Another
Reason to Finger Pick Guitar.
Guitar is an instrument that has traditionally
been used to accompany story telling and singing. This has been going on
and on, going back for generations of time. Guitar and voice go together like,
hand and glove or like peanut butter and jelly. They have always been a
natural combination. Perhaps you feel a little timid when it comes to
singing. You need not be! (At first, singing was a concern of mine;
perhaps it is of yours too). I'm of the opinion that just about anyone
who can talk can also sing - that is, if they really put their mind to it (of
course, there are always exceptions).
Singing is simply a verbal way of expression feelings that most anyone
can do. Keep in mind that there are many styles of singing just as there
are many styles of guitar playing. It's true; some people's voices may be
more pleasing than others. Of course personal taste comes in here too.
However, I believe that people in general are
more tolerant of a person's singing style and vocal abilities if they see in
the artist real talent. For example, singing has never been Bob
Dylan's strong point, but that in no way has he ever hindered his talented
expressions. His talent is not only in the performing but especially
in the writing of the songs themselves. His lyrics and poems are
considered by many to be masterpieces of a very high order, and rightly so,
because that's just what some of them are. He is like one of the
"kings of the hill" in contemporary song writing. I believe
that the public in general are more accepting of his singing style, because
they can see in him and admire his outstanding creativity and lyrical genius.
The point I'm getting to here is this - When you stand out as a talented
musician, you don't have to shy away from singing. This brings us to how this applies to finger
picking.
It is similar with finger picking guitar.
Learning finger picking, and learning to do it well, will quickly lift
your guitar work above the rest of the crowd and show off your musical talents.
Your finger style guitar work will enhance and add variety to your
overall sound, and it will also impress people very much with your abilities. Also your voice will
never have sounded so good, because it will be backed up with beautiful finger
picking guitar. Talent is what is appealing to people, it is what people
love to see and hear. If you learn
finger picking guitar, you will have added to your over all talents and so you
will have added to your appeal. Remember
its TALENT that people want hear and see.
Give it to them.
Most people who begin to play the guitar
concentrate mostly on the left hand (assuming they are right handed)
learning to play chords and scales and things like that. Very little time is
spent on the right hand skills. More than likely that's true of
you too. When I first started, I know it was true for me. All through my
high school years, I played only with a flat pick. Occasionally, I would
attempt to pick a song or two with bare fingers (like Black Bird) but very
awkwardly. However, when I began to really concentrate on the other
hand that is my "right hand" a whole new world of
guitar playing opened up to me. Once I entered that
"world" Ive never looked back. I continued to work on finger
style guitar playing not just because of the challenges, but because I love
it. If you learn how to finger pick guitar you will learn to love it too.
As I explained earlier, I teach my students to
finger pick guitar using three plastic finger picks and a thumb pick rather
than metal finger picks because of the clean, crisp clarity and precision
you get with plastic picks. Metal picks were originally
designed for banjo and steel guitar.
Free audio
clip about finger picking using
plastic finger picks