# AI Wiki - Music - Percussive Fingerstyle ## Concept Percussive fingerstyle treats the acoustic guitar as a drum kit as well as a string instrument: the hands hit the body and strings to make kick-drum, snare and hi-hat sounds while the fingers play bass lines, chords and melodies. Guitar World's guide starts from the obvious: "The guitar is essentially a drum with strings stretched over it." Total Guitar's lesson gives the working principle: "think of your instrument as a drum kit and produce sounds that equate to kick drum, snare and hi-hat by bashing the guitar body." It's a layer on top of normal fingerpicking, not a replacement: the groove comes from the hits, the music from the strings. Solid [[AI Wiki - Music - Travis Picking|alternating-bass]] or [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerpicking Patterns|pattern]] playing comes first. ## Who plays it - **Michael Hedges** pioneered "the percussive-heavy, alternate-tuned style of progressive acoustic guitar playing" in the 1980s (Guitar World). - **Preston Reed** developed what he calls integrated percussive technique, with both hands striking different parts of the body. **Don Ross** is another of the players who shaped the next generation. - **Andy McKee** became the style's most visible player when his Candyrat Records video "Drifting" spread online in late 2006 and early 2007. Wikipedia lists his genre as "percussive fingerstyle" and notes that alternate and open tunings are "an integral part of McKee's style", often with a [[AI Wiki - Music - Capo and Transposition|capo]]. Hedges, Reed and Ross shaped his move to acoustic music. - **Tommy Emmanuel** comes from the Chet Atkins tradition (thumb bass plus melody) and adds percussion: he strikes the body with his hands or a snare brush "to emulate the sound of a percussion kit." - **Jon Gomm, Newton Faulkner, Mike Dawes, Daryl Kellie**: the next generation, many of them known through online videos (Total Guitar and Guitar World both cite Gomm and Faulkner). ## The drum kit on a guitar There are no fixed rules about where each sound comes from; Total Guitar's only rule is to "keep efficiency of movement at the front of your mind." The common mappings: | Drum | Where and how | Source | |---|---|---| | **Kick** (bass drum) | The fleshy heel of the picking hand (where the hand meets the wrist) on the top near the soundhole, above the strings: a low thud | Total Guitar | | **Kick** (alternative) | The outstretched middle finger striking the three bass strings just in front of the bridge; doubles as a bass note | Guitar World | | **Snare** | Flick the pickguard area with the middle finger's nail or knuckle; or the upper corner of the body; the side of the body gives a higher, rim-shot sound | Total Guitar, Guitar World | | **Snare** (fretting hand) | Tap the side of the body below the neck, or tap the back of the neck for a soft "chatter" | Guitar World | | **Hi-hat** | The fretting hand pats the strings against the frets; or a hand sweeps along the wound strings | Total Guitar, Guitar World | | **Thumb slap** | The side of the thumb strikes the low strings so they hit the frets: a pitched bass note with a slap attack, often on beat 1 | Total Guitar | Guitar World's author tempers a harsh snare by changing what hits the wood: the knuckle side for a bony crack, the soft pad of the finger for a rounder one that's easier to amplify. A snare hit can also be a **tapped harmonic**: tapping a string over the 12th fret on beats 2 and 4 gives the backbeat and a note at the same time ([[AI Wiki - Music - Harmonics]]). ## Getting started: the backbeat Total Guitar's lesson starts with the most basic drum rhythm, kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4 ("kick snare kick snare"), then a variation with two kicks on beat 3, then hi-hats in the gaps. Count aloud and keep every hit on the count. Play these on a muted guitar (fretting hand lightly on the strings) so you only hear the percussion. ```chords {title: Kick and snare, then hi-hat} {time: 4/4} {comment: K = kick (heel of the hand on the top near the soundhole), S = snare (flick the pickguard area with the middle finger), H = hi-hat (fretting hand pats the strings against the frets).} {start_of_tab} K K S S 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & K K K S S H H H H 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & {end_of_tab} ``` ## Adding bass and chords Next, combine a hit with notes. In standard tuning, Em is the easiest place: the low E string is the root and can be thumb-slapped open, and the G and B strings ring open on top. ```chord symbol: Em frets: 022000 fingers: 023000 title: Em (open strings for the slap and the plucks) ``` ```chords {title: Groove on Em: thumb-slap bass, snare and plucked chord} {time: 4/4} {comment: T = thumb slap on the open low E (the bass note and the kick at once). S = snare hit on 2 and 4. Index and middle pluck the open G and B strings on the off-beats.} {start_of_tab} e|-------------------------| B|----------0-----------0--| G|----------0-----------0--| D|-------------------------| A|-------------------------| E|-0-----------0-----------| T S T S 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & {end_of_tab} ``` Then let the bass move and add a melody note. Practise each line on its own first, then two at a time: Total Guitar's advice is "practise each line on its own; try two parts together as you get the feel for it", and to "practise slowly", because "you'll be playing three lines at the same time." ```chords {title: Same groove with a moving bass and a melody note} {time: 4/4} {comment: Beat 1: thumb slap plus the ring finger on the open high E. Beat 3: thumb slap on the A string at fret 2 (B, the fifth of Em). The ring finger adds G (high E string, fret 3) on the "and" of 3. Snare on 2 and 4.} {start_of_tab} e|-0--------------3--------| B|----------0-----------0--| G|----------0-----------0--| D|-------------------------| A|-------------2-----------| E|-0-----------------------| Ta S T a S 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & {end_of_tab} ``` ## Tunings Most percussive players use open or modal tunings so that many strings ring without being fretted, which frees the fretting hand for hits and [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques|hammer-ons]] ([[AI Wiki - Music - Alternate Tunings]]): - **DADGAD**: Total Guitar's lesson and Guitar World's author use it; the open strings form a Dsus4 drone. - **CADGAD**: DADGAD with the 6th string down to C, for a wider range between low and high strings (Guitar World). - **Open D** (D A D F# A D): a full major chord when strummed open. In DADGAD, fretting the G string at fret 2 gives a D5 (root and fifth only), a neutral chord that works with a melody in major or minor: ```chord frets: 000200 fingers: 000100 tuning: DADGAD title: D5 in DADGAD ``` ## Two-hand tapping and other extensions Advanced percussive pieces add [[AI Wiki - Music - Shred Techniques|two-hand tapping]] on the fretboard (both hands hammering notes, as on a piano), slapped harmonics (bouncing a finger on the strings right over a fret wire), and playing with the guitar flat on the lap. Guitar World's author lays the guitar across his lap for some grooves and frets [[AI Wiki - Music - Power Chords|power chords]] with the thumb from above. These belong after the basics; most of them are easier to learn from video than from tab, because the notation for hits isn't standardised (x, K, S, T and other symbols all appear). ## Starting safely **For the guitar:** - Total Guitar's warning is blunt: "Just take care not to damage your guitar." Repeated hits wear the finish, and hard knocks risk cracking a thin top. - Use a guitar you don't mind marking; Guitar World's author suggests "a less-precious instrument" for anything taped to the body. A **pickguard or clear tap plate** (like a flamenco *golpeador*) protects the top where the snare hits land. - Hit with the soft parts of the hand (heel, finger pads) on the top; save knuckle and nail hits for the thicker edges and the pickguard. - Inspect the top and bridge area now and then for cracks or lifting, and have a technician look at anything suspicious ([[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Setup and Maintenance]]). **For the hands:** - Hit only as hard as needed; amplification makes soft hits loud. Total Guitar recommends playing plugged in, with some reverb, to enhance the percussive sounds. - Build up gradually: a few minutes of hits per session at first. Sore thumbs and bruised fingertips are a sign to stop, not to push through. - Keep the wrist and forearm relaxed; tension in a repetitive striking motion is a recipe for overuse problems ([[AI Wiki - Music - Ergonomics and Injury Prevention]]). ## Amplification and recording Percussive sounds are mostly body vibration, which an under-saddle piezo pickup captures poorly. Guitar World's author blends a microphone with the pickup when recording (the pickup catches the low thump), asks live sound engineers for more bottom end for the kick, and sometimes adds kick-drum samples. Pickups with a body sensor or an internal microphone help on stage ([[AI Wiki - Music - Electro-Acoustic Guitar]], [[AI Wiki - Music - Home Recording Basics]]). ## How to practise 1. Percussion alone on muted strings: backbeat, then hi-hats, with a metronome or a drum loop ([[AI Wiki - Music - Metronome and Speed Building]]). 2. Bass alone (thumb slaps or plucks), then bass plus snare. 3. Add a chord pluck or a melody note, one element at a time. 4. Loop one bar until it grooves. Groove first: a slightly rough hit in time beats a clean one that's late. 5. Record yourself: hits that feel strong often sound weak or uneven on playback ([[AI Wiki - Music - Recording Yourself]]). ## Key Points - Map the guitar to a drum kit: kick (heel of the hand on the top), snare (finger flick on the pickguard or body edge), hi-hat (fretting hand pats the strings), thumb slap (bass note plus attack). - Start with a kick-snare backbeat on muted strings, then add bass, then chords and melody, one layer at a time. - Open and modal tunings (DADGAD, CADGAD, open D) let strings ring while the hands are busy hitting. - Protect the guitar (pickguard, tap plate, a less-precious instrument) and the hands (soft hits, gradual build-up). - Lineage: Michael Hedges and Preston Reed in the 1980s; Andy McKee, Jon Gomm and Newton Faulkner online; Tommy Emmanuel from the Chet Atkins side. ## Open Questions - Does Sébastien's acoustic have a pickup that captures body percussion, or would he need a mic? - How much percussion fits his song choices? A few snare hits in a [[AI Wiki - Music - Folk Music|folk song]] may be enough. - Is there evidence on hand injuries specific to percussive guitar? No source found; general overuse guidance applies. ## References - Mike Errico, "Percussive guitar: a guide to modern acoustic fingerstyle technique", Guitar World (2015): https://www.guitarworld.com/magazine/beat-it-guide-inspired - Total Guitar, "Guitar skills: A beginner lesson on how to play percussive acoustic guitar", MusicRadar: https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/218050 - Wikipedia, "Andy McKee": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_McKee - Wikipedia, "Tommy Emmanuel": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Emmanuel - Wikipedia, "Fingerstyle guitar": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerstyle_guitar ## Related - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerpicking]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Travis Picking]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerpicking Patterns]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerstyle Arranging]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Classical Guitar Technique]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Alternate Tunings]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Harmonics]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Muting Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Ergonomics and Injury Prevention]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Setup and Maintenance]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Electro-Acoustic Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Steel-String Acoustic Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Hybrid Picking]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Nails, Fingerpicks and Thumbpicks]]