Learning to fingerpick is an invaluable skill when it comes to adding tools to your guitar took-kit.
You'll find that it gives you far more ability and facility with songs you might not have previously been able to play.
The easiest way to get your feet wet when it comes to guitar fingerpicking is to assign the thumb and fingers of your picking hand--right or left--to specific strings so you can get started quickly and easily.
First, let's begin with the thumb.
Take the thumb of your picking hand and place it on your low E string.
Then, assign your index finger to the D string, your middle finger to the G string, your ring finger to the B string and your little finger to the high E string of your guitar.
Fretting a standard E major chord, simply play each string in succession, starting with your thumb on the low E all the way through each successive string, ending with your little finger on the high E string.
In actual practice, it's somewhat rare to use your little finger, but developing ability with it certainly won't hurt you at all.
Take this just as slow as you need to and repeat the process.
Once you have this process down, repeat it one more time, stopping at the little finger on the high E string.
Once you reach this point, make your way back down this succession of strings, by playing the high E again, then the B, G and so on; ending with the thumb on the low E.
Practice this slowly and easily before you increase your speed, but once you do feel comfortable at a certain speed, gradually increase that speed, doing your best to create little or no pause between ascending and descending your fingerpicking pattern, up and down the strings.
Feel free to experiment with other chords as you like.
It will likely be easiest with chords that cover all six strings, but you can easily adjust to something like a basic A major chord by moving your thumb from the low E to your A string and continuing the process of ascending and descending strings.
With just a little attention, you can be fingerpicking in just a matter of hours or even minutes.
If you have trouble following the written instructions above, feel free to log onto YouTube for myriad videos that give great instruction for beginning fingerpickers...
and remember, it's all about 'play'...
so keep it fun!
You'll find that it gives you far more ability and facility with songs you might not have previously been able to play.
The easiest way to get your feet wet when it comes to guitar fingerpicking is to assign the thumb and fingers of your picking hand--right or left--to specific strings so you can get started quickly and easily.
First, let's begin with the thumb.
Take the thumb of your picking hand and place it on your low E string.
Then, assign your index finger to the D string, your middle finger to the G string, your ring finger to the B string and your little finger to the high E string of your guitar.
Fretting a standard E major chord, simply play each string in succession, starting with your thumb on the low E all the way through each successive string, ending with your little finger on the high E string.
In actual practice, it's somewhat rare to use your little finger, but developing ability with it certainly won't hurt you at all.
Take this just as slow as you need to and repeat the process.
Once you have this process down, repeat it one more time, stopping at the little finger on the high E string.
Once you reach this point, make your way back down this succession of strings, by playing the high E again, then the B, G and so on; ending with the thumb on the low E.
Practice this slowly and easily before you increase your speed, but once you do feel comfortable at a certain speed, gradually increase that speed, doing your best to create little or no pause between ascending and descending your fingerpicking pattern, up and down the strings.
Feel free to experiment with other chords as you like.
It will likely be easiest with chords that cover all six strings, but you can easily adjust to something like a basic A major chord by moving your thumb from the low E to your A string and continuing the process of ascending and descending strings.
With just a little attention, you can be fingerpicking in just a matter of hours or even minutes.
If you have trouble following the written instructions above, feel free to log onto YouTube for myriad videos that give great instruction for beginning fingerpickers...
and remember, it's all about 'play'...
so keep it fun!