[allthumbs]

Hi Nelsonite. Would you know how to strum using nails? I have a friend who can play in a Jeff Beck style using fingers,yet he gets the same attack and dynamics you would expect from a pick including harmonics. He is too bashful to share his skills so I just thought I would ask.

[Neilsonite]

Hi allthumbs, good to see you. Strumming without a pick is very similar to strumming with a pick, so the exercises in the lesson should help anyone who wants to use that style.
One way to do it is to pretend you're holding a pick, and go for it. You'll be hitting the strings with the back of your first fingernail, and the side of your thumb as well on up strums.
Then next thing to try is opening up your hand a bit (like you're dropping the pick). Keep the thumb sitting on the bass strings (around the A and low E), and push your fingers out and in towards making a fist. You'll be hitting the strings with the back of the fingernails on down strums, and with the pads of your fingers on up strums. Keep your fingers curved and relaxed at all times, the movement is mainly coming from the knuckle (i.e. where the fingers join the hand). Again, the exercises in the lesson will help perfect that technique.
Hope that answers your question!
James

[allthumbs]

It is a start in the right direction. Gonna take some thought to be able to switch seemlesly back and forth between finger struming with a closed hand and finger picking. I am working on a slide version of Cold Shot. Those upstroke choke strums are sanding my thumb off. Now to figure out how to do a pick harmonic with just fingers.

[Neilsonite]

If I'm moving back and forth between strumming and fingerpicking, I definitely use the open hand strum (where your thumb just sits on the bass strings and plays them when needed). The 'pretending to hold a pick' method to me works better when it's used for a stretch at a time when more volume and pick-like attack is needed. Sanding your thumb off sounds undesirable...

For a pinch (aka pick) harmonic, it's tricky! You hold your first finger and thumb like you're holding a pick, but curl your first finger just a bit more so it's against the last joint of your thumb. Now play the string (the G string 7th fret is about the easiest) with your thumb and first finger touching it at the same time (the thumb will be pointing towards your headstock. The first finger will be playing with the face of the nail, and the side of the thumb will be lightly touching the string. Now turn up the gain and squeal away!

[allthumbs]

Ok,got it. ZZtop here i come Thanks man.

[Buddy Love]

Hi Neilsonite,

Just started your strumming lessons today. The information and sound files are great. This is what I've been needing.

I'm still experimenting with picks after breaking a few and losing a couple in the sound holes.

After seriously getting into it the last 3 or 4 months, I'm still experimenting with pick position with my thumb and index. I'm still not comfortable with holding it for strumming as opposed to doing scales or picking notes. It should obviously be the same but maybe it just takes a while to find it?

Also, I'm still experimenting with different pick sizes and gauges.

Keep up the good work.

BL

[Neilsonite]

Hi BL,
Finding the right pick position is hard! I'm going to post a lesson on it shortly, so keep an eye out. I'll have info on position for strumming and picking, and on pick choice. I'm also going to be adding more to the strumming lesson (with videos!)...
James

[Buddy Love]

James,

I'll be looking forward to your lessons on picks and strumming.

Good to know that I'm not the only one who has pick problems. I've been trying different positions and picks but just can't get comfortable with them. If I'm doing a lot of up and down strumming I tend to use a thinner pick. I just changed strings on these two guitars I have and now find that my picks sound real clunky or something.

What kind of really set me free strumming was a couple of months ago I went out on our porch. I had this old 'beater', an old $25 Decca guitar, I got at a garage sale. I had glued it back together and put a new nut and saddle on it. We live in a remote area so no one was around or could hear me.

I just let lose on this thing with my hand and wrist. I don't recommend this to everyone but I just beat the heck out of this guitar and let my frustration go. Broke a couple of picks and some went into the sound hole.

It was really kind of a freeing experience - just letting go. In other words, I've always been kind of holding back from the guitar maybe trying to use too much finesse or something.

I realized then that a guitar wants to be played and is built to handle it. Hope that doesn't sound weird or anything but now I find myself really free to let my hand and wrist flow. But I don't beat them like I did that day.

Dan

[Jean]

I do that in the barn...gotta get out of the tense handling...

[mrpb]

I started learning guitar, maybe six weeks ago, with Kirk's finger picking lessons: now that I went back and learned Here Comes the Sun with 4 fingers, it's not bad but still needs work on some of the chord changes.

Anyway, I started these strumming lessons today, went through the 3 levels in about thirty minutes. I got the rhythms fairly quickly (I think). So, now the question: Is there any point to practicing them when it seems really easy to just look at the pdf, keep time, say it and play it (didn't need to listen to it first, but when I did it was right on)? Or should I just wait until the patterns come up in a song that I'm learning?

P.S. I'm not trying to sound like guitar is easy, because it most certainly is not. But picking up these strum patterns came much easier than anything I've learned so far. So easy that I wonder if there's a need to practice them.

[Neilsonite]

Hi mrpb,

It sound like you're one of the lucky few who picks strumming up easily - good news! People vary a lot in how long they take to get comfortable with those, from straight away to a couple of months!

I'm currently working on the next few levels, and will have them up shortly, so that should give you more to practice, and maybe more of a challenge. If you want to continue practicing level 1-3 in the meanwhile, I'd suggesting trying to really lock in to the rhythm, playing each strum at exactly the right time. This can always be improved, and is worth practicing...

The idea with the lessons I'm posting is that you get comfortable enough with swinging your arm no matter what that you can pick up any rhythm you hear, first go, no having to rehearse or learn it. It sounds like it won't be too long until you're at that level, which will really open up your playing, and will make learning songs much easier...

James

[mrpb]

Neilsonite,

I guess you're right on that one. I could always improve on sticking the timing. So, I'll work in a little strum practice every day. Looking forward to the additonal lessons. Thanks so much to you and Kirk for providing these lessons. They are just awsome!