Fingerstyle Guitar

Genre and Style Guitar Course from Steve Eulberg

Fingerstyle guitar is the classic art of playing the guitar solely with the fingers. Fingerstyle playing opens up a whole new realm of possibilities on the guitar.

32 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

86% Appoval

147 of 158 of our members have given this their approval.

Tabs & Info

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Included

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Full Course Breakdown

Steve walks you through some of the most basic fingerstyle guitar techniques. He teaches these techniques in the context of timeless fingerstyle repertoire.

1

Starting Fingerstyle

Steve introduces you to the world of fingerstyle guitar by teaching a few exercises and an orignal tune called "Porch Swingin'."

38:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

2

Matteo Carcassi

Steve Eulberg teaches you to play Op. 60 (No. 1) composed by Matteo Carcassi.

42:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

3

House of the Rising Sun

Steve teaches a fingerstyle arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" by Animals.

29:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

4

Freight Train

Steve covers some of the fingerstyle techniques created by Elizabeth, or "Libbis" Cotten.

24:00 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

View this Lesson
5

Planxton's Farewell Part 1

Steve Eulberg teaches you how to play his original piece "Planxton's Farewell." This is part 1 of a 2 part lesson.

34:00 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

6

Planxton's Farewell Part 2

This is part 2 of the fingerstyle song "Planxton's Farewell." In this lesson Steve teaches you the second half of this beautiful tune.

22:00 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

7

Drop D Tuning

Steve discusses drop D tuning and how it is used. He also teaches an original song in this tuning called "Neither Lion Nor Lamb."

30:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

9

Five Foot Two (fingerstyle)

Steve teaches a fingerstyle version of the classic song "Five Foot Two."

29:54 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

10

Operator Introduction

In this lesson Steve shows how to play the introduction of the classic Jim Croce song, "Operator," in a fingerstyle fashion.

22:21 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

11

Operator Verse

Steve returns to the beautiful Jim Croce song, "Operator," in this fingerstyle guitar lesson. This time around he demonstrates the verse.

12:58 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

12

Operator Chorus

Steve finishes up the Jim Croche song, "Operator." He covers the chorus and brings the entire song together.

9:55 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

13

Alternating Bass

Steve uses the classic childrens song, "Paw Paw Patch" to demonstrate how an alternating bass line can be played within a fingerstyle arrangement.

15:42 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

14

We Wanted a King

Steve Eulberg teaches a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement of his original song, "We Wanted a King."

36:31 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

15

Building the Thumb

Steve Eulberg guides you through a series of exercises meant to improve the dexterity and independence of the thumb.

12:52 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

16

Mixing Up the Fingers

Steve Eulberg mixes up the fingers to create a dynamic fingerstyle exercise.

12:48 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

17

Chopsticks

Steve Eulberg explains how to play the classic song "Chopsticks" using fingerstyle technique.

12:18 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

18

Advanced Chopsticks

In this lesson, Steve Eulberg teaches an advanced version of "Chopsticks."

8:11 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

19

Ode To Joy Part 1

Welcome to the first lesson in a 3 part series on the song "Ode To Joy". Steve has arranged a very unique fingerstyle lesson that starts from square one. This 3 part series can really help any beginner become more accomplished in technique. This first lesson, Steve will break down the melody as well as adding a drone note with the picking hand.

10:32 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

20

Ode To Joy Part 2

In the midst of this three part lesson series, Steve continues his "Ode To Joy" song lesson by introducing a parallel movement. This will demonstrate a "skip a string" technique with the picking hand and parallel string movement with the fretting hand. Don't worry, It's not as complicated as it may sound.

7:25 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

21

Ode To Joy Part 3

In his final lesson in the three part series of the song "Ode To Joy", Steve adds a few more additional fingerstyle techniques to the mix. By adding a harmony and a D string drone note, this will complete Steve's arrangement and open doors to the fingerstyle world.

10:43 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

22

Thumb Builder #1

In direct response to a common issue seen in his live Q&A, Steve crafted the following group of 9 lessons devoted to "thumb building". Learn all 6 variations of the exercise Steve teaches and practice them to start building up that thumb!

16:38 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

23

Thumb Builder #2

The second installment of Steve's Thumb Builder lessons continues to build your finger and thumb coordination with multiple pattern variations.

8:40 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

24

Thumb Builder #3

Join Steve for the third installment in his Thumb Builder lessons. Keep pressing on and you should be finding that the mechanical movements are becoming more and more natural.

10:33 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

25

Thumb Builder #4

It's time to challenge yourself by adding more fingers to the mix! Instead of just responding to the thumb with one finger, you'll be using different fingers on different strings.

8:42 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

26

Thumb Builder #5

Things are getting a little more complicated and a little more challenging as Steve marches through some more thumb building exercises. Keep up the hard work and practice!

6:42 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

27

Thumb Builder #6

Steve continues to build up muscle memory and coordination. In these exercises, the thumb is gonna start jumping around along with the fingers.

9:16 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

28

Thumb Builder #7

Part 7 of Thumb Building Bootcamp! Good job for making it this far! Things keep getting more challenging, but you should definitely be noticing a marked improvement in your finger-thumb coordination by now.

8:03 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

29

Thumb Builder #8

Steve introduces a handful of new patterns to keep on building up that thumb.

7:53 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

30

Thumb Builder #9

Good work! You've made it to the final installment of thumb builder exercises. Learn some of the patterns that Steve commonly uses in his own playing.

6:48 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

31

Walkin' Down the Trail

Sometimes we hear the word exercise and it just sounds like work... That probably won't be the case when you listen to the exercise Steve teaches in this lesson. It will take some work, but you'll walk away a better player with another useful and fun song in the bag.

19:30 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

32

Frere Jacque Fugue

In this lesson, Steve takes the familiar Frere Jacque and teaches how to play it in a round on the guitar.

6:28 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

33

Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore

Turn this classic folk tune into a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement.

13:24 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

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  • Greeley, Colorado
  • Playing since 1970
  • 320 lessons at JamPlay
An Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Steve Eulberg weaves mountain and hammered dulcimers with a variety of unusual instruments to create thought-provoking, smile-inducing, toe-tapping acoustic experiences.

He has sung and composed for religious communities, union halls, picket lines, inter-faith retreats, mountain-top youth camps, as well as the more familiar venues: clubs, coffeehouses, bookstores, festivals, charity benefits and showcase concerts.

Born and raised in the German-heritage town of Pemberville, Ohio, Steve was exposed to a variety of music in his home. Early piano lessons were followed by trumpet in school band, and he became self-taught on ukelele and guitar and harmonica. Mandolin was added at Capital University where, while majoring in History, he studied Ear Training, Voice and took Arranging lessons from the Conservatory of Music.

While at college, he first heard hammered and mountain dulcimers, building his first mountain dulcimer just before his final year. Seminary training took him the west side of Denver where he built his first hammered dulcimer. With these instruments, he was able to give voice to the Scottish, English and Irish traditions to which he is also heir.

Following marriage in 1985 to Connie Winter-Eulberg he settled in Kansas City, Missouri. There he worked cross-culturally in a church of African-Americans, Latinos and European Americans, with music being a primary organizing tool. He moved with his family in 1997 to be nestled beside the Rocky Mountains in Fort Coillins, Colorado.

Founder of Owl Mountain Music, Inc. he teaches and performs extensively in Colorado and Wyoming with tours across the US and the UK. He delights in introducing the “sweet music” of dulcimers to people in diverse settings and in addition to his own recordings, has included dulcimers in a variety of session work for other musicians.

In 2000 he was commissioned to create a choral composition featuring dulcimers for the Rainbow Chorus in Fort Collins. It was recorded in the same year (BEGINNINGS). He is currently at work on a commissioned symphony that will feature hammered dulcimer and Australian didjeridu.

Eulberg passionately believes that music crosses cultural and language barriers because music builds community. Influenced by a variety of ethnic styles, his music weaves vital lyric with rap, rock, folk, gospel and blues. Audiences of all ages respond well to his presentation and to his warm sense of humor.

Steve is a member of Local 1000 (AFM), The Folk Alliance, BMI and BWAAG (Better World Artists and Activist's Guild).
Reviews & Feedback 86/100 with 158 ratings
daj811

At 6 minutes, why isn't there any notations or tabs to visualize the new pattern.

Electrosquib

Easy to understand an very helpful

rich

Excellent instructor. Initially, Steve was losing me with some of the theory, but I'm sticking with it, and it's beginning to make sense. I look forward to each new lesson! I'm not the most rapid learner in areas of dexterity and coordination,

kwinkler

Great choice of song to begin with!!! I will be studying this lesson a long time and will nail it! I love the walking between the chords.

smedly

I always liked Steve. He is easy to under stand. I'm going to stay focused on his lessons. Maybe I'll learn something slow leaner.

cesp19

I love this teacher!!

foof169

I"m new to jam play and found Steve to be very much a pro.

hansg

parts were patchy, but this part was great

seankenny_98

really enjoyed it and learned quit a bit....thanks Steve Sean

Penceler

Really like the teacher and how he makes it easy to understand the pieces.

Alphie1976

Steve breaks this lesson down nicely. Now, if I could just accomplish it!

Swandaddy

Very nice incremental teaching.

limelight

wonderful teaching!! Thanks, Steve!!