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Comment by Ron "Oily" Sprague on October 22, 2014 at 4:25pm

He's doing a variation on a 1-2-3-4 rhythm - bum-bum-bum-Bum - which really plays two bass eight notes in the place of the first quarter note - Bum-Bum-bum-bum-Bum. If you watch and listen closely, you can see his forefinger playing the 2nd, then the 3rd, then the 4th (bass) string, while his thumb is actually playing an alternate rhythm on the 4th and 3rd string, and his middle finger finishes off by plucking or flicking - looks like he's doing both - the first string, to complete the arpeggiated chord (arpeggio means "play like a harp" in Italian - standard musical notation uses Italian, for historical reasons, to indicate tempo ("time" or "pace" in Italian), dynamics (really soft = "pianissimo," soft = "piano," medium soft = "mezzo-piano", medium strong or loud = "mezzo-forte," loud = "forte (pronounced for-tay)," really loud = "fortissimo," and so on), and other terms to help musicians translate written notation into musical performance.

When you learn to read written music, you end up learning two or more languages: 1) the language of notes, time signatures, measures, beats, etc.; 2) Italian, or more rarely, German or Spanish, for time, dynamics, and performance signposts; and 3) the musical style, such as blues, ragtime, rock, classical, etc., based on different rhythms, note choices, instrumentation, etc. See, y'all didn't even realize you were learning a new language! ;-)

James is showing y'all an easy, muscularly efficient 2-3 finger style called clawhammer, which is a really natural way to play 3 and 4-stringed instruments, because the fingers bend the right way. It is used a lot by 4-string Dixieland tenor and some bluegrass 5-string banjo players. Classical 6-string guitarists are also taught to use their ring finger, so that the thumb (labeled p for "pulgar" in Spanish) takes care of the bottom 4th, 5th and 6th strings, and the index finger (labeled I for "indice") takes care of the 3rd string, the middle finger (labeled m for "medio") takes care of the 2nd string, and the ring finger (labeled a for "anular" or "anillo," for ring) takes care of plucking the first string. So in Spanish classical notation, the right hand plucking fingers, starting with the thumb, are p-I-m-a, or pima.

Just in case you were wondering...>:-E

Comment by Clock The Wolf on October 22, 2014 at 3:10pm

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Comment by James on October 22, 2014 at 11:41am

i really like your approach to teaching music , the lesson on different keys, got me thinking and trying some stuff, at least one of my recent post i can attribute , partly to that lesson,  and also i did not know that cords played one note at a time was called  arpeggio , and i'm sure that is a very good point for people learning to play, it sure is for me !!!  thank you !!!

Comment by James O Lunsford on October 22, 2014 at 10:23am

Thanks Uncle John,Nancy, and Jason I'm glad you like it. I try to keep it simple as trying to explain music is hard for me .If this helps someone I'm Happy Ya'll the Best

Comment by Uncle John on October 22, 2014 at 9:07am

That's beautiful, James O, and I enjoyed it.   My not proud truth is that I play John style.  I do a finger style - not as pretty as yours- and I don't really know what I'm doing, but I like it.   A friend calls mine chicken picken.  

I do know that some hammers and hitting the 7th chords and slides..  it all helps.   And you geve me a good display and reminder.   I think the chords of a song are like a bare Christmas tree.   All the little tricks added are like all the ornaments that make a beautiful Christmas tree. You have some good ornaments.

I should quit just doing what I do and learn something new.  I've been trying to learn claw hammer style and it is starting to sound like something, but once again, I think I am doing it John style.

Good on ya, brother.

Comment by Nancy kat on October 22, 2014 at 9:06am

Oh I like the way you explained this James~O like u gave a song story lesson cool!!!!!  Meowwwww^^

Comment by Jason Mills on October 22, 2014 at 9:00am

:>) :>) :>) Nice

Comment by James O Lunsford on October 22, 2014 at 7:37am

Sorry I posted two videos so close together But I can only watch and post videos when I at Home my internet still don't work at My work camper job on the gulf wanted to get this one in

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