Adventures in Fingerstyle

Genre and Style Guitar Course from Maneli Jamal

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Build your fingerstyle skills with a thorough, step-by-step course from Maneli Jamal. We start from the ground floor with simple lessons that emphasize fingerstyle basics, then ramp up to include techniques such as simple percussion, harmonics and chord slaps. Finally, we merge these techniques to get you playing songs, applying all the principles you've learned!

36 Lessons

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

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

93% Appoval

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Tabs & Info

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Included

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Full Course Breakdown

This course is a great way to jumpstart your adventure on the acoustic guitar with many lessons that start easy and go into more advanced playing. Some topics include two-hand tap, slap harmonics, percussion, fingerpicking and much more!

Begin the Course
1

Series Introduction

Maneli Jamal introduces himself and his course. Learn what you can expect to get out of "Adventures in Fingerstyle.:

4:27 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

2

Fingerstyle Basics 1

We’ll learn some Fingerstyle Basics that will make the rest of the course easier to play and learn.

25:47 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

3

Fingerstyle Basics 2

Developing your picking patterns, and learning to be economical in your picking is very key to being a proficient fingerstyle player. Maneli gives us some great exercises in this lesson to help us develop these skills.

29:26 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

4

Fingerstyle Basics 3

In this lesson, Maneli continues to show us how to develop a strong picking hand. We dive into 3/4 time and a different chord progression that will definitely be challenging!

23:28 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

5

Scales with Bass on the Down Beat 1

Now we're going to learn some right hand independence by playing scales with bass notes on the beat. These exercises are not only fun but will also boost your skill tremendously.

24:47 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

6

Scales with Bass on the Down Beat 2

In this lesson Maneli teaches some note skipping musical sequences in the E major scale, while continuing to use the bass note on the down beat. These kinds of exercise are very helpful in developing thumb independence!

26:44 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

7

Scales with Triplets on Top 1

By now, you should start noticing thumb independence and finger dexterity coming more into focus. Now we will go over sequences of four notes at a time in the E major scale with triplets ringing strings 1 and 2 out as drones.

46:14 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

8

Scales with Triplets on Top 2

In a continuation of the last lesson, let's go over another sequence of four notes at a time in the E major scale with triplets ringing strings 1 and 2 out as drones.

13:03 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

9

Tapping 1

Tapping is a great tool that can be used to create the sound of two guitars without ever having to pluck a note! The tricky part is learning to manage the volume of the tapped notes. These exercises are designed to develop right hand tapping on the fretboard while creating cool bass lines!

26:59 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

10

Tapping 2

Picking up where we left off in the previous lesson, we now look at the adding the left hand to mix, creating different musical parts. This will add a completely new dimension to your playing!

45:17 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

11

Harmonic Slaps 1

Harmonic slaps can be thought of as one of the first forays into using percussion on the acoustic guitar. In this lesson, Maneli breaks down the mechanics of the harmonic slap and why it is such a useful tool!

43:41 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

12

Harmonic Slaps 2

Here we will learn how to coordinate both left and right hands to play some more advanced patterns of two hand tap, strumming and harmonic slaps.

32:00 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

13

Percussion 1

The acoustic guitar is basically a big wooden box, so it makes sense that it sounds pretty good as a drum! Learning how and where to hit this "drum" is what Maneli will talk about in this lesson. Then, he will give us some basic exercises that will get us on our way in using the guitar as a percussion instrument.

14:18 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

View this Lesson
14

Percussion 2

We learned the basics of "hitting" the guitar in the last lesson, now it's time to add some functionality from the left hand. We'll learn how to hold chords with the left hand while the right hand is doing basic percussion.

31:26 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

15

Chord Percussion 1

What is chord percussion? It's the technique where you impact the strings of the guitar (while holding a note or chord) as well as giving it a percussive hit - all with the same hand, at the same time. Maneli gives us some great lessons to practice this technique.

23:21 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

16

Chord Percussion 2

In this lesson, Maneli shows us how to coordinate our hammer-ons and pull-offs with our percussion hits. It's starting to sound like a one man band!

31:42 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

17

Fingerstyle Picking with Slaps

Sometimes we don't need full on percussion in a song, but maybe we want just a little rhythmic enhancement. This lesson helps us work on subtle slap that can add just that touch of rhythm you may be looking for!

26:09 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

18

Fingerstyle Picking with Slaps 2

Now, let's add in a more complex rhythm pattern. The key here is to take it slow, and treat the slap as another note in your pattern.

31:22 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

19

Fingerstyle Picking with Slaps 3

This slap is slightly different than the previous two lessons. Now, instead of just using the thumb to slap the low strings, we're using the entire hand in a "claw" shape. This technique works well when you're playing across a chord progression.

33:10 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

20

Advanced Two-Hand Tapping

Now, we will learn some more patterns with the two hand tap technique in 4/4 timing. Keeping the bass notes consistent is the key to making these exercises smooth. Your left hand will be tapping two notes at a time, so it will take some brain power at first to get your hands around this!

24:46 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

21

Advanced Two-Hand Tapping 2

Having your fingers prepared when doing two handed tapping, can make all the difference in the world. Maneli explains exactly what this means in this lesson that showcases how to use the two hand tap in a more complex way to create a fuller sound.

38:56 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

22

Advanced Harmonic Slaps

Maneli expands on the harmonic slaps that we learned in previous lessons by adding a second slapping finger on the right hand. This technique allows you to play faster lines using the harmonic slap.

36:08 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

23

Advanced Fingerstyle Picking

Let's take a look at one of Maneli's favorite fingerpicking patterns. This pattern is in the unusual time signature of 9/8. Take this exercise slow, and in no time you will fall into the natural motion of this pattern!

18:02 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

24

Advanced Fingerstyle Picking 2

Using the "claw" slap to create a basic groove is what this lesson is focusing on. The tricky thing here is that now, we're pairing that slap with a more complex fingerpicking pattern. Again, slow and steady at first, then you'll be grooving in no time!

33:27 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

25

Advanced Fingerstyle Picking 3

Here's a unique technique where the thumb and index finger are doing double duty on the low E string. Add to that a percussive slap on beat 3, and you've got a unique percussion/picking pattern that you can get a lot of mileage out of!

23:51 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

26

Rhythmic Grooves

In this lesson, the multi-hit percussive groove takes center stage. This is a precursor to more complex percussion techniques, but we must first crawl before we walk! We will start with a simple chord progression on the left hand, so that we can focus more on the "hits".

25:26 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

27

Rhythmic Grooves 2

Taking another step forward, we now add more 8th notes to the groove to fill it out more while doing some left hand hammer-ons. This creates a much fuller sound when coupled with the right hand that's keeping the beat.

31:50 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

28

Rhythmic Grooves 3

Taking grooves to the next level, Maneli uses hammer-ons, palm mutes and percussive hits to establish this groove based around an A major chord.

21:18 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

29

Artificial Harmonics

Most of us know what natural harmonics are, and what they sound like. An artificial harmonic is a slightly different animal. In this lesson, Maneli looks at the basics of artificial harmonics, and the best way to get this beautiful sound.

21:20 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

30

Artificial Harmonics 2

Now, Maneli explores the use of hammer-ons and pull-offs with the left hand while plucking artificial harmonics with the right. This is a more complex technique to be sure, but the affected sound is something you'll use for a long time!

17:35 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

31

Fingerpicking Patterns in 6/8

Playing in 6/8 requires a certain feel of being laid-back, and frankly, being patient when playing at slower tempos. This lesson is designed to use some of the percussive slaps we've worked on already, but put them into a different feel, so that you can see them at work in other contexts.

23:42 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

32

Fingerpicking Patterns in 6/8 - 2

Adding to our 6/8 feel, our percussive slaps and our basic picking, we mix in the use of hammer-on and pull-off techniques. We will be plucking bass notes with our thumb while plucking the high notes with our fingers for added fullness.

19:35 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

33

Fingerpicking Patterns in 6/8 - 3

Now we add another level of complexity - left hand tapping and harmonic strums! In this lesson, we'll learn how to control our timing in the 6/8 feel, adding thumb slaps and harmonics while keeping the groove.

29:53 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

34

Fingerpicking Synchrodestiny Part 1

Let's learn a section of one of Maneli's songs - "Synchrodestiny". In this first part, we'll learn the chord progression, which will prepare us for learning the melody in the next lesson.

15:55 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

35

Fingerpicking Synchrodestiny Part 2

In example two of "Synchrodestiny", we'll incorporate the melody, which in part can be drawn out of the chord progression. The picking pattern and melody we will learn in this lesson will prepare us for the thumb slaps and palm hits in the next lesson.

16:32 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

36

Fingerpicking Synchrodestiny Part 3

And now the full spectrum of this section of Maneli's song, "Synchrodestiny". We will add the percussive elements to the chords, and picking pattern that we learned in the previous lesson.

22:35 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

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Maneli Jamal

220
  • Toronto, Canada
  • Playing since 1990
  • 37 lessons at JamPlay
Begin Course
Acoustic guitarist Maneli Jamal has lived in five different countries (Iran, Belarus, Germany, USA, Canada) and moved twenty times by the time he was 18. The young artist gained a sense of musical maturity rarely seen among his peers especially when he transforms his nomadic life experiences into musical movements using extended guitar techniques. There aren't many players in his style that have Jamal's balance of power and sensitivity, nor his breadth of ideas. His rhythmic concepts can be alternately short and dense, or explored carefully through several movements and real life stories. This becomes evident with having won countless music competitions around the world including most recently placing 1st at Canada's Soundclash Music Awards. Having been brought up in a purely artistic and musical family has contributed to shape his unique and comical story telling approach in live settings. He has already performed in 5 continents and 17 countries as a solo performer, has a signature model acoustic guitar named after him and was on the front cover of 2015 Toronto magazine (500,000 copies distributed worldwide). The world is his home and he plays from one end to the other.

Reviews & Feedback 93/100 with 228 ratings
kevin.a.barnard

Thanks for offering such great content. Cheers! Kevin

DrCyberwise

Clearly set objectives

Azeddine

The Teacher is paused and cool. Clear and easy approach to the subject and hands on how to.

casey89

This series is the best on here! Should be promoted better!

LeoniCraft

Explains things so well and has great tips on practicing.

DinaShir

Exercise 5 - A way to practice simple tapping technique; that is musical. Feels good to play.

Jayhaynes

So many teacher speak of teaching 'beginning fingerstyle,' but so many progress too quickly or start by playing songs. I feel these basic exercises are just what I needed. Well taught and well thought out. Thank you!

spritteyy

Nice creative exercises! Lots of fun

Ramondo

Nice style

Segoviatar

I like the focus on economic finger anchoring etc. for smoother switches from chord to chord.

tauseef

Nice

stephenthompson

As a fellow Canadian, I am looking forward to doing the course