It has never been easier to learn how to fingerpick! There are an abundance of resources both online and in print, and you have access to plenty of in-person tutors. So why do so many students struggle and ultimately give up?
I think that most people give up because they try to do it all themselves, with no help beyond their keyboard and computer screen.
Online Learning Resources
We are incredibly lucky to live in a time when we have platforms like YouTube, Udemy, and Skillshare, as well as guitar-focused tuition sites like Justin Guitar and Andy Guitar (and, of course, Six String Fingerpicking!) so you can be taught by talented teachers the world over. Location and time are no longer impediments to finding the right teacher for you.
A lot of people try to learn solely from YouTube and I completely understand why – it’s free and there’s a bottomless pit of material available. But that can be a problem in its own right. The algorithm sends you down a blind alley of video after video with no direction or focus. That’s if it maintains guitar-related suggestions. Before you know it, you could be watching a skateboarding dog!
I’m not saying the chances of success are zero because they are far from it but if you’re really serious, then there are other things that will greatly benefit your fingerpicking guitar journey. Use YouTube like you would any other search engine rather than as a guitar guru.
Fingerpicking-Specific Courses
Once you’ve dabbled with YouTube a bit and it’s sparked your curiosity and confirmed you want to get serious with fingerpicking, what would be worth doing first is finding some online courses. Courses will take away all of that distraction and any ambiguity, focusing your attention on the one thing you want to learn: fingerpicking. If you practice in the way and to the extent the course recommends, then your chances of success have just skyrocketed. And who doesn’t want that?
Courses can be a great investment. They shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, and good courses can really inspire you and thereby truly transform your playing. If you’re just figuring out how to master fingerstyle guitar, there’s my Beginner Level fingerstyle guitar course for you on my Academy that will get your fingerpicking off on the right track.
In-Person Tuition
One of the best things you can do, albeit the most costly on a per-hour basis, is hire a one-to-one teacher (either online or in-person). Someone who is going to watch your every move as you play, get rid of potentially years’ worth of bad habits that you haven’t been able to shake (or avoid them in the first place), and answer all those burning questions you just can’t get a straight answer to in the comments section of a video! Whether you do this on an ad hoc basis or as regular sessions, you’re going to see the benefit.
So how hard is it to learn fingerpicking guitar in 2024?
It’s not hard, if you know how to approach it.
Mix and match, use a range of resources, keep practicing, but have one key source that guides you through, who ideally should be your one-to-one teacher. You’ll need someone who’s there when you’re feeling like you’re banging your head against a brick wall. Which will happen annoyingly often…!
The real key to your success is turning up and being consistent with your everyday practice, and I mean ‘everyday’ both in the sense of the routine and sometimes mundane drills we do, as well as the frequency of your practice sessions! There is no formula for success and no one else can put the time in other than you. So get to work, and enjoy the process. You will be rewarded!
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Author: Chris Murrin
Chris Murrin is a British guitar teacher who has dedicated his adult life to helping students master the guitar. A few years ago, in 2018, he founded Six String Fingerpicking so that he could help experienced and budding guitarists the world over to realise their fingerpicking goals.