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Fingerstyle Techniques
Nine short lessons on the techniques behind Gareth's arrangements: nails, strumming with your fingers, palm muting, Travis picking, finger rolls and three kinds of harmonics.
LevelBeginner
Length9 videos · about 20m
FocusTechnique
About this course
Gareth's How To Tuesday technique videos, put in order as one free course. Each part is a few minutes on one technique, so you can watch it, then go and practise it.
Who it's for
Players who can strum a few chords and want the fingerstyle techniques they hear in Gareth's arrangements.
What you'll learn
- Shape your nails and strum without a pick.
- Palm mute and Travis pick, from a steady bass to melody on top.
- Add finger roll arpeggios to your playing.
- Play natural, artificial pinch and slap harmonics.
What you need
- A guitar
- A few basic chords
The lessons
9 lessons
- Part 1 · 1:01How To Shape Your Nails For FingerstyleHow Gareth shapes his nails for fingerstyle, in about a minute.
- Part 2 · 2:37How To Strum Without A PickStrum with your fingers instead of a pick or plectrum.
- Part 3 · 2:29How To Palm Mute Like A ProMute the strings with the side of your picking hand for a tight, chunky sound.
- Part 4 · 2:50Travis Picking — BeginnersStart Travis picking: a steady alternating bass with your thumb while your fingers pick above it.
- Part 5 · 2:59Travis Picking — AdvancedTake Travis picking further, with variations and a melody on top of the bass.
- Part 6 · 1:29Finger Roll ArpeggiosRoll through a chord one finger at a time for a smooth, rippling arpeggio.
- Part 7 · 1:22Natural HarmonicsPlay bell-like natural harmonics, the sound in Gareth's Animals and Flashlight arrangements.
- Part 8 · 1:46Artificial Pinch HarmonicsA more advanced harmonic you make with your picking hand. Watch it a few times: it takes practice.
- Part 9 · 3:12Slap HarmonicsSlap the strings over the frets to make harmonics, the technique Alx Green uses in Downhill From Here.