I just now found this even though it was posted 6 years ago. But i feel compelled to comment because seeing you play like this was a hugely empowering thing to me, and i mean this on a very deep level. I'm a hard rock/metal/prog guitarist who has been playing for over 50 years, and i have always played fingerstyle. I got this style from taking roughly 3 months of lessons (when i was 16) from a phenomenal guitarist named Ray Cummings, who was heavily influenced by Chet Atkins, so he got me playing fingerstyle for everything. It was pretty wild because I was into Hendrix and John McLaughlin. But Ray impressed upon me that everything can be done fingerstyle with far less strain with things like string changing. I discovered, however, that I have the worst fingernails, like, _ever!_ When I grew them out to use as 'organic picks', I was dismayed to find that my nails just broke off, split, & peeled away. I have weak nails, so I tried playing with a pick. Not good. I didnt realize that I'd already gone far down the path of developing fine motor conttol in the muscles needed to play fingerstyle, which are somewhat different than those needed to use a pick. Basically, I suck using a pick, but the fleshy fingertips really did not go well with the sound i was developing, which was much more like a cross between Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, and Brian May of Queen. So. I developed an alternative approach--a thumbpick and two fingerpicks for my index and middle finger. It's fascinating to me that I developed the same pattern of picking that you did, minus one finger. I use a Thumb/Middle/Index finger technique that, like your 4 finger style, always follows the same sort of 'whirling claw' picking technique...thumb, middle, index, and repeat. I get serious speed out of this, plus the ability to play lines that jump strings with far less difficulty than with a flatpick. So the reason Im telling you all this is, in all my years of playing guitar, you are the first guitarist i have seen who plays hard rock/metal shred solos using fingerstyle. Man...all the stuff that is available now, _How To Develop Speed With Accurate Picking Technique_ ...its all for flatpickers. Until i saw your video tonight, there was nobody doing what i do using fingerstyle. It was a lonely life, literally, until now. The only finger pickers playing any kind of metal shred stuff, basically were not nearly as good as the flatpickers. Then i saw this video, and you are badass, which is very inspiring. So straightup, _thank you!_

Steve, not only are you a 1st class player, you also have such a sweet gentleness about you that exceeds the former. Honored to have found your channel sir. Many blessings 💯💪

I’ve seen the “T21 T21 ... pattern” before but you really demonstrate how ”T321 T321” makes more sense. You also demonstrate how proficiently it can be done! Sometimes seeing is believing.

Brilliant technical advice, and best teacher ever, with Brit charm to boot.

I've been waiting to see someone apply this. thank you

My mid has been blown. Thank you. Can't wait to start exploring this and your other videos.

These videos are really great, I'm a bassist moving into learning some more guitar work and I was dreading using a pick so it's really nice to see there's an alternative for me out there. I'm surprised I haven't really seen many other guitarists play like this so I'm extremely happy I stumbled on your videos. Cheers.

Again, thanks. I can't believe I didn't find these videos sooner.

Perfect bridge between fingerstyle technique and rock fingerstyle: bravo!!! So well done and conveyed. Priceless. Have a safe and Happy New Year!

I play a lot of blues and grew up in the south and midwest. Even though I use a pick sometimes for certain styles of music like surfer music, country, and rock I perfer finger picking. While playing bottleneck slide you pretty much have to fingerpick and naturally you learn these types of paterns overtime to play faster. An old blues player once told me, "Why use a pick? Why put anything between you and the strings? The music comes from your soul and out your fingertips. If you use a pick you block that magic."

How does this guy not have more subscribers!? Do people not understand how amazing this shit is? For so long I thought the extent of fingerstyle electric guitar was Mark Knopfler or Lindsey Buckingham but this is a completely different level, and now I know I've been living in the shadows. How have I not seen this before in my KZfaq guitar vid wanderings. The people who disliked this are a breed of the purist douchebags known to mankind.

Thank you, Steve. It was really enjoyable to watch and practice.

Really amazing! Its a joy watching you play. I'm one of those too, I play my whole life fingerstyle ( but not as fast as you:) I remember in the past everyone I know said to me: you can't play fast without a pick" As you can see.. you can! You are a real inspiration and will practice more to achieve this speed and feel too! All the best

Wow, just wow!! As a huge Jared James Nichols fan, I was looking for something like this.

I am always appreciative of those willing to share their talents. I do wish that the close ups would have been demonstrated a bit slower.

This is excellet work! Thanks for posting! I always try to perfect my speed-finger-picking technique.

This is awesome just what I was looking for thank you very much.

This is awesome. Great technique sir!

That right hand technique is really out of this world.. awesome

Thank you so much for this! Helped out immensely.

Your right hand is amazing, truly. Thanks for the great lessons.

Awesome video for explaining how fast runs can be accomplished through fingerstyle!

Thanks sir for awesome technique

Phenomenal! Thank you for the inspiration and wonderful guidance

Since I'm more comfortable with three fingers (Travis pick)-thumb, index, middle, I'm using your idea of three notes but with a three finger pattern with the right hand. Before, I was able to achieve medium speed with a simple i-m, but thanks to this lesson I can play really fast-at least on the 1st string. So far, I find it difficult to play on the other strings this way. I'll have to practice. Thank-you!

Amazing channel... Thank you very much!

I've not seen this technique before, or certainly not attempted it myself..it sort of goes against all the fingerstyle stuff I play..I'm going to have some fun working on this. Great lesson, thanks, Robbo.

This is awesome, Mr. SixStrings Steve, Happy to come across it. :-)

Sun shine to you from sunny southern California, Gotta Love it... :O)

Thanks Steve for sharing this! I started to practice this slowly of course and hoping that in as the years go by I increase speed. I basically am obsessed with ditching the pick and stay fingers! I am a jazz student for life but my other passion is playing neo soul type guitar ala Mateus Asato and Lari Basilio....this lesson will help me eventually get rid of the pick!

Picks are for mortal creatures! Definitely gonna learn this and apply it to my metal songs. You rock man!

Play some BeBop scales with this technique and you'll be the Charlie Parker of guitar. Juan Serrano was a local and the stuff you do reminds me of him. Impressed.

Thanks for the fantastic videos. I've been playing since the late 1980s. I have a pretty good grasp on modern electric guitar technique but I feel the pick is limiting my creativity. I have heard so many fantastic fantastic players that aren't using picks so I have been doing the same for a while now. Your channel will definitely come in handy.

Amazing !

Thanks!

You're nuts!!! amazing

Just amazing! I got a question. About you fingernails, how do you handle it? Is it any long or your technique doesn't depend on it at all? I'm trying to develop that fingerstyle skill (without a teacher, what might be a huge problem) and was really suspecting that the classic guitar tremolo could be of good use. Thank you so much!

you're my idol 🤘

Hi, First, WOW! That is some incredible speed there! I have been playing electric guitar for a while, and I have settled now into playing without a pick - I find you can get such a better dynamic out of the guitar that way (for example, playing softly with my fingers, or getting a harder sound with my nails), have more control over playing specific strings for chords, get all kinds of rhythmic sounds by plucking muted strings, etc. I basically found this as I am trying to develop speed with lead work with my fingers only - this method looks absolutely perfect! I will be trying this when I get hold of my guitar this weekend.. Do you have any tips on actually building the speed up? For example, you have the guitar rested across your left knee, do you find that position is better than the typical position guitarists use over the right knee? And in terms of building co-ordination between left and right hand, and speed while maintaining accuracy for both hands, are there any other hints or tips on making them work together beyond incessant practice? I had seen previously some players using only thumb and index finger, which seems like it might be less confusing at least to begin with, but the pami pattern would definitely open up more potential for speed in the long run I would suspect? Thanks - I will be sure to watch through the rest of your channel - looks excellent for the style I am trying to cultivate!

After having practiced this pami technique for a while, I'm not having so much of a problem with coordination. The main problem I find is that without growing your finger nails the pads of our finger tips provide too much resistance while finger picking and thus ruins the flow of what you're playing. To hit each string and articulate it properly at high speeds your finger nails need to function as picks. I think playing without finger nails will limit the speed at which you can play and to some extent hampers the flow.

how long should I do the first exercise before I move on to rest? should I do it till it feels natural and fast? and how hard should I pluck the strings? I'm using 9's and I'm playing an epiphone SG special and I used to do hybrid picking but it always sounded country and I wanted to play bluesy hard rock like ac dc. Will this sound country plugging into the rhythm channel with the volume up high? I do this to get a natural overdrive.

Ok, ok, ok! This is the best subscription I have done ever. Like Knopfer on steroids

great technique sir, i think you'd be really good as flamenco guitar with that picking style

Can you do im picado too? I switched from rock/blues to flamenco 3 years ago. I've not considered going back with my new techniques.

I've been practicing your method of pami for arpeggios and what I like about it is that the thumb is always "travelling" and is always in the right position to hit the note.....whereas.....with pima, the thumb has to move the width of the hand to start the next sequence.

Do you try to make each finger pluck the same shared spot on the string,or does each finger pluck with natural spacing? I can hit the same spot with all fingers if I add a slight twisting/pivoting motion with my wrist which feels very fluid and fun, but I'm worried this will become a speed disadvantage in the future.

How long does it take to break all your nails?

you ma dude, are bad ass!

My #1 problem are my weak nails...any advice is welkome 👍

Very interesting. Thanks for the post. For ascending arps why not use pima? There's no motion in the right hand.

Hello ! Do you lower the pickups extensively to avoid hitting the nails? My nails hurt so bad when I hit those non covered pickups...

Hi Steve, I was looking for a technique such as this! Two questions. One, why do you not use the pinky. Two, have you ever done the pattern without the thumb? If the thumb is playing a bassline, for example.

Hi' I've just started to learn electric guitar, I really can't get on with a pick, my thumb and fore fingers find the strings much easier and it feels more natural to me , my only problem is'[ that clicking sound } I get between nail and skin when plucking the strings when I play a slow blues , any advice you could give would be great , Thanks Gavin.

hi steve, thank you for the technique and the lesson. I started learning guitar two years ago and I always wanted to make it without a pick. But, I searched my way without finding something really satisfying until you ^^. I tried it without a guitar for about one month and now with the instrument. I make a lot of mistakes but I feel the right hand more free - I was using the thumb for the thickest strings and i, m, a for g,b & e. honestly, I found your style very fluent. and by the way, could you explain your left hand technique & posture - furthermore, the thumb position. Because, I'm trying to play left hand with the classical guitar style but I don't know yet if it's a good technique for thinner neck like electric guitar ? thank you.

This is sick! Very useful. Quick question: Do you have to use your nails to hit the strings or can you use your fingertips? Thanks!

Is it possible to do it without long nails? I get my nails kind of cut off after playing (without the technique in here)

You are a great guitarist

Hi Steve, great playing. do you offer private guitar lessons? I live in Liverpool

Brilliant video, just wanted to know, how would you do pinch harmonics with this technique

Hello,I have a question,i just started to play electrical guitar and I so badly want to play Slash`s songs and in his style,please,if anybody can answer me,is this achievable,and what should i practice, beacuse I already learned fingerstyle in Music School,and should I practice more classical and then electric guitar,please anybody respond

This is great! I have increased faith in acoustic shredding AND MUTING isn't a problem for you, I could achieve this too!! It's gonna take fakin' ages though...how long did it take you to shred like that?

So Steve my fingers want to go thumb 123 321 thumb I've never used this patterns before , maby my nerves are switched around backwards?

And part rhytum power chord stump

y para los tresillos? muy, muy dificil.

Nice videos! I'm liking a lot to see your channel. I want to get rid of the pick and start playing fingerstyle, because I really think it's a beautiful technique and of course makes a very different sound too (a lot better, in my opinion). But I have a question. I have an classical guitar and I just practice the changes of chords with the rythm P I M A I M, or just P I M A (I don't know if you use A to represent the 4th thing... for us (brazil) it's "Anelar", the ring's finger). I'm seeing that in the electric guitar the A finger isn't so much used.... I'm almost letting to train the A finger later.. because I want to play melodies with fingerstyle! not rhythm.. and I'm seeing that the exercice P I M A M works on my rhythm playing... What's you opinion about it?

AHA This is my way of picking. so much thanks to you peace be with you.......:O)

Im used to have my pinkie as an anchour. Is it ok with this technique?

Hey, is it necessary to grow out fingernails for this or can it be done without them? Mainly because I prefer the fleshy part of my fingers...

Since there are a lot of 3 note per string pattern, why don't you use a p-m-i-pattern instead? i think it's much easier to synchronize an probably even fast ..

hahaha oh my gatos this is impossible thats amazing

How fast is this guy play 16ths I wonder. Sounds like it's up there. I feel like if you can play 16ths at 200 you can play just about any song. But for me it about 100 unfortunately.

check out a youtuber named fingershred.

WOT

Subtitle

You do every exercise slowly except for #4 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤

ohhh my goshhhh WOW

Thanks!!