INTRODUCING FINGERSTYLE MELODY & APPLYING IT TO SONGS
WHAT IS FINGERSTYLE MELODY?
This lesson is all about playing melodies on the guitar with only your fingers. For the last seven lessons we have concentrated on playing with a pick or plectrum. Now we are widening out your skills by introducing you to fingerstyle technique. This is the first of two lessons which covers this area. In the next lesson you’ll be introduced to Fingerstyle Chords and how to play chords using the techniques described in by Gary in this video.
WHAT’S SPAIN GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Gary Clinton will be introducing the concept of PIMA. PIMA stands for Pulgar, Indecio, Media and Anular. These are the names given to the fingers of the right hand and the names are from the Spanish for these fingers.
By building a good right hand technique you will be able to perform a wider range of sounds and styles. That is why you are being exposed to fingerstyle melody techniques within this course.
WIDEN YOUR SKILLS
So, once you have watched the video and understood the concepts covered, what should you do next? Well we would advise you to try and play a good range of songs with your fingers. Try and concentrate on the quality of tone that you produce. Also, make sure that you pay particular attention to what Gary says about finger choices regarding consecutive notes.
IT CAN BE DIFFICULT BUT KEEP GOING
If you have gone through this course diligently, then you should now be able to play chords of differing types. You will also be able to play and you’ve also been learning guitar riffs. If you have an acoustic guitar, specifically a nylon string guitar, you will be amazed at some of the familiar sounds you will be able to play. Check out our How To Play Guitar page to find out about the other courses from GMI.