# Trespasses Guide to Acoustic Fingerstyle



## Trespass (Dec 30, 2007)

*History:* Acoustic Fingerstyle is the name attributed to the advanced style of acoustic guitar that employs different approaches to playing complicated music. The music is characterized by a steady pulse to the music, the mix of lead and chord work, and the full passion all practitioners of the style put into their performance.

The beginning of the style is attributed to Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges. Michael Hedges innovated upon his classical training, employing and pioneering the techniques used in the style today.

Don Ross, a unknown Canadian rock guitarist, was inspired by Michael Hedges guitarwork, and released his own material in 1989 Bearing Straight. Don Ross is a innovater in the field, taking Hedges technique and expanding it into different musical genres and ideas, creating a myriad and distinctly varried selection with each album. 

Many artists today have been inspired by Don Ross, and its popularity on youtube has really expanded its once "niche" style.

*Techniques:*Techniques common and used within the style are:
-Altered Tunings
-Extensive capo use (2+ capos being used)
-Third hand capo use (Capo that you can adjust which strings are being capo'd)
-Percussive Hitting of the guitars strings or body
-Extensive Use Natural and Artificual Harmonics
-Slapped harmonics
-Very High amount of Dynamic diversity
-Use of the Harp Guitar

*Artists:*
-Michael Hedges
-Leo Kottke
-Don Ross
-Andy McKee
-Antoine Dufour
-Trace Bundy
-Erik Mongrain
-Nicholas Barron
-Peter Ciluzzi
-Craig D'Andrea
(More to come)

*Trespass's Album Picks:* (In no particular order)

-Art of Motion by Andy McKee
2005 Candyrat Records

Sample: Art of Motion


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-Development by Antoine Dufour
2006 Candyrat Records

Sample: Spiritual Groove (w/ Tommy Gauthier)


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-Passion Session by Don Ross
1999 Narada Masters of Acoustic Guitar

Sample: Tight Trite Night


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-Adapt by Trace Bundy
2004 Honest Ninja Music

Sample: Acoustic Ninja


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-Naissance EP by Antoine Dufour
2004 Candyrat Records

Sample: Scratch
Sample: Trilogie


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## Apophis (Dec 30, 2007)

Nice, not so many info as I would like to see, but thanks


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## Kotex (Dec 30, 2007)

^Yeah, we should build this thread up. Get some more info about this kinda' stuff.


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## Trespass (Dec 30, 2007)

Apophis said:


> Nice, not so many info as I would like to see, but thanks



I'm going to be adding to it quite a bit, this is the initial posting.


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## Kotex (Dec 31, 2007)

Awesome then. Can't wait.


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## Mastodon (Jan 2, 2008)

I missed this thread earlier, this is a cool idea.


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## Apophis (Jan 2, 2008)

any update??


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## Trespass (Jan 2, 2008)

What would you like to see more of? I've been listening to this style for quite some time.


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## Kotex (Jan 6, 2008)

^Anything and everything.

Go at it.


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## Trespass (Jan 6, 2008)

Kotex said:


> ^Anything and everything.
> 
> Go at it.



Thanks for the encouragement  

I'll definitely add more sometime this week, I chose a wrong time to post a half-finished thread thar.


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## Kotex (Jan 6, 2008)

^lol. No problem man. I say just load it up with info.


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## ElRay (Jan 7, 2008)

I'd add Adrian Legg to the list, although he's not 100% Acoustic any more. He still plays the same stuff, but on a custom piezo-equipped electric for touring. Not sure about composition/recording.

Ray


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## guitarplayerone (Jan 7, 2008)

no justin king?


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## arnoroth661 (Jan 8, 2008)

Spectacular.


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## AVWIII (Aug 21, 2008)

Mind if I throw in a dude?
Former national fingerstyle champ Rob Taylor (as judged by a panel including Don Ross).

He also plays a mean banjo and sarod.


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## arnoroth661 (Aug 22, 2008)

Wow that was amazing... I"m glad I don't have to rely on a pick all the time.

The last part of that last video...


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## El Caco (Aug 26, 2008)

Wow just wow


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## AVWIII (Sep 19, 2008)

> The last part of that last video...



I love how it just builds to a climax of pure awesome. I've actually got a plan to steal his brain and use it to harness some of said awesome. I'll let you know how it works out.


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## sakeido (Sep 22, 2008)

AVWIII said:


> Mind if I throw in a dude?
> Former national fingerstyle champ Rob Taylor (as judged by a panel including Don Ross).
> 
> He also plays a mean banjo and sarod.




that's a little showy at times but my god.. a lot of talent there, whoa


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## AVWIII (Sep 22, 2008)

He does have a good amount of showy parts from time to time. Especially in this video: (check around 3:12)
 

but when he slows down he's amazing


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## FredGrass (Sep 27, 2008)

Trespass said:


> -Art of Motion by Andy McKee
> 2005 Candyrat Records
> 
> Sample: Art of Motion




That's actually called "Drifting", but it's from the same album ("Art of Motion"). Both wicked songs. Here's "Art of Motion"....



Sweet. The guy is a monster.


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## Fred (Sep 27, 2008)

"The beginning of the style is attributed to Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges."

Sorry, but I've never heard such bullshit in my life! Acoustic fingerstyle goes back way, way before those guys. In fact just about every single one of the artists you've listed is part of the incredibly recent YouTube-inspired wave of fandom for such acoustic virtuosos. For Christ's sake, Don Ross was barely even _born_ when a load of the true innovators of the modern wave of acoustic fingerstyle were around! 

Leo Kottke, who you claim to have brought about the beginning of the style, said that one of his main influences as a child was Mississipi John Hurt, who was born in the 19th century! If you actually listen to Hurt you'll hear that, sure enough, he's playing (basic) acoustic fingerstyle. Sure, it's not as complex or guitar-oriented as the stuff you're talking about, but there's no denying that it's fingerstyle, so to claim Kottke and Hedges as the originators of the style is ludicrous! People like Big Bill Broonzy were the true originators. The problem is that you seem to be taking "acoustic fingerstyle" to be a far more specific term than it is. It's exactly what it says on the tin! It's acoustic guitar, played with fingers (or nails, or fingerpicks). It doesn't have to have any of the fancy techniques you're talking about at all. And since when was the harp guitar a standard feature of it!? I'm sorry, but there are so many generalisations in here it's untrue. It sounds and looks rather as though you (along with thousands of others) just stumbled across rpoland's channel on YouTube, did a bit of research on Wikipedia and invented your own history of the genre.

Listen to all the 50s and 60s acoustic guitarists like Dave Van Ronk, Davey Graham, John Renbourn, Stefan Grossman, Bert Jansch, John Martyn and Martin Carthy and tell me they're not playing remarkably similar stuff to some of the artists you're talking about.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture - acoustic fingerstyle is an incredible genre of music and I'm seriously happy that YouTube has opened so many people's eyes to it. But please at least get your facts right before trying to educate others - acoustic fingerstyle is also an incredibly _diverse_ genre of music and you're only talking about a tiny, tiny section of it. To be honest, I think it's impossible to actually make a thread called a "guide to acoustic fingerstyle". It's no less of an umbrella term than something like a "guide to metal".


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## Trespass (Sep 28, 2008)

Fred said:


> "The beginning of the style is attributed to Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges."
> 
> Sorry, but I've never heard such bullshit in my life! Acoustic fingerstyle goes back way, way before those guys. In fact just about every single one of the artists you've listed is part of the incredibly recent YouTube-inspired wave of fandom for such acoustic virtuosos. For Christ's sake, Don Ross was barely even _born_ when a load of the true innovators of the modern wave of acoustic fingerstyle were around!
> 
> ...




That is absolutely excellent. Honestly, the best thought out criticism I've received for something I've written in years. Personally, this is my style of criticism when asked to critique literature or music, and I've always wanted someone to have that same perogative against my work. I appreciate it.

I concede that my knowledge of the style is limited to the 'modern' approach of fingerstyle, with its virtuositic taps and harmonics and penchant for odd tunings. Also note that this was written a year ago or so; the intention was to revise and add the more I learned. Unfortunately, life caught up with me, and I was not able to spend the time I wanted towards creating a forum posted, miniature online encyclopedia of the artists and their music. Perhaps I'll continue on, sometime in the future.


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## Fred (Sep 28, 2008)

Actually, I apologise for having come across as quite such a cranky bastard of a music snob in that post, haha. Would have tried to phrase it all slightly more politely if I'd been in a better mood to begin with!

Put it like this, if the title of the thread had been "Trespass's Guide to Percussive Acoustic Fingerstyle", I don't think I could have added much at all. Other than the fact that Trace Bundy is disgustingly overrated, haha. .


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## Trespass (Sep 28, 2008)

Fred said:


> Actually, I apologise for having come across as quite such a cranky bastard of a music snob in that post, haha. Would have tried to phrase it all slightly more politely if I'd been in a better mood to begin with!
> 
> Put it like this, if the title of the thread had been "Trespass's Guide to Percussive Acoustic Fingerstyle", I don't think I could have added much at all.
> 
> ...


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