which finger to fret while fingerpicking.

bullet08

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i have no clue. my right hand fingers are doing their job.. but i have no idea which finger to fret when i'm trying to fingerpicking. i thought there would be some chord or something to let me know what my left hand is supposed to do, but i don't see them in the sheet music.

where can i find some more info?
 
I'm not sure I understand your question, but here are a couple tips. If the music includes chords, try starting with the chord shape and adding or removing finger(s) as needed to fret the note you want. You can also assign one finger per fret, for example, index finger for 1st fret, middle finger for 2nd fret, ring finger for 3rd fret, pinky for 4th fret. Move you hand up the neck and repeat this pattern for higher frets. If you are reading standard musical notation, you can use a fretboard chart to find the notes.
 
It took me a while to understand what you are saying as well, but I think I do now.

The answer is you don't know, and the only real way to work it out is to work out which finger is comfortable to transition from the last note and to the next note. If you get really stuck, you can always show us the piece of music, and we can tell you what finger we would use in that situation, but we would just do the same thing anyway.
 
It took me a while to understand what you are saying as well, but I think I do now.

The answer is you don't know, and the only real way to work it out is to work out which finger is comfortable to transition from the last note and to the next note. If you get really stuck, you can always show us the piece of music, and we can tell you what finger we would use in that situation, but we would just do the same thing anyway.
:agree: Yes, every song will be different. Once you figure out what left hand fingering works best for you, that info can be added to your tablature or notation. Typically, index finger is 1, middle finger 2, ring finger 3, and pinky 4. Sometimes you might be lucky and have that already figured out for you on the music. These numbers would be small, and right next to the note (usually just above and to the right or left).
–Lori
 
For picking melody lines, I mainly use my index & middle, but the others get used when they are near the next note to be played.

The main objective is to not move your hand too much whilst playing.

(If you want to arppegiate a chord, you will use either 3 or 4 fingers, depending on whether you use your thumb.)

:cool:
 
:agree: Yes, every song will be different. Once you figure out what left hand fingering works best for you, that info can be added to your tablature or notation. Typically, index finger is 1, middle finger 2, ring finger 3, and pinky 4. Sometimes you might be lucky and have that already figured out for you on the music. These numbers would be small, and right next to the note (usually just above and to the right or left).
–Lori

I have found this to be very true. With a bit of attention and effort you will see the chord shapes to hold while picking out individual notes. I will sit with a piece and figure this out then as Lori says I will write a G or F or Bb or whatever it might be above those group of notes. It is all trial and error at first, then it starts to come together like a jigsaw puzzle.
 
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