Percussive Finger Rolls

We are looking at using percussive finger rolls in our playing. 

Exercise 1 - Finger Rolls

Starting with an open C chord (first and second finger removed). 

We use our picking hand to create a ‘slurred’ and ‘fanned out’ percussive sound. This means, not picking simultaneously but rather, rolling through the strings, one note quickly following after the other.

Hook the picking hand fingers under the strings we are about to play…

• Thumb - A string

• First finger - D

• Second finger - G string

• Third finger - B string 

Lead with the thumb part of the wrist, moving the wrist and the fingers in the same direction. 

Then, hammer-on with the first and second finger of the fret hand. This completes the C chord after the finger roll of each string is played.

Method -

1st and 2nd bars -

• Finger roll, plus hammer-on

• String slap

• Play the chord in a standard way, using all fingers (fretting and picking) together 

• String slap

Within bars 1 & 2, the main idea is to emphasize and differentiate the sound between the finger-roll chord and standard sounding chord we play.

3rd bar -

• G chord shape. Third finger - 3rd fret on the E string

• Finger roll through the entire chord, from E string through to B string

• String slap

• Thumb pick, 3rd fret on the E string

• String slap

4th bar -

Here, we use a finger roll to ‘roll up’ to a single note.

• Use the first finger to mute the E, A and D string

• Place second finger on, 2nd fret of the G string

• Pull off note to open G string

Concentrate on the timing of these first three steps above.

• Place second finger on and pick with thumb, 2nd fret of the D string

• Pull off note to open D

• String slap

We can then complete loop round for a fun and interesting sounding exercise piece.