топ 5 фингерстайл гитаристов
10 Greatest Fingerstyle Guitarists
\n Best fingerpickers out there.
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Niass \n \n \n \n \n \n
Few things inspire greater awe in guitarists than watching and hearing a great finger-stylist at work. Oftentimes the best finger-pickers seem to incorporate music from a multitude of genres—country, jazz, blues … you name it. Below we’ve profiled ten of the very best. Let us know, in the comments section, which great fingerstyle guitarists we’ve missed!
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country singer and guitarist who came up with a unique finger-style technique which later would be called Travis picking. The peculiarity of this kind of picking was in \»preset right-hand pattern[s]\» while fingerpicking, with the left-hand fingering standard chords. He is also credited with devising the first solid body electric guitar, coming up with a model, which, when perfected by Leo Fender, would become a key element in early rock ‘n’ roll.
Tommy Emmanuel
William Thomas \»Tommy\» Emmanuel is an Australian world-famous fingerstyle guitarist.
Emmanuel often curls his left-hand thumb around the neck of the guitar onto the fretboard to play some notes, rather than using only his fingers to play—contrary to how classical guitarists play, but not unusual for jazz and country guitarists. He frequently plays common three-finger chord shapes with just two fingers. He commonly uses a thumb pick, a flat pick (plectrum), his fingers or a combination of these in his playing, a style known as hybrid picking.
Amongst his trademark rapid virtuosic licks and cascading harmonic progressions, he often uses a technique that imitates an electric guitar’s tremolo system on acoustic guitar—by pressing the palm of his right hand against the fretboard of the guitar near the neck joint, while maintaining forward pressure with his left hand on the top of the headstock, the guitar neck slightly bends away from the body and consequently affects the pitch of the strings to achieve the desired sound.
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton \»Chet\» Atkins was an American musician, and one of the founders of the Nashville sound, which expanded country music’s appeal to adult pop music fans. When he was young, he used to listen to Travis Merle a lot on the radio. But as he couldn’t see Travis playing, Chet didn’t know that Travis played the guitar with his thumb and just one finger. So, he started fooling around with three fingers and a thumb, which turned out to be a pseudo-classical style that he stuck with. This signature thumb and finger guitar-picking style Atkins created not only influenced future musicians, but led Atkins to design guitar models, collaborating with the Gretsch Guitar Company, and later with Gibson.
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent solo guitarist. New York Magazine said of him, \»Joe Pass looks like somebody’s uncle and plays guitar like nobody’s business. He’s called ‘the world’s greatest’ and often compared to Paganini for his virtuosity. There is a certain purity to his sound that makes him stand out easily from other first-rate jazz guitarists.\» His solo style was marked by an advanced linear technique, sophisticated harmonic sense, counterpoint between improvised lead lines, bass figures and chords, spontaneous modulations, and transitions from fast tempos to rubato passages. He would regularly add what he called \»color tones\» to his compositions, to give what he believed was a more sophisticated and \»funkier\» sound. He would often use melodic counterpoint during improvisation, move lines and chords chromatically or play melodies by solely shifting chords, and descending augmented arpeggios at the end of phrases.
Michael Hedges
Born in Sacramento, California, in 1953, Hedges helped bring to the acoustic guitar in a very modern context with his use of hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonic slaps, alternate tunings, and the incorporation of percussive elements which would latterly influence many generations of guitar players. Furthermore, Hedges pulled bass lines, lead lines, moving chords and percussion parts simultaneously out of just one guitar (live these were dubbed his “man-band” performances), using a custom-made double neck guitar. As a guitar player, Hedges was a master. Nevertheless, the music he composed was lush, visceral, and deceptively playful (he humorously inserted the lick from the classic Iron Butterfly track ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ into an otherwise straightforward song).
Andy McKee
Anthony Dufour
Anthony Dufour is a French-Canadian acoustic guitarist. His style can be easily recognized by the abundance of percussion, slap and natural harmonics. Some of his special tricks include: tying his scarf/bandana around the end of his guitar’s neck to mute the strings above the nut. Using a Dunlop thumb pick which he files down so that the tip of the pick is shorter and at a more comfortable angle for his playing style. His two rings serve no specific purpose; those are his wedding and engagement rings.
Don Ross
Donald James Ross or Don Ross is a guitarist who plays in style a style that he describes as \»heavy wood.\» Ross’s advanced technique and his sure feeling for rhythm combine with uncommon ideas to make his style instantly recognizable. He often uses percussive techniques and plays intricate down and upstroke patterns with his thumb. His use of acrylic nails allows him to get the sound of long fingernails without the hassle of broken nails.
Leo Kottke
For 40-plus years Leo Kottke has showcased his phenomenal skills as a finger picker, drawing from blues, jazz and folk to produce sophisticated, polyphonic melodies. Along the way he’s overcome injury and partial hearing loss, even reconfiguring his technique to accommodate tendon damage in his right hand. Through the years, Kottke has collaborated with such musical giants as Chet Atkins, Lyle Lovett, Rickie Lee Jones – and his mentor, John Fahey.
John Fahey
He adopted pseudonyms when no one had heard of him and drifted into poverty and alcoholism. But Fahey was one of the great pioneers of American blues and folk. In Fahey’s hands, a single song can carry echoes of all the older musics he was drawn to – traditional folk ballads, blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals – but simultaneously sound somehow new and utterly unique.
музыка Fingerstyle
Andy McKee
Andy McKee родился 4 апреля 1979 году в Соединенных Штатах, в городе Топека, штат Канзас. С гитарой Энди впервые познакомился в тринадцать…
Antoine Dufour
107 125 слушателей
Don Ross
В настоящее время, в дни настоящих новаторов и истинных виртуозов гитарного искусства, Дон Росс (Don Ross) смог найти выход в свет, найти…
Tommy Emmanuel
161 980 слушателей
Томми начал играть на гитаре в 1959 году в возрасте 4 лет, не имея никакого специального образования. Он не получил академического…
Sungha Jung
Родился Sungha Jung 2 сентября 1996 года в Южной Корее. Как только он первый раз взял в руки гитару и прикоснулся к ее струнам, у него…
Ewan Dobson
Эван Добсон (англ. Ewan Dobson) — виртуозный канадский гитарист в стиле фингерстайл, использующий при игре богатый набор расширенных техник…
Billy McLaughlin
Preston Reed
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Justin King
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Kaki King
366 648 слушателей
Каки Кинг (Kaki King, настоящее имя Катрин Кинг, родилась 24 августа 1979 года в Атланте) никогда нельзя было назвать заурядной. Ее третий…
Leo Kottke
134 727 слушателей
Leo Kottke (born 11 September 1945, Athens, Georgia, U.S.) is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which…
Laurence Juber
Fusing folk, jazz,and pop styles, two-time Grammy-winner Laurence Juber creates a multifaceted performance that belies the use of only one…
Pierre Bensusan
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Don Ross & Andy McKee
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Craig D’Andrea
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Alex de Grassi
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Erik Mongrain
Эрик Монгрейн начал самостоятельное изучение игры на гитаре в возрасте 14 лет. Свои первые уроки он брал на электрогитаре слушая такие…
Erick Turnbull
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Peter Finger
Вики-статьи пока нет.
John Fahey
223 812 слушателей
Американский кантри-гитарист Джон Фэи умер в феврале 2001.
Ему было 62 года.
Джон Фэи был удивительным человеком, про него существует масса…
музыка Fingerstyle guitar
Andy McKee
Andy McKee родился 4 апреля 1979 году в Соединенных Штатах, в городе Топека, штат Канзас. С гитарой Энди впервые познакомился в тринадцать…
Leo Kottke
134 727 слушателей
Leo Kottke (born 11 September 1945, Athens, Georgia, U.S.) is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which…
John Fahey
223 812 слушателей
Американский кантри-гитарист Джон Фэи умер в феврале 2001.
Ему было 62 года.
Джон Фэи был удивительным человеком, про него существует масса…
Tommy Emmanuel
161 980 слушателей
Томми начал играть на гитаре в 1959 году в возрасте 4 лет, не имея никакого специального образования. Он не получил академического…
Don Ross
В настоящее время, в дни настоящих новаторов и истинных виртуозов гитарного искусства, Дон Росс (Don Ross) смог найти выход в свет, найти…
Michael Mucklow
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Benjamin Woolman
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Antoine Dufour
107 125 слушателей
Dick Rosmini
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Erick Turnbull
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Craig D’Andrea
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Mance Lipscomb
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Pat Donohue
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Stephen Bennett
Stephen Bennett is an extraordinary musician, an acknowledged master of the harp guitar, a challenging teacher, a gifted composer, and a…
Michael Hedges
Майкл Хеджес обучался игре на классической гитаре в университете Филипс (Phillips University). Он пробовал себя во многих музыкальных стилях,…
Michael Chapman
Родившийся 24 января 1941 года в Лидсе, певец, гитарист и сочинитель Майкл Чэпмен своей выразительной и самоуглубленной работой не смог…
Justin King
Вики-статьи пока нет.
Ewan Dobson
Эван Добсон (англ. Ewan Dobson) — виртуозный канадский гитарист в стиле фингерстайл, использующий при игре богатый набор расширенных техник…
Top 25 Fingerstyle Guitar Players
I’m not sure it’s possible to definitively say who are THE best 25 fingerstyle guitar players in the world. But I’m gonna try.
Here are the top 25 fingerstyle guitar players, presented in alphabetical order. I couldn’t bring myself to try to rank them. In fact, I’m not sure that’s even possible. But even with that disclaimer, it’s very likely that you may disagree, want to add or subtract a player. If that’s the case, please:
Add other worthy players to the comments below so that the list is truly complete. Thanks!
Here We Go…
Chet Atkins (1924 – 2001)
One of the “Great Ones” of fingerstyle guitar, Atkins took “Travis picking” (see Merle Travis further down the list) and turned it into an entire genre of country-based, jazz-flavored, fingerstyle genius. Chet Atkins is often quoted as a prime inspiration by contemporary players, particularly Tommy Emmanuel.
There’s a lot of material to choose from when listening to Chet, but a popular song to start with is “Windy and Warm”.
To get a run-down of his style, check out these lessons from Muriele Anderson focused directly on Chet’s playing and songs.
Pierre Bensusan
A French-Algerian guitarist wielding DADGAD in a dazzling display of modern fingerstyle guitar. While his playing throughout his career has spanned a variety of formats, his recent solo acoustic playing has won awards and made it’s way into soundtracks.
To get a sense of his style, listen to “So Long Michael“, a tribute to Michael Hedges (see list below) upon his passing.
Bensusan actually has a video lesson series focused on his DADGAD method, you check that out here.
Antoine Dufour
The Montreal-based guitarist – who won the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Championships – deftly navigates pop covers like Coldplay’s “Talk” and original compositions like “These Moments“, and has the hippest website of the bunch. This guy’s the real deal.
To cover some of his tunes, go to his website store and he’s got tab available.
Tommy Emmanuel
The man himself! Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian fingerpicker who has dominated the fingerstyle guitar scene in recent years thanks to a combination of impeccable Chet Atkins style playing, high energy stage presence, great songwriting, and good old fashioned Aussie personality. His TED talk probably helped, too.
Check him out playing “Classical Gas” (over 12million views!).
LESSONS WITH TOMMY:
Tommy Emmanuel has some amazing fingerstyle guitar lessons available online. There’s actually multiple series – from beginning to advanced. Click through the link to view them all.
Learn More Here >>
Ed Gerhard
Ed Gerhard is an exceptional fingerstyle player on steel string acoustic, dobro, and weissenborn. I have to admit, while he plays some great steel string tunes, I fell in love with his playing thanks to this weissenborn tune.
If you’re interested in his style, there’s an Acoustic Masterclass DVD and Tab set that will walk you through his tunes.
Jon Gomm
This British phenom is widely known for his “Passionflower” YouTube video, where he somehow combines harmonics, over-the-neck fretboard work, percussive slapping, singing, AND using tuners to change note values mid-riff…and manages to make it sounds like a compelling song. Crazy. By the way, how did he know this song is up first in my current Spotify playlist?
Calum Graham
A young player coming out of Canada who has already gotten the attention of the fingerstyle community with tunes like “Tabula Rasa“. He’s already had the chance to work with movie soundtracks, the Olympics, and Antoine Dufour. Pretty amazing. You can sign up for some Skype lessons on his site (more info here).
LESSONS WITH CALUM:
Calum Graham has a great online video lesson course available online that covers a lot of unique stylistic techniques, including the “Thumb Upstroke Technique” key to playing Tabula Rasa.
Learn More Here >>
Alex de Grassi
Alex de Grassi has been producing groundbreaking acoustic fingerstyle guitar work since the late 70’s. His work with the Windham Hill label produced fingerstyle classics like “Turning“. And his impeccable playing has even been documented into a teaching method for fingerstyle guitar: The Alex De Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method. A true legend.
Michael Hedges
Michael Hedges is widely acknowledged as the consummate fingerstyle guitarist. His avante garde approach to acoustic guitar broke out in the late 80’s, paving the way for thousands of guitarists after him to employ new techniques to the instrument. His definitive album is Aerial Boundaries, on Windham Hill Recordings. Check out the popular track, “Ragamuffin“. (Like the Beatles and The Rolling Stones, the thing to remember is that, while you’ve heard stuff like from other players, he did it first. He was the guy that made the other guys go, “Hmm. You mean we can do that?”)
Maneli Jamal
An eclectic player who combines a variety of tonalities and techniques. Check out his tune, Lucid Drawl, and you’ll sense the scope of his playing. Inspiring.
Jamal has new lessons out on JamPlay! Click here to check out a preview.
Sungha Jung
Sungha Jung is a South Korean guitarist widely hailed as a guitar prodigy. His cover of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme song has over 52million Youtube views (as of this writing). A composer and instrumentalist, Jung is largely self-taught.
Phil Keaggy
I’ve got a soft spot for Phil Keaggy because I grew up listening to him. His career started with electric guitar, songwriting, and fronting a band in Cleveland, Ohio. Yet the second half of his career has focused on fingerstyle guitar playing (which is kind of amazing seeing as he’s missing part of his middle finger on his right hand). His contributions to solo acoustic guitar, including the use of loopers, e-Bows, and avante garde technology, are often overlooked due to his pre-YouTube aesthetic and off-the-grid personality.
LESSONS WITH PHIL:
Phil Keaggy has an online masterclass set of lessons available online. A truly unique chance to see the “behind-the-scenes” of his playing.
Learn More Here >>
Kaki King
Kaki King goes her own way. Just check out her latest video, “The Neck is a Bridge to the Body“. She walks the line between popularity (she’s been on Letterman and recorded a soundtrack for Into The Wild) and off-the-beaten-path artistry (just scroll past the first few tunes under her name in Spotify). What makes her compelling is her incredible mastery of the acoustic guitar, and her willingness to challenge how it’s played.
You can actually get a video lesson series from King if you want to explore her style.
Thomas Leeb
Thomas Leeb is an Austrian-born guitarist, now living in California, who takes percussive acoustic guitar playing to the next level. Check out his album, “Desert Pirate”, and specifically his rendition of “No Woman No Cry” to put yourself on that fine line between inspiration and jealousy.
Adrian Legg
Adrian Legg spent a number of years as a guitar technician, wrote for guitar publications, helped design and launch acoustic guitar amps, AND is a genre-bending, technically acute composer and performer. It’s almost too much for one man.
Andy McKee
Andy McKee came to popular renown through his astounding YouTube videos. A young American player on the CandyRat Records label, McKee has consistently delivered good-natured, prodigy-level acoustic guitar playing in recent years. Often cited, along with Tommy Emmanuel, at the top of “favorite fingerstyle guitar player” lists. There’s lots of songs to check out from McKee, but his cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” is a personal favorite of mine.
Igor Presnyakov
Igor Presnyakov is a Russian, classically-trained guitarist who also came to fame on YouTube. Despite having a long career in Russia and then in the Netherlands, YouTube became his launch vehicle to a wider audience in 2007. Despite having dozens of videos with millions of views each, his albums are few and relatively recent. Check out his cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It“.
Adam Rafferty
Performer, composer, teacher – Adam Rafferty is an American guitarist specializing in “funky fingerstyle”. If you read his excellent blog, you’ll quickly discover he’s a fan of groove, melody, and connecting with the audience. He also runs an online fingerstyle guitar school called Study With Adam. Check out his tune, “Affirmation“, from his most recent album, “Play Pretty for the People”.
LESSONS WITH ADAM:
Adam Rafferty has a great online teaching system available. It’s a blend of videos, personal interactionss by Adam, student community and more. You will be jamming some groovy fingerstyle in no time.
Learn More Here >>
Jerry Reed
The man could do it all. He was an actor, singer, songwriter, and, of course, guitarist. His playing style spanned everything from bluegrass to jazz. He’s perhaps best known for songs like “East Bound and Down“, but was equally a sensitive fingerstyle player, like on this version of “Georgia On My Mind“.
Don Ross
Don Ross is a Canadian fingerstyle guitar player and two-time winner of the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in Winfield, Kansas. An incredible player as well as a generally nice guy, you can catch a series of video lessons of him teaching fingerstyle playing from the ground up. He does a lot of great originals as well as covers like this one of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley.
LESSONS WITH DON:
Don Ross has a terrific online course available that is perfect for taking your first steps in fingerstyle guitar. This is where I point people specifically to learn Travis Picking..
Learn More Here >>
Martin Taylor
Martin Taylor, MBE is a British jazz musician who has had a long career working both solo and with groups. His early playing was with Stéphane Grappelli doing gypsy jazz. His most recent work has been in solo/small ensemble fingerstyle guitar, like on his duet album with Tommy Emmanuel. You can even catch his online video lesson series over at ArtistWorks.
LESSONS WITH MARTIN:
Martin Taylor fills a distinct role in the fingerstyle guitar universe with his expertise in fingerstyle jazz. If you want to dive into jazz, this is your man. Take his interactive video class.
Learn More Here >>
Merle Travis
One of the greats. His name defines one of the key techniques of fingerstyle guitar: Travis picking (the thumb striking alternating bass strings in order to mimic a bass player). His career covered so much material, it’s impossible to sum up in a few short sentences, but his playing, his friendship with Chet Atkins, and his popular songs make him one of the “godfathers” of fingerstyle guitar playing. Check out Travis rocking this tune, “Cannonball Rag”, with nothing but a thumbpick and his index finger.
Doc Watson
American Grammy-winning guitarist who profoundly influenced bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and more when he came on the scene in the 60’s. His genius wasn’t just on guitar, but he played banjo, harmonica, and sang.
Check out “Walk On Boy”. You’re welcome.
Honorable Mention:
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson made his name as the consummate electric guitarist with his Grammy Award wining album, “Ah Via Musicom”. You’ve inevitably heard the key track on that album, “Cliffs of Dover”, somewhere, somehow, I guarantee. He’s an honorable mention here because his albums have always included a sprinkling of acoustic fingerstyle guitar. More recently, he’s also released an album entirely in this genre – EJ.
My favorite tune, though, is still “Song For George”.
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Well, this isn’t a person. It’s actually two of them. But they freaking rock. They’re cover of Metallica’s “Orion” (yes, that one) always blows my mind.