Fingerpicking the Blues

Finger-
picking is a popular style of the blues guitar player, as well as Country and other styles.

Wikipedia states:

"Fingerpicking (also called thumb picking, alternating bass, or pattern picking) is a term that is used to describe both a playing style and a genre of music. It falls under the "fingerstyle" heading because it is plucked by the fingers, but it is generally used to play a specific type of folk, country-jazz and/or blues music. In this technique, the thumb maintains a steady rhythm, usually playing "alternating bass" patterns on the lower three strings, while the index, or index and middle fingers pick out melody and fill-in notes on the high strings.

The style originated in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as southern African American blues guitarists tried to imitate the popular ragtime piano music of the day, with the guitarist's thumb functioning as the pianist's left hand, and the other fingers functioning as the right hand. The first recorded examples were by players such as Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie and Mississippi John Hurt. Some early blues players such as Blind Willie Johnson and Tampa Red added slide guitar techniques. Fingerpicking was soon taken up by country and Western artists such as Sam McGee, Ike Everly (father of The Everly Brothers), Merle Travis and "Thumbs" Carllile. Later Chet Atkins further developed the style."

I remember my Dad fingerpicking Hawaiian Steel Guitar when I was just a kid. He and his brother, my Uncle, used to play together. They even had cut a record back then. My Dad on Steel Guitar and my Uncle on his hollow body f-hole style jazz guitar. I rarely heard them play together. My Dad was really into rhythm and percussion more than the guitar.

He had many percussion vinyl LP's that he used to play the Bongo drums along with. I guess that impressed rhythm on me at a young age, and today I am a stylized rhythm guitar player. I rarely fingerpick and I don't use the thumb or finger picks that my Dad used. I have probably only one style of fingerpicking and it is very simple in execution.

Today's photograph that I manipulated with a close crop and Painter 8 Van Gogh style is credited to Clarita. Thank you for the great photograph to work with.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: B.B. King and U2 - When Love Comes to Town
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