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Originally Posted by Jean
Do you think a beginner like me could "compose" a fingerstyle arrangement from scratch?
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Yes, Jean, you can definitely make up your own arrangement either of a song you know or one you wrote. Often you don't even have to move very far up the neck to do it.
The penny dropped for me early in my playing when I was shown how to "move around" within a chord, picking melody notes out.
A very simple example: Play an ordinary C chord. Put your little finger on the top string, 3rd fret. Now you have an extra note to play with the C chord. Now play a G chord and move your finger down from the top string third fret to the secnd string third fret. Play the chord without playing the top string and now you have an extra note you can play with the G chord.
Your little finger can get very busy adding notes to cords in this way. Often a passing note (one that is in the melody only briefly) doesn't require a chord change, for example playing that C chord again, your little finger can be used on the second string, 3rd fret to give you a D note. You can play an F note on a C chord by using your index finger to fret both the first and second strings at the frist fret.
See how many notes you can get this way? Experiment and you'll find a lot more. Do it with other chords, too. While playing a D chord put your little finger on the first string third fret. Try and stretch it up to the fifth fret.
If you don't understand what I'm saying, or want more help with it, please ask.