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Lesson 1
Prepare Yourself
1.1 Introduction
So you want to learn fingerstyle guitar? Congratulations! The guitar is a fabulous musical instrument, and if you can play it 'fingerpickingly', you can play all sorts of music. You can do it just for fun, or professionally, and what's more: with fingerstyle you can play in a band, but also alone. Fingerstyle guitar is sometimes referred to as the two hand band, because you will be able to play a bass line, harmonics, rhythm and melody, all on one single guitar.
Curious? Listen to the sample below and you'll know what I mean.
You're never too old to start playing guitar. Obviously, if you want to be REALLY good one day, you'd better start early. If you are, say, twelve years old or less, with a good musical ear and enough enthusiasm and will power, you may become a second Mark Knopfler or Chet Atkins one day. Or better! Even if you start at the age of eighteen, you still have a perfect opportunity to become a great player. When you're older, it will probably be more work. This has to do with the fact that by that time (and yes, I know this sounds funny!) your brain cells have stopped to grow. And your brain cells are extremely important when you play guitar. They must be literally programmed, one by one, allowing you to play without thinking. This process is more difficult when your brain cells have stopped growing, around the age of eighteen, but don't worry: it can still be done very well. It just means more work. But when you're over eighteen, you probably have enough mental power to overcome that anyway. I think that even elderly people can learn to play the guitar. And no matter what your age is, or your level, it can always give you an astronomical amount of satisfaction! And isnt' it that what counts?
1.2 A Few Golden Rules
1. When you play guitar, your hands are the most precious things in your life. This means you should be extra careful with them, and treat them like babies. Whenever you see a knife, beware. Think before you take it in your hands, and always act as if it razor sharp. Just a little cut in your finger may force you to stop playing for two weeks. Whenever you see electric power tools, put your hands behind your back. Use gloves if you use these machines, or when you work in the garden. I know, this may all sound silly, but try to make it a second nature.
2. ALWAYS keep your hands warm! Put on gloves as soon as the temperature drops and your hands feel a little cold. Never ride a bike without your gloves on (unless it's over 20 degrees Centigrade or so). People may laugh at you. Let them. THEY don't play guitar. If your hands get too cold, your fingers will get stiff and this effect may last even for a day or longer. If your hands are often very cold, some say you might even ruin them for the rest of your life, and you will never be able to play really fast and smoothly. The hands of a good guitarist are not normal hands: they are high-precision, ultra-accurate and delicate bio-mechanical technology. I also think parents have the responsibility to keep their children's hands warm all the time. My mom has always done that, and I am grateful to her.
3. Take care of your fingernails. You may need them, particularly at your right hand, in order to pluck the strings. In that case, no matter if you play steel string or nylon string guitar, the fingernails of your right hand (if you are right handed) should extend at least one millimeter from the flesh of your fingertips. The exact length is a personal thing. Shorter sounds better, most of the times, but is more cumbersome for high speed picking, as the skin of your fingertips slows down the motion of your fingers when they touch the strings. Longer nails play faster, but typically produce a less profound, more 'rattling' sound. Some guitarists play fingerstyle without fingernails. I think that when you just start, it's easier to play with fingernails, but if your nails are very brittle or you can't grow them for any other reason, don't worry! Just do it without. Over time, callous will develop on your finger tips that will brighten up your tone and increase your volume, pretty much as if you were playing with your fingernails.
 playing with fingernails
I used to file my fingernails every few days, to a smooth curvature. Make sure that the sides of your nails are parallel to your fingers, so that they have a nice elliptic shape. Don't shape them like pyramids, which will look silly (or: sillier ;-) and your nails will bend and break easier that way. Filing your nails on a regular basis reduces the chance they snap off, and it produces a nice, smooth sound when you play. Little dents along the rim of your fingernails produce funny sounds, it feels bad when you play, and your nail is apt to tear off sooner or later.
 file your nails often!
When you have very brittle nails, you may want to try these glue-on, acrylic nails. I have no experience with them, but I do know guitarists who use them. They seem to work fine.
I have played guitar with my fingernails almost all my life, accepting the inherent problem of a broken fingernail every once in a while. Just recently, I clipped them all short, to see what would happen. The first day was miserable. My volume was gone, my tone was muddy and my fingertips were red and painful. Just a few days later, it went much better. After a week or so, it was like I'd never done anything else. The great advantage of playing with short fingernails is that your nails cannot break and stop you from playing for a few days, and that you cannot 'consume' your fingernails during periods of intense playing.
4. The finger nails of your left hand (if you are right handed) should always be as short as possible. These are the fingers you use to push the strings against the frets, and if the nails are too long, they will make it impossible for your fingertips to firmly press all the way down, as the nails will touch the fingerboard before the strings touch the frets. Not only does that sound bad, it's a nasty feeling too.
1.3 Mentality
Obviously, a good feel for music will give you a flying start. However, learning guitar also needs lots of patience and a firm will to continue. Sometimes it may take months before you can play just four or five notes out of a song. This means you find yourself playing the same five notes about every second, for many hours, every day, almost every day in a month. It will drive people around you crazy: "STOP IT! Play something different PLEASE!" You have to find a way to prevent or to ignore this. You cannot afford to waste your energy on negative reactions from your environment, because you will need that energy to learn those five notes. Remember that if you want something, it may take a very long time before you master it. That is the best reason to never give up.
In short: learning to play guitar will almost always work out. There is only one single thing that can go wrong, and that's when you give up after a while. Which is exactly what distinguishes guitarists from 'normal' people: guitarists REFUSE to give up.
I wish you happy playing!
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