9 GREAT MOMENTS IN ACOUSTIC FINGERSTYLE PLAYING
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JAMES TAYLOR
“YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND” (1970)
YES
“THE CLAP” (1971)
Known more as a singer and songwriter,
James Taylor’s secret weapon is that
he’s a monster fingerpicker. This song is
perfect for every level of guitarist as it
has an easygoing groove and accessible
chords. Once you get more advanced,
you can attempt Taylor’s incredible ballad,
“Carolina in My Mind,” and marvel at JT’s
ever-inventive style.
Steve Howe is considered one of the
guitar giants of the 1970s and “Clap”
is a good reason why. In this ragtime
stomper, Howe shows off his hot, Merle
Travis-styled picking and sophisticated
chord progressions played on a 1953
Martin 00-18. If you want to tackle this
tune, start slowly and gradually increase
the tempo until you reach Steve’s highspeed chops. Another classic Howe
solo from this era is the classical-style
instrumental, “Mood for a Day.”
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
“LITTLE MARTHA” (1972)
LED ZEPPELIN
“BRON-YR-AUR” (1975)
Duane Allman’s only solo composition
with The Allman Brothers Band (released
only after his death), “Little Martha”
remains a fingerstyle gem. Using a Dobro
resonator guitar in Open E tuning, Duane
cut this track with co-guitarist Dickey
Betts and it’s a melodic tour-de-force –
so much so that 12-string virtuoso Leo
Kottke has often played it in concert.
Sweet fingerpickin’ doesn’t get much
better than this.
While known for his hard rockin’ electric
riffs, Jimmy Page also played gorgeous
acoustic guitar and this is one of his finest
works. Jimmy tuned his Martin D-28 in
C6 tuning (C-A-C-G-C-E) and crafted this
progressive ballad for the Physical Graffiti
album. Aside from Page’s prodigious
fingerpicking, the recording also sports
cool flanging, reverb, and panning effects.
GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
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