were bass notes on the low E that I couldn't really get to with a pick. Fun, not too hard, and very melodic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2q_-xN2N54


Could be worth learning just 'cause it's cheesy :)

So you think that it's ova ...

haha, love that song.

WEEZER'S BLUE ALBUM!

i actually highly recommend this album for any up-and-beginning guitarist.

FIRST, it's easy to play. there are a lot of power chords. if you are in your first stages of guitar-dom it's easy to play along to.

SECOND, the theory is actually pretty advanced. i've been playing for almost 3 years now, i've known music for 10+ years, and just observing these songs from the inside (reading the music) is very ,very interesting

THIRD, it's a variety of styles. this is why i am responding to this post. heck, the album starts off with a finger picking intro to "My Name Is Jonas". that melody sticks throughout the song. other songs which involve some fingerpicking? "the world has turned and left me here", "surf wax america", "in the garage"... that's 4/10, and i might even be missing one...

CAVEAT, the only problem with trying to learn this album is that, as recorded, the entire album is tuned 1/2 step down. i refuse to tune my guitar out of E-standard at this point in my life. so you can play the songs along with the tabs, but you cannot play them against the recorded album unless you tune your guitar down, or adjust your fingerings (which won't always work because they depend a lot on open notes).

RECOMMENDATIONS great songs for finger picking: "my name is jonas" intro pretty much taught me finger picking. i moved up to the "in the garage" intro which taught me to hit both bass and treble notes simultaneously. "the world has turned..." has some string skippping involved. i prefer to play it with a pick, but it's more efficient to finger pick it.

and don't forget to learn how to play "say it ain't so"... becuase that's an awesome song!

some p.s.-es:

the reason "my name is jonas" is such a great intro to finger picking is that the chords are basically open C, open Am, open C (minus the 2nd finger), open Am, with some variation.

so basically, anyone asking how to get into finger picking should already know C and Am. they should be able to hit those fingerings accurately, and they should be able to apply variations of those fingerings, or learn them quickly.

so at this point, your left hand should be on auto pilot. this allows you to focus on your right hand technique. that's why the TRAVIS picking is another good way to try to learn picking --- it relies on open chords. ideally you aren't trying to learn how to finger pick before you have your open chords down pat.

anyway above is "my name is jonas". the intro is a very good "intro" to finger picking because you can play it with a pick, OR, you can ride the bass note with your thumb and pick the treble notes with your fingers.

*** i would like to point out here that i have access to a few guitars. i have a stratocaster which is very difficult to finger pick. i have an ibanez semi-hollow which is easier to finger pick, but not great. i also have access to my roommate/brother's classical acoustic nylon-strung guitar. it is VERY easy to finger pick anything on this guitar.

the intro to "jonas" is easy to pick on the acoustic. however, it sounds terrible amplified on the strat, so i choose to pick it.

_

if you want to get advanced, check out "in the garage" which requires some notes to be played simultaneously. on paper it looks intimidating, but as someone who looked at that, saw that it was intimidating, and tried it, and has a pretty good grip on it... i can say that it's not that hard to learn!



look... if i learned it... YOU can learn it! my brother (who has played guitar for about a decade longer than i have) said this which inspired me:

"look at (amazing guitarist). why can't i do that? he has two hands. and a brain. i have two hands and a brain. i should be able to do that!"

he's right. why can't any of us do that?

speaking of: does anyone want to start/join my weezer blue album cover band?

I guess i meant to say "advanced finger picking song suggestiuons". Sorry about that everybody.

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This guy is awesome, his songs are advanced but not too hard. And the arrangements are quite nice I think!

thats cool admiral. Good post

mine was a good post(s)....

actually that clip reminds me of the most difficult part about finger picking --- separating the rhythm between fingers. yikesesess

your right gx1327. They are all good posts.

try Bert Jansch's first few albums or Nick Drake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3mGV5pDDsM

^^^^I like playing this one, you can do a lot with it due to a simple yet effective bass

Nick Drake is not always a melodic picker (the picking is the comp the vocal part is it's own melody), yet you'll like playing his songs provided you like his music. (don't get discourage over his tuning more, than half are in standard)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiZlAmHa7QI

^^^^it's in standard don't let "them" fool you. Play it in "D" Shape/ "they" always have to make it more complicated than it is.


but if you want more advanced, start transcribing songs to the guitar. Chopin's waltzes work very well, and jazz standards of course. I got a good one going on Fats Waller's "ain't misbavin'" just worked in a good walking bass like thingy.

thanks RA.....I found this