1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

Series 1: An EZ Fingerstyle Christmas Progression Sample
The progression we are working with in this installment is featured in the traditional Christmas song "Have Yourself A
Merry Little Christmas." Before you begin, please make sure that you read over "An Introduction to EZ Fingerstyle" for
important information about this lesson.
An Introduction to EZ Fingerstyle
How To Think "EZ" Fingerstyle
Much like when we strum the guitar, with fingerstyle all you really have is a series of notes that are played both
simultaneously as well as notes that are "chosen" to be picked out for emphasis. Believe it or not, fingerstyle
isn't all that much different than strumming with walking bass notes.
The two key differences in fingerstyle, when compared to strumming:
1. Less is more in the case of fingerstyle. This doesn't mean to actually play less. This means to find the notes that
matter as to give the chord in question the proper respect it deserves. This concept can be verified by thinking of
songs in which you spend most of your time strumming, and then all of the sudden you have a walking series of bass
notes, such as in the song "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley or "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson. These songs
might feel like they are riff-based songs, but really they aren't. They both feature techniques used in fingerstyle.
These songs "find" the notes used within a given progression and utilize them so that they complement the chords as
a unit.
2. While strumming offers dramatics (or "dynamics/accents" in this case), fingerstyle doesn't provide this effect in the
same way. Instead, with fingerstyle guitar the musician must specifically find the dynamic notes in a given chord.
I offer two very logical suggestions in doing so, and I think you'll be surprised at how much depth it creates in any
fingerstyle passage.
3. DO NOT be afraid to use one finger to pluck two strings at a time. Of course, these notes must be on top or below
each other, but it is absolutely fine to do so. We'll get into that in a moment.
What fingers to use (and where to use them)
This is just something I do every single time I play fingerstyle guitar, and by using what I am about to show you I'll
guarantee you'll get through most any fingerstyle passage on the planet - even if this method might not be "traditionally
accepted."
All we really need to know in order to prepare to use our picking hand for now is the logical formation of our hand.
We already know how our hands work. We all (hopefully) have a thumb (T), 1st (1) finger, 2nd (2) finger, 3rd (3) finger,
and 4th (4) finger. We will only be using our thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers for now.
Thumb = T
1st finger = 1
2nd finger = 2
3rd finger = 3
4th finger = 4
It’s very important to keep in mind that using a template works perfectly for beginner – intermediate fingerstyle
patterns, but it might not work so well if you’re attempting seriously advanced fingerstyle from musicians such as Chet
Atkins. You won’t magically become a fingerstyle master by simply using this basic template. Instead, you’ll gain a
much better understanding on simple fundamentals with which you can expand upon in your later studies.
Now we need to establish a logical pattern to play using our picking hand.
Grab your guitar and look down at your picking hand.
Your thumb is always going to be closest to you.
Because the anatomical structure of our hand follows a pattern (thumb, 1st finger, 2nd finger, 3rd finger, 4th finger) we
can create a logical way of placing our picking hand on the guitar so that we never really need to move our fingers in
any way other than vertically up and down on the strings (from ceiling to floor).
You might have seen me mention this before, but the easiest way to apply your picking hand to the guitar is by forming
a C shape with your picking hand, like this:
This image is a representation of the formation we want to use as if you were looking at another guitar player.
If we add the guitar in it would look like this:
This provides you with a much clearer picture of the “C” formation (not as in the C Major chord - but the way your hand
rests on the guitar) on your picking hand. There is a logical reason for positioning your hand like this, and it all has to
do with the digits on your finger in relation to the strings on your guitar.
*Take note that in the picture above, you only see the thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers.
In the past I taught the basics of a concept called PIMA, which is used as an institutional-based lesson program that
takes YEARS to master. It’s what the serious professionals use. We aren’t going that route, but we ARE using the
concept in a much more simple way.
Because the thumb is the closest to you, logically you would want to use your thumb for the Low E string. This is
something you’ve probably already assumed. The next step is to determine where our other fingers on our picking
hand need to be placed. This is where my opinion differs a bit from the PIMA and/or traditional method of teaching.
As mentioned before, this doesn’t work for seriously intricate fingerstyle passages, but for any lesson you take from me
it will suffice. This includes any and every fingerstyle song I provide with my EZ Strummer course.
(In case you were wondering, EZ Strummer isn’t just about strumming all the time.)
I stumbled upon this concept by pure accident when I first started learning how to play some James Taylor songs.
Believe it or not, I was able to make practically any fingerstyle song from Taylor work using only THREE digits – the
thumb, 1st, and 2nd finger. (There are a few times where more than three notes are to be picked at a time, but nine
times out of ten these are merely embellishments on the original chord and can be minimized. Even better, at times
you can use one finger/digit to play any two notes that are either on top or bottom of each other.)
Truth be known, I’ve always had trouble playing fingerstyle using the traditional method of teaching. My fingers just
don’t want to cooperate, and I get frustrated quickly. I don’t like using my 3rd or 4th fingers much.
Instead of giving up, I devised a simple plan of action.
In the case of ANY fingerstyle passage I ever play, the first thing I do is determine the chords being used.
Once I know the chord progression being played, I can then use my digits and assign them to the strings I want.
Here, the root of the first chord makes all the difference in the world.
Step 1: Finding The Root of Chord #1
The first step in my 5 step program pertains to finding the root of the very first chord in the progression you are
playing. The root may or may not be fretted, so understanding how chords are constructed is a very important
concept to understand.
Even though we are working mainly with progressions, finding the root note of the very first chord in a progression will
help you determine how to set up the pattern you will be playing.
An example of what I mean is by focusing on a progression such as the one we are using in this installment.
The progression is G - Em - Am - D7.
All of these chords can be played in the open position, but they can also be played as barre chords. This is simply a
matter of taste. The good news is that the overall template that I provide with my EZ Fingerstyle method remains
mostly the same.
Below you'll find a diagram of every note on the fretboard. While you may already know these notes, I'd recommend
refreshing yourself if you can't recall a given note immediately.
Fretboard Chart
In this chart you'll see the primary and secondary notes. While you are more than likely familiar with these notes, I do
want to touch base on the secondary notes. You should already know your primary notes, which are A, B, C, D, E, F,
and G.
Secondary notes have dual names, so in other words they have "aliases." But why? The notes on the guitar are based
on the piano, and the piano has both black and white keys. In turn, the guitar must adjust this concept because the
guitar doesn't include the black keys found on a piano. So, the following conversion in secondary notes creates
aliases:
A# = Bb
C# = Db
D# = Eb
F# = Gb
G# = Ab
You'll almost always find these notes interchanged, so be sure that you know how they "equal" each other.
Progression 1: G - Em - Am - D7
The first chord featured in our progression is the G Major chord. We can choose to play this in two basic forms - either
the open G Major or the barred G Major. How do we determine which form we want to use?
While we can easily play either version, a good rule of thumb when first examining which form we want to use is
to look at the chord that follows the first chord.
By doing this we can establish how we want to begin. Sometimes this doesn't matter, but since we can't play every
chord in its open position, we need to at least examine the chord that follows the initial chord. In either instance of the
open or barred form, the G Major chord has its root falling on the E string on the third fret. In other words, the note "G" which is the root - is found on the third fret of the Low E string.
Keep in mind: Our root note of G is on the Low E string
Chord #2 is an Em chord. The Em chord's root is on the Low E string as well, but this time it's not actually fretted. It's
just the open E string. So far we have two chords that utilize the Low E string. From here we can begin step 2.
Step 2: Layout of Pattern
We already know that both the G Major and Em chord uses the Low E string as the root of both chords, so our next
step would be to determine how we want to start our pattern. The first option I will be providing is based on the open
forms of these two chords.
Option 1: Open Chords
Open chords are by far the easiest "go to" chords to use when practicing fingerstyle. They might not always sound as
bright as you would like, but they are a great avenue to go down first. In the case of G - Em we should have absolutely
no trouble with this progression. First, I'd like to plot out these two chords in a very basic fingerstyle pattern.
Further below you'll see a basic plot of the G Major and Em chord using two measures. When you look at the tab
provided, you'll see that really what you have are chords that have been arpeggiated.
Arpeggio: An arpeggio is a group of notes which are played one after the other, added either going up or going down.
Executing an arpeggio requires the player to play the sounds of a chord individually to differ-entiate the notes. The
notes all belong to one chord. An arpeggio is a type of broken chord. Other types of broken chords play chord notes
out of sequence or more than one note but less than the full chord simultaneously. Arpeggios can rise or fall for more
than one octave.
What you'll soon discover is that the real bread and butter of learning to play (and create!) fingerstyle guitar passages
is using arpeggios to design your structure. You can then go back in with the passage and add more to it.
Why Arpeggios Should Be Used To Plot Our Passage...
When you play an arpeggio, you are (usually) providing the listener with a full range of notes found within the chord
being played. What better way to play a fingerstyle passage than by actually hearing your options, right? It saves a ton
of time and confusion. So, what you do is basically create a full arpeggio of the chord(s) in question so that you can
then apply additional notes to make the chord feel more like fingerstyle. In addition to hearing your options as you play
through the chord as an arpeggio you also have the opportunity to discover notes that you might want to combine with
another note so that the melody of the fingerstyle sounds as good as possible. We'll get into that later.
Here's the big question: Do you start low or high? While there's no real "wrong" answer to this, it usually depends on
the way a progression seems to move. In the case of G - Em it won't matter. We can simply start low and then go high.
When I refer to low I mean the lower notes. While the G Major seems much brighter than the Em, the G Major still
contains low notes - a few even shared by the Em chord.
This tab is merely an arpeggio sequence from low to high with both chords, using EVERY note that is available in both
chords:
*It's important to realize that for now I am simply
rounding out each measure so that both the G Major
and Em have eight notes played in each measure.
Now this doesn't feel much like fingerstyle at all does it? That's ok. The use of arpeggios will allow us to find the notes
we want to use. As already mentioned before, we know that the root notes of both of these chords start on the Low E
string. We want to use those to start our fingerstyle passage.
Step 3: "Tell Me A Story"
Music tells a story, no matter what style of music you listen to or play. What you are about to read is much more
important than you might think, so please pay close attention to every detail I am providing.
Not only will it help you as a fingerstyle guitarist, you'll also get a much firmer understanding on how song structure and even chord structure - makes all the difference in the world.
Dramatic Structure:
This is a very well-known process in writing plays and movies, and works just as well with writing music. Remember,
while we have been told what our progression is, we are still writing out the progression so that it works for fingerstyle.
The only real difference in writing a story versus writing a fingerstyle passage is that EVERY structure is used
for EVERY chord in the progression.
The Exposition: This sets up the entire story. We just need to know what the story is. In this case we already know that
our progression is G - Em - Am - D7. We don't use any physical effort to understand the exposition. We just need to set
up the story with the G Major. (In many ways, this is just figuring out what our root is.)
The Rising Action: This is our first chord in our progression. In the rising action, a series of related incidents build
toward the point of greatest interest. The rising action of a story is the series of events that begin immediately after the
exposition (introduction) of the story and builds up to the climax. These events are generally the most important parts
of the story since the entire plot depends on them to set up the climax, and ultimately the satisfactory resolution of the
story itself.
In other words: since the G Major is our first chord, we must make this chord "rise" from the exposition. I'll show you
how in just a moment. Overall, we want the chord itself to move from a lower range to a higher range, but not in a way
that the song climaxes. In the case of the G Major chord, the rising action can take place on the E, A, D, and even G
strings. We cover a large portion of the strings in our rising action. We want the setup to the climax.
The Climax: The climax is the turning point, which marks a change, for the better or the worse, in the protagonist’s
affairs. If the story is a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point; now, the plot will begin
to unfold in his or her favor, often requiring the protagonist to draw on hidden inner strengths. If the story is a tragedy,
the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the protagonist, often revealing the
protagonist's hidden weaknesses.
For the purpose of fingerstyle, our climax will logically be the "brightest" or "highest" spectrum of notes we can use. In
the case of G Major, the highest notes will be found around the B, and High E strings as they produce the highest
notes. This of course need not be limited to just the B and High E strings, but I feel as though the G note played open
is a pretty standard area - mainly because we are playing the G Major chord. We already have the root note so let's
avoid thinking that the G note on the open G string is to be considered a climactic resolve. A good rule of thumb is to
never use an OPEN note of the same chord name in the climax. It muddies up the sound of the chord. In the case of G
Major, the open G note need not be played during the climax.
The Falling Action: During the falling action, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the
protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. The falling action may contain a moment of final suspense, in
which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt. While this doesn't directly relate to us in terms of fingerstyle, the
falling action is VERY important to understand, as it gives the listener a sense of "What's going to happen next?"
The falling action in our G Major chord would be almost the same as the climax - just in reverse - and with the
added open G note just for giggles.
Hmmm...this process sure feels a great deal like an arpeggio, doesn't it?!
To be honest that is mostly what we are doing right now. Again, it will get much easier as you play through the chord
progression.
The Denouement: The dénouement (pronounced /deɪnuːˈmɑ̃ː/, /deɪˈnuːmɒn/, or US /deɪːnuˈmɑ̃ː/; French: [denuˈmɑ̃])
comprises events from the end of the falling action to the actual ending scene of the drama or narrative. Conflicts are
resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the
reader. Etymologically, the French word dénouement is derived from the Old French word desnouer, "to untie",
from nodus, Latin for "knot." It is the unraveling or untying of the complexities of a plot.
Huh? Ok. That is confusing. This is really the "wrapping up of events" in our case. We want the chord to end.One trick
that I've always found VERY interesting - and this has worked regardless of the chords I play - is to allow the
NEXT chord to be the denouement. At first this might seem strange, but in music we can allow a chord that follows a
previous chord to provide us with a duel response.
In the case of G - Em, we can actually allow the Em to both (1) provide us with the denouement AND (2)
become the exposition in our next series of chords. This only applies to chords that are NOT the first/leading chord
in a progression. If the progression started as Em - G, the G Major chord would assume the role of the denouement
and the exposition.
We don't always have to do this, as some chords are intentionally provided to leave the listener in suspense - just like
in the movie "Source Code." (I LOVE this movie.) You aren't entirely sure what happened in the ending, and writer Ben
Ripley specifically stated that he didn't want to reveal the "answer" to the ending. He wanted viewers to come to their
own conclusions. The same applies to the movie "Inception."
Everything you just read about is quite literally "Storytelling 101" - but in this case we are working with chord
progressions to tell our story. This may seem like a great deal of work, but the truth of the matter is this: once you do
this a few times, everything you're learning right now will absolutely come with little to no effort!
So Where Does This All Fit With Fingerstyle?
Here is the same tab I showed you previously, with the dramatic structures in place:
Remember: The "exposition" is just the chord progression we're using, beginning with the G Major chord.
Before we go any further, I'd like to show you that the EXACT same thing can happen with the Em chord. I will then
move on to the Am and D7.
Pretty nifty, huh? As you can see, since both of these chords have their root on the Low E string, so the conceptual
arrangement of our dynamic structure is the same.
Now, how in the world do we actually USE fingerstyle? All you've seen is these two chords played in an arpeggiated
fashion. Again, I'll get to that in just a moment. First let's take a look at the movement from Am - D7.
Hmm...this time we no longer have our root on the Low E string with either chord. Will everything we just learned still
work? Absolutely. Check this out:
The Am chord contains the root on the open A string, while the D7 chord uses the open D string as the root. Neither of
these chords have fretted notes for their root - well, not counting inversions.
Quick Solution: Shift EVERYTHING you just learned to the root of the given chord!
I realize this might not be as easy as it sounds, but truly it is. All you need to do now is apply everything you've learned
so that the root note of the given chord becomes your new starting point.
In the case of Am - D7, our new pattern emerges like this:
Keep in mind that the Am has the open A string root and the D7 has the open D string root, so we're actually playing
two chords that do not feature their root notes on the same string. This is still very easy to understand, with one simple
exception: In the case of D7 you'll notice that I chose to go back UP at the very end. This is in part due to the concept
of trying to keep the notes logical as eighth note runs (eight notes per measure) but also in part due to the natural way
in which the D7 chord sounds. The second fretted note on the G string produces the note A.
Funny enough, the chord that was right before the D7 chord is an Am chord. Hmm...the root of the Am chord is an A.
This sounds "ok" simply because the tone of the note actually provides a bit of resolve from the previous chord. In all
honesty this doesn't matter much at all, but since I deviated a bit from the traditional dynamic structure I wanted to let
you know it was intentional. When we start adding and removing notes to play an actual fingerstyle passage it might
change.
Because the entire progression we are working on right now is G - Em - Am - D7, we can now plot the movement from
Am - D7 in terms of our dramatic structure. This should be quite simple.
Again - a denouement can transition from one chord to another as long as it's NOT the first chord from the series. Later
in the course we will be dealing with this exact issue. I'll show you how to easily correct it in the official course, but
there's a hint in the below example:
You'll recall that our entire progression is G - Em - Am - D7. In a progression such as this, the D7 chord will need to
contain the denouement. Sometimes it's harder to find than this, so we'll approach this issue when we get to it. We
now have the entire progression in arpeggio form.
Step 4: Understanding The "Ups" and "Downs"
You might not notice at first glance, but virtually every fingerstyle guitar pattern you play has a series of ups and
downs. As a matter of fact, this doesn't just pertain to fingerstyle guitar. We go through a series of life-changing events
daily that are considered ups and downs. Life is a constant ribbon that sways in the wind, and it's up to us to decide
whether or not we want to stay on the upside or downside of these events.
Peter Gabriel has a song called "Downside Up" that I particularly love. It actually captures exactly what I am discussing
with you right now. Of course, he used some clever wordplay to convey this meaning, but nonetheless the meaning is
there.
These ups and downs may be used in conjunction with one or more additional notes, but the motion is almost
always the same, unless intentionally changed. One real-world example of this you've read about already. It
had to do with dramatic structure and was part of Step 3 in this EZ Fingerstyle 5 step system.
Real-World Scenario: The Roller-Coaster - You've probably heard or seen me talk about the whole "roller coaster"
concept, but here's a quick way of delivering that rather lengthy message:
EVERY roller coaster you see or dare to ride will
contain a series of hills.
These hills will go up and come down. Some hills are bigger
and some are smaller, but they are all organized in a way
that keeps momentum moving as well as the thrills
subjective to the rising/falling action and the climax.
Our job as fingerstyle musicians is to use this concept to
create a beautifully orchestrated fingerstyle passage that
covers all of the "dramatic structure" that takes place.
Am I Crazy? Roller Coasters?
Well, maybe, but I assure you that this method works. The goal in our fingerstyle guitar playing is to create a duplicate
scenario where we either (1) tell a story using dramatic structure and/or (2) use our "roller-coaster concept" to provide
the listener with enough twists, turns, ups, downs, and arounds to keep them listening - or better yet - guessing.
In the next step we will be using both of these concepts to create a fingerstyle passage using G - Em - Am - D7 that
keeps the listener engaged as well as attempting to make our lives as musicians much easier to convey that message
using a logical and consistent pattern that only requires you to know the root notes of each chord. The fun begins now.
Step 5: EZ Fingerstyle 101
This is what you've waited for - and I'm sorry it's taken this long. However, you'd never understand what I am
teaching without first knowing where I'm coming from with the concept.
In case you didn't check out the "Introduction to EZ Fingerstyle" please be sure that you do right now before
proceeding.
You'll recall I've mentioned numerous times that the root note of the first chord makes all the difference in the world. As
we already know, the first chord we're playing is a G Major chord. The root of the G Major chord is on the Low E string.
We also know that the next chord in our progression is an Em. The root of the Em chord is also on the Low E string.
So far, we have two chords with E string root notes.
Important: When I begin assigning fingers, please assume that I am refering to the picking hand, not the fretting hand.
While I do provide you with logical fingerings for a given chord, many musicians choose to play chords in a way that
feels most comfortable for him or her. I use my thumb (fretting hand) for certain chords so feel free to make any
adjustments to the actual chord fingerings as you see fit. However, I highly recommend sticking with the picking hand
placement I provide so that we can stay consistent with our template.
The Root on the Low E String
If a progression starts with the root on the Low E string – no matter WHAT chord it is, I automatically assign my thumb
to that string. I then begin assigning the fingers on my picking hand based on my own little “rule of three.”
In the case of any chord with the root on the Low E string, simply use three digits (whenever possible) and make those
three digits cover two strings each. The math is obvious. On a standard guitar we have six strings. If we use three
digits only we can assign each digit to two strings.
Allow the thumb to take care of any picking on the Low E and A strings. (T)
Allow the 1st finger to take care of any picking on the D and G strings. (1)
Allow the 2nd finger to take care of any picking on the B and high E strings. (2)
How simple is that?! Again – you always have the freedom to add more to any pattern, but if you aren’t able to breeze
right through a variety of chord progressions then this guide should be used as you see it. There WILL be times that
you need to use more than just three digits (T, 1, 2) but for most any song we come into contact with in this series
you'll be just fine using only these three digits.
Before we actually make our G - Em - Am - D7 progression a "true" fingerstyle progression, we need to assign our
picking fingers to the first two chords.
As you can see, since the G - Em both feature roots on the Low E string, our process is very simple to plot. There is
absolutely no change in finger placement.
However, our entire progression isn't all about the E string root. Remember that we have an Am - D7 to play as well.
The Root on the A String
Hmmm….what do we do? The answer is to simply shift down* vertically. (*down as in towards the floor)
Because our root is now on the A string, you can assume that your thumb will now be placed on the A string as your
starting point. Since we have eliminated the need for playing anything on the Low E string (for now) we no longer need
to be concerned with it at all. Instead, what happens is we "lose" a finger placement.
Am - D7
Here we are shifting, so you simply shift vertically and you'll end up removing either your 1st and/or 2nd fingers:
In the case of Am, we "lost" our second 2nd finger as it isn't needed. In the case of D7, we lost all of our 2nd fingers.
Does that make this any easier? Not necessarily. Now that we know where our fingers should be plotted, I want to
reveal a "true" fingerstyle pattern for you, complete with logical fingerings from G - Em - Am - D7.
More Than Just Arpeggios...
This is quite possibly the MOST important area with which you need to become familiar. We're painting a picture.
We're creating a beautiful melody. We're telling a story. Whatever you'd like to call this process makes no difference.
However you cut it, we must find notes that were arpeggiated and...well....basically un-arpeggiate them.
As you played through the arpeggios I provided, certain notes sounded darker and certain notes sounded brighter.
This will always be the case, so the goal in this area is to show you an EZ way to use these notes to our advantage.
Later in this series we will be doing the absolute opposite - we'll actually remove notes based on the style we are
playing.
Creating Our Passage
Based on the G - Em - Am - D7 progression, as you strum through this series you'll hear that each chord provides us
with a bit of difference. The G Major is the brightest. The Em is the darkest. The Am feels a bit "gray" (at least to me - it
could also be considered dark - just not as dark as the Em) and the D7 feels bluesy, but not really dark. It's that
dominant 7th so it's hard to decide at times. Usually it depends on the progression.
We want to do our best to "balance" each chord, but not so much that it takes away from the actual chord being
played.
G = brightest
Em = darkest
Am = grayish
D7 = bluesy
In many ways, what you see above almost already follows both dramatic structure as well as the roller-coaster
concept. We just need to reiterate where we want the ups and downs to be.
G Major
We "color" this chord by starting with our root note. Since the
Low E and High E notes are the same notes that ring at a
different octave, we know we can use both of these notes to
provide a nice balance of high and low.
We can then use the 2nd fretted note on the A string as a midmelody. Next we can simply use the highest point of our chord,
which in this case is the 3rd fretted note on the high E string to
climax the song.
We finally end with the open D and G string notes to balance
out the entire chord itself.
Em
We "color" this chord by starting with our root note. Since the
Low E and High E notes are the same notes that ring at a
different octave, we know we can use both of these notes to
provide a nice balance of high and low.
We can then use the 2nd fretted note on the A string as a midmelody. Next we can simply use the highest point of our
chord, which in this case is the open note on the high E string
to climax the song.
We finally end with the 2nd fretted D string and the open G
string note to balance out the entire chord itself.
Am
We "color" this chord by starting with our root note. This time
we don't have the availability of the Low and High E string
notes together, but we do have the High E as an option. We also
have the note C on the B string to play, which provides us an
additional tone we want to keep.
We can then use the 2nd fretted note on the D string as a midmelody. Next we can simply use the highest point of our chord,
which in this case is the open note on the high E string to climax
the song.
We finally end with the 2nd fretted G string note and the 1st
fretted B string note to balance out the entire chord itself.
D7
We "color" this chord by starting with our root note. Here we
become seriously limited in option, but we can still use the open
D string as well as the C note on the 1st fret of the B string. We
can also use the 2nd fretted note on the High E string, which is
an F#, to add depth to our D7.
We can then use the 2nd fretted note on the G string as a midmelody. Next we can simply use the highest point of our chord,
which in this case is the 2nd fretted note on the high E string to
climax the song.
We finally end with the 2nd fretted G string note and the 1st
fretted B string note to balance out the entire chord itself.
Completed Fingerstyle Passage
This is the full run from G - Em - Am - D7. It's played a total of three times.
Bonus! This progression comes in at the end of the progression you already learned:
This is pretty easy because the B7 has the root on the A string. The E7 has the root on the same Low E string as the
Em.
The A7 has the same root as the Am, and finally we're back to our D7 chord.
The overall progression is G - Em - Am - D7 (x3) and then B7 - E7 - A7 - D7.
Again, you'll simply be playing the fingerstyle template utilizing the E and A root notes as from earlier. If we were to plot
our fingerstyle template the entire progression would look like this:
Now this seems like a TON of information, but it only looks that way. If you were to remove all the explanation of the
dramatic structure you would be left with this:
And Finally...
Sometimes it is frustrating trying to play a fingerstyle pattern without showing the picking finger needed for each note,
so I've also included that below:
What Do You Think?
You might think this is above and beyond what you would usually learn in terms of fingerstyle, but really everything you
just learned can be applied to ANY and EVERY chord you ever work with. Here's proof using all barre chords below:
Final Thoughts...
You're always free to experiment, but if you are wondering how I was able to create this pattern quickly and easily, this
is my general guideline based solely on eight 8th notes per measure. The barred version of this song didn't have any D
root notes, so here is the open version again:
(page left intentionally blank for full screen view below)
E Root: E string + B string + high E string | A string | high E string | D string + G string
A Root: A string + B string + high E string | D string | high E string | G string + B string
D Root: D string + B string + high E string | G string | high E string | G string + B string
When you line the concept up, you'll see that only a few actual changes take place. In this case, each chord uses
four notes.
* For the first note series, simply use the root + B and high E strings.
* For the second note series, use the string that sounds one note higher than the root note
(From E root you play the A string, and from A root you play the D string, etc.)
* For the third note series, use the high E string no matter what. It provides a climax.
* For the fourth note series, use the G string and B string for any A or D root.
(In the case of E, you can choose to use the D and G strings to keep the chord at a lower tone.)
The keys to understanding this entire concept has been recapped below.
Recap
1. You can start any fingerstyle passage by finding the root of the first chord. If the root is on the E, follow the
TT1122 pattern. If the root is on the A, follow the xTT112 pattern. If the root is on the D, follow the xxTT11
pattern.
2. You absolutely can strike two strings with one finger, such as the case with the arrangement you just saw.
Often you'll do it by accident.
3. No matter the progression, the denouement can take place on any chord other than the first chord and last
chord in the progression. Exception: The last note can be considered the denouement as long as you use the
root note from the previous chord. (D7 uses the A note as the denouement in the progression we just saw.)
4. Always follow the (1) dramatic structure and/or the (2) roller-coaster/up and down concept.
5. Take liberty in your fingerstyle patterns. You can always add or subtract notes that work for you.
6. Don't focus too much on the "how" in how you are playing. Instead, focus on the "what" in what you are
playing.
7. It's ALL about shifting picking hand placement location based on the root.
8. Keep it simple at first and then expand.
9. This process works for both open and barre chords.
10. Whenever a progression itself changes, the denouement can no longer be used until the second chord appears.
This is reflective of our initial progression of G - Em - Am - D7. After the D7 was played, we couldn't use the G
Major as the denouement. This also applies in the case of the additional progression that came in after the G Em - Am - D7 (x3), where the progression changed to B7 - E7 - A7 - D7. The B7 cannot be the denouement
from the D7 in the initial progression.
********** This is just a sample of what is in store as an EZ Fingerstyle 101 member! **********
Sincerely,
Nathan Wilson
Course Instructor