Style, Repertory and Techniques

[Dale Grider]

What style or styles do you play fingerstyle? What tunes do you play and what sort of techniques do you use?

I was trained as a classical player so I use classical right hand technique (4 finger style including thumb).

I like most all of Doc's fingerstyle tunes and songs but also do some New Age celtic (like Nightnoise and Enya) and pop/folk (JT, Lightfoot, Earl Klugh, Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, Mason Williams). I still do a few Rennaisance lute tunes too.

I'm using the Alaska Picks on the right hand and love how they allow me to actually pluck the strings and feel the strings with the fingertips. I have experimented with alternate tunings in the past, but right now only use standard tuning with the occasional use of a drop D 6th string.

Dale:)

[John Bryan]

I've not tried alaska, but have used pro-picks from time to time. Also have tried using a fingerpick on the right ring finger, but just can't get used to it. Imbedded banjo-player habits, I guess....

I do a lot of lightfoot, JT, Paul Simon stuff too. We should get together if I get a chance to go down the Kamp this year...

/john

[Dale Grider]

John Bryan said:

... I do a lot of lightfoot, JT, Paul Simon stuff too. We should get together if I get a chance to go down the Kamp this year...

/john

Here are the Lightfoot tunes I do;

Bittergreen
Canadian RR Trilogy
Circle of Steel
Early Mornin Rain
Go My Way
Song for a Winter’s Night
Steel Rail Blues
If You Could Read My Mind
Ribbon of Darkness
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

I also do Cotton Jenny and Don Quixote, but do those 2 flatpicked, with Don Quixote as an instrumental tune.

I hope you can make it to Kamp. I'll be there for week1.

Dale:)

[Barry Mason]

As a steel guitar & 5 string banjo picker, I've never been able to get away from using finger picks. I also have weak, brittle nails that are even more so in the winter ( it's 10 here tonight).

The metal (National style) picks I used were too bright for my Gretsch electric, & any acoustic with a bridge (piezo) pickup just had way to much pick noise when amplified.

The Alaska picks solved all those issues, plus as you say, feeling the strings is a huge benefit.
I play a lot of Chet & Merle style on steel string acoustic, so a thumbpick is needed for "that sound".
Sadly, I've never been able to use my right hand ring or little fingers to pick. I feel this has limited me on guitar. You're a lucky man if you can use more than 2 fingers.

I'm told that Merle Travis did "OK" using just a thumb & 1 finger.

I guess it's all part of everyones style, & keeps us from all sounding like clones.

Best to all.
Hope you don't mind a "newbee" bustin in!
Barry

[george simmons]

you have to use what feels good to you . i use thumbpick and nails.

I would like to see more travis and atkins instructor at kamp.

keep on pickin

geroge s.

[Dale Grider]

Barry Said;
"I've never been able to use my right hand ring or little fingers to pick. I feel this has limited me on guitar. You're a lucky man if you can use more than 2 fingers.

I'm told that Merle Travis did "OK" using just a thumb & 1 finger."

You know, back in 07 at Kamp week1 I took the opportunity to play something for Eddie Pennington at his master class and BOY was it an eye opener. Actually, as I discovered, the 2 finger style is about the ONLY way to do Travis picking correctly. As Eddie pointed out, with the 2 finger approach your hand is oriented in a way that makes it easy to damp those bass strings with the palm. More fingers picking makes that a lot harder to do. I came away sort of feeling that my 4 finger style (so deeply entrenched after years of classical playing) was a real handicap in emulating the Travis style! I do Windy and Warm Travis style, with the muted bass strings...but I play it with thumb and index only too. I play lots of Doc Watson oriented fingerstyle (which includes many of Travis' tunes) but for me they are probably a lot more "folksy" sounding without me usually muting the bass notes or using those big slides up the neck.

Of course there is Thom Bresh, but for my money Eddie is as much the torch bearer for the Travis style as anyone. I hope he will return to Kamp again.

Dale:)