Talk:Fingerpicking

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[edit] This article should be merged with Fingerstyle guitar

As explained on that article's discussion page, "fingerpicking" and "fingerstyle" are essentially the same thing. In any case, whatever tiny differences there may be could easily be pointed out in one article. It's silly to have two separate articles; this only serves to cloud the whole issue, not clarify. +ILike2BeAnonymous 06:18, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

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For those interested in this matter, please check the discussion page for Fingerstyle guitar, where there's an ongoing dialog about this. (This'll save a lot of copying & pasting back and forth between these two pages.) +ILike2BeAnonymous 18:35, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The case for fingerstyle as the inclusive term

I've been looking into the matter, and while some people use the terms synonymously, it appears that "fingerpicking" is most often used as a subset of "fingerstyle". I quote the following from Homespun Video, the largest producer of music instruction DVDs:

"Finger style" refers to any type of music in which the strings are plucked by the fingers rather than by a pick. Classical guitarists invariably play finger style, as do many singers accompanying folk songs. (This "classical" style usually involves the thumb and three fingers --index, middle and ring). Many top players use this technique to play beautiful instrumentals in various forms. Martin Simpson's Celtic arrangements, Artie Traum's fingerstyle jazz and Keola Beamer's Hawaiian slack key guitar are some examples.

"Fingerpicking" (also called "thumb picking" or "alternating bass") is a term that is used to describe both a style and a type of music. It falls under the "fingerstyle" heading because it is played by the fingers, but it's generally used to play a specific type of folk, country-jazz and/or blues music. In this technique, the thumb maintains a steady rhythm on the low strings while the index, or index and middle fingers pick out melody and fill-in notes on the high strings. Originally developed by African American blues guitarists throughout the south imitating the bass and treble of piano rags, it was later adapted by white musicians - most notably Ike Everly, Merle Travis and Chet Atkins - who have created a blues/jazz/country hybrid that is extremely popular. Although usually played on acoustic guitars, Travis himself often played on hollow-body electrics, as do many other players.[1]

Other quotes:

"Fingerpicking falls under the fingerstyle category of ways to play the guitar." Richard Gillman, Fingerpicking Guitar [2].

"I've always called it fingerstyle. I have always seen chicken-pickin' defined as a subset of the fingerstyle technique. My classical/fingerstyle instructor from my teenage days was a master of this. He *made* me learn this style. [3]

Additionally, let me state these statistics:

• I get 1,500,000 Google hits for "fingerstyle", and only 822,000 "fingerpicking".
• There is a magazine called "Fingerstyle Guitar" [1]. There is no publication called "Fingerpicking Guitar".
• In a search of the online archive of Acoustic Guitar magazine, the largest-circulation publication of its kind, I get 2,400 references to "fingerstyle", and 1,090 for "fingerpicking".

I agree with the general thrust of Like2Be's suggestion, that these two articles should be combined. But NOT because they are synonymous. Fingerpicking should be discussed within the greater realm of fingerstyle. --Pleather 07:53, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Merging the two sounds correct to me. The first time I found the terms on Wikipedia I was surprised they were separate entries. The only difference to me is that fingerstyle sounds more serious. I usually "hear" fingerpicking without the final "g" like "just a pickin' on the old git fiddle". I personally like the look of finger style with the space in between - --Dalemi 02:21, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I think that the two articles if merged would compliment eachother very well, on the fingerstyle page, particularly the bit on Jazz guitar and it's notes on staccatto (excuse the spelling) and on the hybrid picking, however I do agree with Pleather's argument that they should be seperate as, (speaking from experience) classical and the alternating bass line are two different techniques, however they do have their similarities. What I think we should do is use the fingerstyle article for the basis of the article and then we can discuss which parts of the fingerpicking article to attach to that article so that it looks legible. I think a lot of the stuff about the Jazz can be put because the article only has a stub there. --Mikeoman 01:11, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] minor edit

There's a spelling mistake I spotted where 'ther' should be 'the', Just to let you know i've changed it --Mikeoman 23:04, 21 February 2007 (UTC)