If you’re eager to explore the beautiful world of fingerstyle guitar, you’ve come to the right place. Fingerpicking opens up a new dimension of playing, allowing you to create rich and intricate sounds on your acoustic guitar. This guide features ten outstanding songs perfect for guitarists looking to develop their fingerstyle technique. These selections are tailored for players familiar with basic guitar skills, from open chords to barre chords, and range from beginner-friendly to intermediate challenges, ensuring a progressive learning curve. Dive in and discover how these popular tunes can introduce you to essential fingerpicking patterns and techniques widely used in contemporary music.
1. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
“Fast Car” is an exceptional starting point for anyone new to fingerstyle guitar. Its beauty lies in its simplicity; the song utilizes uncomplicated fingerpicking patterns that can be played with just your thumb and one finger. The song structure is also straightforward, with a few easily memorized sections, making it less daunting for beginners. Beyond its accessibility, “Fast Car” is deeply resonant, a song that often ignites a guitarist’s passion for fingerpicking. To further assist your learning, a dedicated free guitar fingerpicking mini-course offering step-by-step video lessons is available specifically for this song.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
2. “You Were Meant for Me” by Jewel
Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me” is another fantastic choice for novice fingerpickers, renowned for its popularity and gentle pace. This song features a repetitive, simple fingerpicking pattern played at a slow tempo, again achievable using just your thumb and a single finger. Like “Fast Car,” its structure is concise, minimizing memorization and simplifying the process of learning the complete song.
A slight hurdle with this song is its original key, positioned between B and C. For easier playability, especially when learning, it’s recommended to use this live version performed in the key of C, which is more guitar-friendly.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
3. “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas
“Dust in the Wind” frequently tops lists of essential fingerpicking songs, and rightfully so. Its iconic status stems from its beautiful melody and its foundation in the Travis picking pattern. This pattern is fundamental in folk fingerstyle guitar and serves as a blueprint for countless songs in the genre. While placed at number three here, it’s suggested to first explore even simpler songs to acclimate your fingers to fingerpicking. “Dust in the Wind” employs a somewhat rapid and continuous pattern that demands stamina. However, mastering this pattern is incredibly rewarding as it becomes easily repeatable, much like familiar strumming patterns. Practicing at a reduced tempo, around 80% to 90% of the original speed, can significantly ease the learning process.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
4. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
After tackling the consistent pattern of “Dust in the Wind,” “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran offers a refreshing change of pace. This chart-topping hit features relatively straightforward fingerpicking and introduces an engaging percussive element – string slapping. By slapping the guitar strings on the off-beats between chords, you introduce a rhythmic, percussive texture that adds a captivating groove to your playing, enhancing the song’s rhythmic feel and your fingerstyle versatility.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
5. “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac is another fingerpicking gem frequently cited as a must-learn. The studio version is layered with multiple guitar tracks, challenging to replicate on a single guitar. However, the celebrated live rendition, which most guitarists aim to learn, is performed on just one guitar. It begins with a simple Travis picking pattern but evolves as Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham introduces intricate variations and even a chord melody-style solo passage. Focusing initially on the basic pattern makes “Landslide” accessible for beginners. However, mastering the later, more complex techniques should be approached after gaining more fingerpicking experience. Attempting to replicate the live version note-for-note can be tricky due to its improvisational nature. A more effective approach is to grasp the general structure of each section and create your simplified, yet expressive, rendition.
Ultimate-Guitar Pro Tab For Live Version | Sheet Music Direct Tab For Studio Version
6. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
Could a list of top fingerstyle songs exclude “Stairway to Heaven”? Unthinkable! Often among the first fingerpicking pieces guitarists attempt, “Stairway” is deceptively nuanced and perhaps not the absolute best starting point. Nonetheless, it’s not overly complex and becomes approachable after some fingerpicking practice. Concentrate on the first two fingerpicked minutes of the song. While some parts, like the opening eight bars, benefit from note-for-note accuracy, others allow for a more general interpretation. “Stairway to Heaven” doesn’t heavily rely on advanced fingerpicking skills, but its challenge lies in memorizing the varied plucking patterns for each chord, as it doesn’t adhere to a continuously repeating pattern.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
7. “Blackbird” by The Beatles
Like “Stairway,” “Blackbird” is almost obligatory for guitarists venturing into fingerstyle. Despite its seemingly simple sound, “Blackbird” is more intricate and distinct than many realize. Paul McCartney’s composition moves beyond standard chord shapes, exploring intervals and chromatic movements up and down the neck. Furthermore, it’s not purely fingerpicked; McCartney uniquely blends finger plucking with finger strumming. This technique is often missed, leading to incorrect renditions using conventional fingerpicking patterns. Watching a live performance by McCartney is highly recommended to observe his actual technique. Also, when learning this song, practicing at a slower tempo is crucial to capture its subtleties.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
8. “Your Body Is a Wonderland” by John Mayer
“Your Body Is a Wonderland” by John Mayer is a more contemporary addition to the fingerstyle repertoire, especially compared to the predominantly older classics on this list. John Mayer is celebrated for his exceptional fingerstyle guitar skills, and this song is among his most accessible and popular fingerpicking pieces. It features drop-D tuning and a captivating interplay between the thumb and fingers, creating a moving bassline that diverges from typical folk fingerpicking styles, adding a modern twist to fingerstyle guitar.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
9. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” by Led Zeppelin
“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” by Led Zeppelin is excellent for practicing and developing dexterity in your picking hand. It’s played in a manner that serves almost as an exercise for your thumb and fingers, encouraging the use of three or even all four fingers. Jimmy Page frequently employs forward finger rolls throughout much of the song. Focusing on learning the main theme is advisable, as the song is quite long and its structure can be intricate. This song is ideal as a warm-up to prepare your picking hand. Similar to other complex pieces, slowing down the tempo initially is highly recommended for effective practice.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab| Sheet Music Direct Tab
10. “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel
“The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel is another highly acclaimed fingerpicking classic often considered a top choice. However, its complexity is often underestimated, making it challenging for new fingerpickers to master initially. Categorized as more of an intermediate-level song, it’s positioned last on this list at number 10. The original recording is rich with multiple guitar parts, including one in an alternate tuning. Learning from this live version, concentrating on Paul Simon’s simplified live performance, is recommended. The original is in Eb tuning in the key of C, while the live version uses standard tuning with a capo at the first fret, also in the key of C.
“The Boxer” is another prime example of Travis picking, maintaining a busy pattern throughout, with the only respite during the strummed choruses. Variations in the fingerpicking pattern, coordinated with fretting-hand movements, add to its difficulty. Navigating the song’s form also presents challenges due to non-uniform verses and structural variations. Despite these complexities, “The Boxer” remains a sought-after fingerpicking song, making it a valuable addition to this list. Simplifying parts and practicing at a slower pace can make it manageable, but it’s best approached after gaining foundational fingerpicking skills.
Ultimate-Guitar Official Tab | Sheet Music Direct Tab
Embark on Your Fingerstyle Journey
This curated list of fingerstyle guitar songs offers a fantastic pathway to develop your fingerpicking skills, from beginner-friendly tunes to more complex arrangements. Each song not only enhances your technique but also introduces you to diverse styles and patterns within fingerstyle guitar. Start with “Fast Car” and progressively challenge yourself with each song on this list. Remember to take advantage of resources like tabs and video lessons to aid your learning process. Happy fingerpicking!
Enroll in this free guitar fingerpicking mini-course to get started with step-by-step video instruction for Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and begin your fingerstyle guitar adventure today.
