Steve introduces you to the world of fingerstyle guitar by teaching a few exercises and an orignal tune called "Porch Swingin'."
Taught by Steve Eulberg in Fingerstyle Guitar seriesLength: 38:00Difficulty: 3.0 of 5
Thumb: PIn order to make the exercises in this lesson easier to understand, Steve has abbreviated each right hand finger as follows:
Index Finger: I (for index)
Middle: M (for middle)
Third Finger: A (for anular)
Pinky: C (This finger is rarely ever used.)
Thumb: TExercise 1
Index Finger: 1
Middle Finger: 2
Third Finger: 3
Pinky Finger: 4
Thumb: plays the three bass stringsA. Part 1
Index: plays G string
Middle: plays B string
Third: plays high E string
Thumb plays A string.Note: Steve also demonstrates how to add the third finger to this pattern at 6:20.
1 plays G string.
Thumb plays low E string.
2 plays B string.
D: PinkyExercise 2, Part 2
C: First Finger
B: Open String
Fingerstyle guitar is the classic art of playing the guitar solely with the fingers. Fingerstyle playing opens up a whole new realm of possibilities on the guitar.
Lesson 1
Steve introduces you to the world of fingerstyle guitar by teaching a few exercises and an orignal tune called "Porch Swingin'."
Length: 38:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 2
Steve Eulberg teaches you to play Op. 60 (No. 1) composed by Matteo Carcassi.
Length: 42:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 3
Steve teaches a fingerstyle arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" by Animals.
Length: 29:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Steve covers some of the fingerstyle techniques created by Elizabeth, or "Libbis" Cotten.
Length: 24:00 Difficulty: 3.5 FREELesson 5
Steve Eulberg teaches you how to play his original piece "Planxton's Farewell." This is part 1 of a 2 part lesson.
Length: 34:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 6
This is part 2 of the fingerstyle song "Planxton's Farewell." In this lesson Steve teaches you the second half of this beautiful tune.
Length: 22:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 7
Steve discusses drop D tuning and how it is used. He also teaches an original song in this tuning called "Neither Lion Nor Lamb."
Length: 30:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 8
Steve Eulberg teaches the second half of his beautiful fingerstyle piece, "Porch Swingin'."
Length: 30:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 9
Steve teaches a fingerstyle version of the classic song "Five Foot Two."
Length: 29:54 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 10
In this lesson Steve shows how to play the introduction of the classic Jim Croce song, "Operator," in a fingerstyle fashion.
Length: 22:21 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 11
Steve returns to the beautiful Jim Croce song, "Operator," in this fingerstyle guitar lesson. This time around he demonstrates the verse.
Length: 12:58 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 12
Steve finishes up the Jim Croche song, "Operator." He covers the chorus and brings the entire song together.
Length: 9:55 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 13
Steve uses the classic childrens song, "Paw Paw Patch" to demonstrate how an alternating bass line can be played within a fingerstyle arrangement.
Length: 15:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
Steve Eulberg teaches a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement of his original song, "We Wanted a King."
Length: 36:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 15
Steve Eulberg guides you through a series of exercises meant to improve the dexterity and independence of the thumb.
Length: 12:52 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 16
Steve Eulberg mixes up the fingers to create a dynamic fingerstyle exercise.
Length: 12:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 17
Steve Eulberg explains how to play the classic song "Chopsticks" using fingerstyle technique.
Length: 12:18 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 18
In this lesson, Steve Eulberg teaches an advanced version of "Chopsticks."
Length: 8:11 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 19
Welcome to the first lesson in a 3 part series on the song "Ode To Joy". Steve has arranged a very unique fingerstyle lesson that starts from square one. This 3 part series can really help any beginner...
Length: 10:32 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 20
In the midst of this three part lesson series, Steve continues his "Ode To Joy" song lesson by introducing a parallel movement. This will demonstrate a "skip a string" technique with the picking hand and...
Length: 7:25 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 21
In his final lesson in the three part series of the song "Ode To Joy", Steve adds a few more additional fingerstyle techniques to the mix. By adding a harmony and a D string drone note, this will complete...
Length: 10:43 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 22
In direct response to a common issue seen in his live Q&A, Steve crafted the following group of 9 lessons devoted to "thumb building". Learn all 6 variations of the exercise Steve teaches and practice...
Length: 16:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 23
The second installment of Steve's Thumb Builder lessons continues to build your finger and thumb coordination with multiple pattern variations.
Length: 8:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 24
Join Steve for the third installment in his Thumb Builder lessons. Keep pressing on and you should be finding that the mechanical movements are becoming more and more natural.
Length: 10:33 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 25
It's time to challenge yourself by adding more fingers to the mix! Instead of just responding to the thumb with one finger, you'll be using different fingers on different strings.
Length: 8:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 26
Things are getting a little more complicated and a little more challenging as Steve marches through some more thumb building exercises. Keep up the hard work and practice!
Length: 6:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 27
Steve continues to build up muscle memory and coordination. In these exercises, the thumb is gonna start jumping around along with the fingers.
Length: 9:16 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 28
Part 7 of Thumb Building Bootcamp! Good job for making it this far! Things keep getting more challenging, but you should definitely be noticing a marked improvement in your finger-thumb coordination...
Length: 8:03 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 29
Steve introduces a handful of new patterns to keep on building up that thumb.
Length: 7:53 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 30
Good work! You've made it to the final installment of thumb builder exercises. Learn some of the patterns that Steve commonly uses in his own playing.
Length: 6:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 31
Sometimes we hear the word exercise and it just sounds like work... That probably won't be the case when you listen to the exercise Steve teaches in this lesson. It will take some work, but you'll walk...
Length: 19:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 32
In this lesson, Steve takes the familiar Frere Jacque and teaches how to play it in a round on the guitar.
Length: 6:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 33
Turn this classic folk tune into a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement.
Length: 13:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
About Steve Eulberg
View Full Biography
An Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Steve Eulberg weaves mountain and hammered dulcimers with a variety of unusual instruments to create thought-provoking, smile-inducing, toe-tapping acoustic experiences.
He has sung and composed for religious communities, union halls, picket lines, inter-faith retreats, mountain-top youth camps, as well as the more familiar venues: clubs, coffeehouses, bookstores, festivals, charity benefits and showcase concerts.
Born and raised in the German-heritage town of Pemberville, Ohio, Steve was exposed to a variety of music in his home. Early piano lessons were followed by trumpet in school band, and he became self-taught on ukelele and guitar and harmonica. Mandolin was added at Capital University where, while majoring in History, he studied Ear Training, Voice and took Arranging lessons from the Conservatory of Music.
While at college, he first heard hammered and mountain dulcimers, building his first mountain dulcimer just before his final year. Seminary training took him the west side of Denver where he built his first hammered dulcimer. With these instruments, he was able to give voice to the Scottish, English and Irish traditions to which he is also heir.
Following marriage in 1985 to Connie Winter-Eulberg he settled in Kansas City, Missouri. There he worked cross-culturally in a church of African-Americans, Latinos and European Americans, with music being a primary organizing tool. He moved with his family in 1997 to be nestled beside the Rocky Mountains in Fort Coillins, Colorado.
Founder of Owl Mountain Music, Inc. he teaches and performs extensively in Colorado and Wyoming with tours across the US and the UK. He delights in introducing the “sweet music†of dulcimers to people in diverse settings and in addition to his own recordings, has included dulcimers in a variety of session work for other musicians.
In 2000 he was commissioned to create a choral composition featuring dulcimers for the Rainbow Chorus in Fort Collins. It was recorded in the same year (BEGINNINGS). He is currently at work on a commissioned symphony that will feature hammered dulcimer and Australian didjeridu.
Eulberg passionately believes that music crosses cultural and language barriers because music builds community. Influenced by a variety of ethnic styles, his music weaves vital lyric with rap, rock, folk, gospel and blues. Audiences of all ages respond well to his presentation and to his warm sense of humor.
Steve is a member of Local 1000 (AFM), The Folk Alliance, BMI and BWAAG (Better World Artists and Activist's Guild).
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Mike H.
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I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.I just love Porch Swinging, such a laid back piece of music. I think fingerstyle is going to be my facourite.
thank you so much for doing this lesson
What's the root and the fifth in a chord?
Hey Steve! not sure if you'll see this or not, but I love all of your lessons! Can I find finger picks? I'm unable to grow my nails out, as I am in medical school, and it makes surgical technique/examinations a bother... Played guitar for a long time, just learning classical, and my fingerpads (obv) don't create the same tone that nails do! What are your thoughts!?
Have you tried Alaska picks? They fit under 1/8 in of fingernail and you still use the pad of your finger on the strings. You tube has videos on them.
great lesson .. i could vamp on this for hours ..
The first few measures of Porch Swingin are indicated by an E7 chord. None of them are E7. I'm confused???
That's the overall tonality, not necessarily the specific cord being played. Meaning: if someone were to drone over an E7 while you played them few measures, they'd sound complementary. Hope that makes sense, because that always used to bother me in tab books until i understood it!!
Enjoying this! I have small hands and find it's easier to use my finger for the low E string rather than my thumb.
Steve it would be helpful to know the other chords in the sequences other than the a7 and e7
Steve I love the finger picking lessons. Just a quick question. In the Porch Swinging lesson you use your thumb for the low E string. I'm finding it easier to use my first finger fort E7 part of the song rather than my thumb. Is there any problem doing it this way Peter
I've got it! I just can't keep up with you. I need a way to forward to the 2nd part of the lesson where you just play the piece, with no further explanations, so I can run through it with you a 100 times. Don't know how to do that.
It's not just you but it seems hard determining when you are going by the tabs or not. I try to match what you are doing to the tab and it doesn't seem to match.
Steve, I'm really enjoying your lessons. Your teaching ability is subtle with a great sense of humor. You are thorough and to the point on how you want your students to progress by sending us to our shed to work on hand and finger skills. Keep it going and thanks:!)
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is a bit too fast...i can't follow..
Just a beginner myself, but I think Steve is using his thumb on the low E string to play different bass notes, instead of just playing a open low E all the time.
Hey Steve, thanks for your lessons. It´s what i was looking for, but there were no teacher in germany who displained that like you. I have spent a lot of money in teachers, but after a few lessons, it was boring, because they always wanted me to do what they like. Funny but i had to lay Alle meine Entchen or Alle Vögel sind schon da. Now i know: Here i am at the right place.
Hi Steve, thanks again, after a few days òf studying this lesson, I`m ready for the next one.
Ha ha! 00:25, how did your hand grow so rapidly?
Much fun but have to discipline my right hand by repeating repeating repeating repeating.....
Very nice...but very tough to see the cords..
Steve can you put up the chord you are playing in a chord box like a lot of the other instructers do, so we see it, it makes it more informative instead of trying to see where your fingers are on the fret board? Thank you
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He says play g chord in the fourth part, but he's not! I'm so confused! He says play G chord, but then he moves his first and forth finger.. i played the video like a millon times
Great teacher though your fingers are large and its hard to see what you are doing. Could you get smaller fingers ? lol. Keep up the good work.
alas, never have I had the svelte, slender fingers!
I've waited for a very long time to ask this question - hoping that the problem might correct itself. No such luck. My chording finger tips are flat, sore and caliced. Are they supposed to be this way? I practice/play every day. Am I pressing to hard to get that rich string tone? Is this just par for the course? What?
My question is the same as that of Francoise - should I be trying to get comfortable with that thumb on the low E string? It is more difficult with a small hand. Love the song.
Steve, is there a particuliar reason to use your thumb instead of finger 2 and 3 at the beginning of the song? Thanks for your answer
Steve - I am enjoying the song, the learnings, and the pace of the lesson. Well done.
There had to be a better way to explain what you were doing with your left hand with that first part, I had to play it over 20 times to figure out what you were doing, and saying "4" when you should have said "3" and not correcting yourself didn't help!!
I've stopped and played that three notes on the thumb 50 times and I still don't know what you're doing. Are you always using the thumb on three strings? Very confusing.
I somehow got two lessons mixed up!! Anyhow today it's going better. I've been talking guitar with the young fellow at the library. He suggested that if your left hand got tired holding the chord, forget about it while you just use your right hand to do the exercise.
Steve, my question is - Why do you wrap the thumb vs. just finger the notes with an A7 pattern? Not sure it matters either way as long as the notes are played correctly. Your thoughts,
this is so off topic but isnt this the guy that was in the movie RELIULOUS the guy that owns the religious memoribilia named STEVE BURG. they even have the same accent.
I enjoy the lessons only wish they could be sped up a little. There is always the pause button for those who need to take is a litttle slower.
why am i shifting from E to A? Is it for the song "Porch" or is there a sequence that I am following?
steve I want to learn spanish guitar and its been hard to find lessons on it online so i was wondering if you would be interested in adding a new genre spanish guitar to jamplay.com i just find it funny that jam play has hawiian lessons and not spanish guitar if you would be willing to do that I would be very thankful thank you!
ok--the light is starting to break through--this is fun but challenging for those of us (me at least) who are musically challenged.
huh?
Great lesson Steve... I love this fingerstyle stuff and you are a great teacher too!
Just a point...is anyone else having problems when printing out the accompanying tab etc? It doesn't matter if I set it to portrait or landscape it misses some of the tab/music off. Very, very frustrating as I'm having to draw in what's missing which is a bit time consuming. If I go with portrait it misses some down the right side obviously, but if I set it to landscape it misses off the last couple of bars of tab. It's really annoying as it has 3 pages to supposedly print off & the first one is just a blank page with the JamPlay logo at the top (which is a waste of paper) & the 3rd page has nothing on it (it doesn't have the bit of missing tab as you might think it would). So what you get is the main body of the music or excercise on page 2 but with some missing. SIGH!!
Well I don't have any formatting issue (I just save the tab off as a jpeg so I can see Steve and the tab at the same time), but I think the tab is wrong. On the A Chord, Steve says to sometimes hold down 1st string at 3 and 4. But the tab shows it open throughout except when you're doing 1st/2nd on 5th fret. Or is it just me?
When you go to print, choose "print preview". From there see if you have a dropdown box, for scale, along the top where you can pick the size. Using the dropdown, see if there's a choice called "shrink to fit". This should do the trick.
Hmmm, I just had a look & can't find the 'shrink to fit' option. I looked in all the drop down boxes for paper size/orientation etc. However, there are some different paper size option so maybe if I set it to print to a smaller size of paper even though I am really using A4 perhaps it will shrink it to fit. Thanks again.
Just checked a PC with Internet Explorer and it also has the "shrink to fit". So I guess if you are using IE6 and want to upgrade, that should work also. Although if you aren't too into computers, it's probably best to go with Firefoox.
Sorry meant to say, checked a PC with Internet Explorer version 7, and it had the "shrink to fit" option...
I always forget I'm using Firefox. If memory serves, Internet Explorer 6 does not have the "shrink to fit" option. So that might be why you aren't seeing it. I do think that IE 7 does but I'm not sure. You could download Firefox, just google "Firefox download", and you should see a link to the Mozilla site. It's a quick and easy install, then you can use Firefox when going to Jamplay, and you should have the "shrink to fit" option. Just remember to choose File --> Print Preview to be sure the "shrink to fit" is chosen.
Thank you! I will try that. I'm no computer whizz-kid I'm afraid! Thanks again :-)
I've just watched this lesson through a second time & some of it is starting to sink in. I think I'll need to watch it through at least another couple of times. I get a bit lost trying to follow sometimes as my brain won't process what Steve is doing fast enough. I certainly got lost on the bit with the G chord, but perhaps I'll get it next time. One thing I'm really getting a bit confused about is when you are making the shape of a chord, but playing fingerstyle (not strumming), should I be trying to generally keep that chord shape, apart from moving one or two fingers away to some different notes, until the piece of music states a chord change or do you only keep the chord shape for that first couple of notes. I get confused & start to get in a muddle because I am thinking that I'm supposed to be keeping the chord shape but then it all changes. I'm not even sure I am explaining what I mean here. Think I'll go make a nice cup of tea...like we do in England when we have a crisis!! Lol.
Really enjoyed this lesson & intend to spend some time on this. I love Steve's lessons. My brain won't work fast enough though to keep up so I often end up sitting out when I should be trying to join in but perhaps I just need to watch it over & over again. Have printed out the tab so I can practice!
When playing A major chord, does thumb alternate between first 3 bass notes ,( open E, A and D strings) while picking the bottom three with other fingers ?!? or does thumb only pick low E and A only? Thanks
Hello, the open E is part of the A chord, so if you wish to throw that into your alternating bass line that is A ok! I do however recommend starting with the A, as in my mind it sounds better starting on the root bass note of the chord. You can go from A to E to A to E, or A to D to E, or any other such pattern you like. Find what sounds good to your ears and run with it.
Hi Steve .i love the porch swing lesson ,I just wanted to know ,yousaid you would finish teaching the song and maybe I missed it .where is it in the lesson? Thanks
Should actually be up by the end of the week. We just finished it :)
Well I kept on practising and really enjoy playing this tune. It is great Steve! Thanks. Yes working with the tab was really helpful.
as I am working to figure this out, I find that I have to go PAINFULLY slow, and look at my fingers...I am starting to get it. While it's tough to see Steve's fingers, look at the tab, and listen to what he says "Thumb-1-Thumb-2..." I'm finding Steve an very good teacher (this is only my 2nd lesson) but already I feel I am making progress. Oh yeah, you should also try the exercise in different chords (like G) -- it helps with the monotony. Keep it slow at first, and give yourself some time...
Section 4 Oh dear Steve! I agree with Celeste. This really is very difficult to understand and it is difficult to actually see what you are doing. The music is great and I am going to persevere and really try and get it!!! Any help greatly appreciated! Jackie
Have you looked at the tab? It helps enlighten a bit since it is often hard to tell what is going on in the video.
I listened to the whole song from your album and I love it! Will you be teaching the rest of it in another lesson?
17/11/07 Well I carried on practising last night and have obviously been working at it during the night, because when I woke up I had more of an idea on what to do. So I am going over the lesson again bit by bit and looking at the tabs and practising and I am beginning to play it! So it is possible to get the hang of it.
Steve your going to fast when you name off the chords and strings your confusing me. The fingerpicking style I know from childhood but not much else was retained. It must be like riding a bike but you can still fall down!
Steve will answer this later I'm sure, but really there's no set amount of time, you'll just have to practice till you can get it. It's kind of a brain twister training your fingers to work independently, but when you get it.. that's a skill you will have for your entire life. I would just make it part of your practice session until you can get it down right. Once that is done the rest of the lessons should be much easier :)
Probably the most asked question. I have been strumming for about 13 years but wanting to learn to finger pick with more than two fingers which I am doing just now. ( freestyle where my fingers are playing any strings while holding a chord) I am finding this very useful, although I am finding it a bit confusing with the alternating the thumb going from A toE while using the other fingers to pick the bottom strings. I was just wondering how long after a lot of practice it should take before I should be able to do it ok. I know I am impatient sometimes. I have been trying this for half hour non stop and still cannot get my thumb and fingers to work together. Can it be that some people just cannot do it?. I am not going to give up on it, I have years ahead of me to learn. Hopefully it will not take that long. In your opinion as an instructor, how long if you were face to face with someone would it take until you got very impatient and thought " he will never do it". cheers.