a dreadnought is considered a louder guitar, this tends to refer to its capability to produce volume when played with a pick and incorporating strumming.ĭue to the larger internal dimensions of the body, there is more air capable of being displaced. The shorter the scale length the less tension required on the strings making them more sensitive and simpler to fret. Some smaller bodied guitars also have a shorter scale length. When playing in a standing position the weight of a smaller bodied guitar is also less. A smaller guitar is more comfortable to hold and play due to its more compact size, compared to the larger dreadnought or jumbo which can have an impact on reach and just feel bulkier to play. This will be fairly obvious to most guitarists. concert and orchestra styles have long been associated with fingerpicking. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the many available options when selecting a new acoustic guitar, including body size and shape along with tonewoods. bass and treble frequencies are not overly dominant Project individual notes with great clarity.not require a heavy attack to project volume Provide good separation of strings (ideal when playing with fingers).Comfortable to play with the fingers as opposed to strumming.Because fingerpicking involves playing with the fingers (unless using a thumb pick) and plucking individual notes with a constant bass line the ideal fingerpicking guitar needs to be: And while it’s often assumed this is for aesthetic purposes only, acoustic guitars are, for the most part, designed in a very deliberate manner to bring out the subtleties and nuances of the style of music they are intended for.īecause of this, the best guitars for fingerpicking take the subtleties of the style of music into account. Guitarists who play in this style include Tommy Emanuel, Chet Atkins and Merle Travis to name just a few.Īcoustic guitars come in all shapes and sizes. A variant of fingerpicking is travis picking, although, again the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Finger pickers will sometimes use a thumb pick, but there are many who do not. As a result there really is no best guitar for fingerstyle, as the term covers far too many genres.įingerpicking, on the other hand, is a subset of fingerstyle guitar (much like ‘car’ is a subset of ‘vehicle’) and incorporates an alternating bass pattern played with the thumb while the fingers provide the melody on the treble strings. Fingerstyle, as a result encompasses a wide range of styles including classical guitar and jazz to name just a couple. These terms are often used interchangeably and may result in you receiving the wrong advice when talking to your local music store for example.Īmongst the many styles and approaches to guitar, guitarists in the majority of cases use either a pick (flat picking) or fingers (fingerstyle). The difference between fingerstyle and fingerpicking?īefore we get too far, let’s quickly address an important misconception about fingerstyle and fingerpicking. So, take the information below as a guide but keep in mind there is no substitute to your own ears and your own musical tastes. are they bright or dull sounding? The room you are playing in, along with a thousand other considerations. do you play with a thumb pick or the flesh of your fingers? The strings you use e.g. These include how you play the guitar e.g.
This includes the type of guitars most suitable, the woods used and how this affects tone, and why any of this matters.īut, keep in mind while there are specific combinations of wood, body shape and size that are more commonly associated with fingerpicking than others, the truth is the tone of your guitar is reliant on many different factors. In the market for a new guitar and don’t find yourself using a pick all that often? In the following article, we’ll break down the answer above in more detail and explain why some guitars are better suited to fingerpicking than others, and let you know exactly what to look for when shortlisting your potential new guitar options.
Looking for a recommendation? Check out these great acoustic guitars, ideal for fingerstyle.
The guitars best suited to fingerpicking and fingerstyle tend to be smaller, feature a wider than standard fingerboard, are highly responsive, project individual notes with great clarity and feature a balanced tone.
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