| The act of playing a guitar can be divided into three | | | | Classical fingerpicking permits a high degree of control |
| basic techniques: strumming, or brushing the fingers | | | | over the musical dynamics, texture, volume and timbral |
| over the strings to create chords; flatpicking, or picking | | | | characteristics of the instrument. As with the original |
| individuals notes with a plectrum; and fingerpicking, or | | | | technique created for ragtime, classical fingerpicking |
| picking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails | | | | allows the musician to produce harmony and |
| or picks attached to the fingers. This last technique, | | | | polyphonic music. |
| fingerpicking, is also referred to as fingerstyle guitar, | | | | Jazz fingerpicking is used primarily with electric guitars, |
| although this term can refer to the music produced as | | | | and the technique's proponents are often known for |
| well as the technique of producing it. Fingerpicking is | | | | their innovation and unorthodox styles. Most jazz |
| useful in that it allows the artist to perform several | | | | musicians who use fingerpicking play in all keys. This |
| musical elements simultaneously. Techniques such as | | | | forms a notable contrast to those musicians who play |
| flatpicking, during which the hand works as a single unit, | | | | folk, classical and flamenco music, as they tend to |
| do not allow for such scope. Fingerpicking is utilized by | | | | favor keys that provide open strings. The electric |
| musicians of multiple genres and is an important | | | | guitar is often used as a solo jazz instrument, the |
| element in the music of each. | | | | musician playing a series of chords on the bottom |
| The technique of fingerpicking originated in the late | | | | strings and the melody line on the top. |
| 1800s and early 1900s in the genre of blues music. | | | | Traditional Celtic music does not make much, if any, |
| Musicians of this genre were trying to imitate the | | | | use of the guitar. However, when the music of Ireland |
| sounds of ragtime piano music. The result was a | | | | experienced its revival in the middle of the 20th |
| method in which the thumb plucked a steady rhythm | | | | century, guitar accompaniments to traditional folk songs |
| of bass while the index and middle fingers picked out a | | | | were often devised. These accompaniments used a |
| melody on the high strings. This technique is still used | | | | fingerpicking style that allowed for solo guitar versions |
| today, most commonly in folk, country-jazz and blues | | | | of music originally intended for bagpipes or harps. |
| music. As time has gone by, fingerpicking has been | | | | Slack-key guitar fingerpicking originated in Hawaii. This |
| adapted to suite many different styles of music, | | | | technique is nearly always used on instruments with |
| including classical guitar, jazz guitar, Celtic guitar and | | | | open or altered tunings. The basic theory of slack-key |
| Hawaiian slack-key guitar. | | | | is like that of the original ragtime style: the thumb is |
| The classical guitar is probably the most commonly | | | | used to create an alternating bass pattern while the |
| played style of guitar. It is capable of producing a wide | | | | fingers play the melody on the higher strings. The main |
| variety of music, and the classical fingerpicking | | | | difference with slack-key is in the music, which is |
| technique has evolved to accommodate that variety. | | | | rooted in traditional Hawaiian tunes. |