Is it okay to learn a picking pattern that works well for me, or should I learn it the way it's taught in the "books" first?

[Eggs_n_Ham]

For example:

 

[Renaissance-Man]

Your example pattern is easy enough to learn in a minute or less, but there's something unnerving about reconciling the time signature with the measure.

<edit>
I didn't initially see the eigth note rest in the measure. It all adds up now.

 

[merlin666]

Can you elaborate on your question as the example does not tell the difference between your way and the book way? That dotted first beat sure makes for an interesting waltz though.

 

[engravertom]

The tablature has two voices, like a classical guitar tab. The half note is dotted, which fills the three beats. There is a small 1/8th rest above it, which makes the other 5 1/8 notes work. The half note has a downward facing stem, the 1/8 notes are upward, showing the two different voices. This is a way to indicate that the first note should sustain through the whole measure.

To the OP, I always advise doing what works best for you, but consider why a certain fingering might be suggested.

 

[merlin666]

A good interpretation of two voices. But I disagree with counting this as 6/8 but stick to 3/4 to make sure emphasis is on dotted half first beat. As for the tab it is also possible to continue playing the A on re-entrant G string and not use the open A at all, or to play the first A on open which will ring longer than if fretted on G string.

 

[ploverwing]

Your example pattern is easy enough to learn in a minute or less, but there's something unnerving about reconciling the time signature with the measure.

Lol! I keep thinking that whenever I see this kind of thing. It took me a while to figure out what engravertom reads it as.

There's nothing wrong with doing what works for you, and it's useful to figure out what the original recommendation is, so that you can understand the intention. But the end result needs to be musical: do what makes it musical for you. That's what matters most.

 

[Canada Jim]

That's what Peggy Seeger calls "The lullaby lick". I prefer it on a low G uke.

 

[engravertom]

A good interpretation of two voices. But I disagree with counting this as 6/8 but stick to 3/4 to make sure emphasis is on dotted half first beat. As for the tab it is also possible to continue playing the A on re-entrant G string and not use the open A at all, or to play the first A on open which will ring longer than if fretted on G string.

The tab doesn’t suggest 6/8 to me. The tab using the thumb on the 4th string will help emphasize the first beat, which you rightly point out is important in a waltz.

Renaissance lute music deliberately makes use of the thumb for strong beats, and the concept was to have a contrast between strong and weak beats. This is one reason why lute music uses a lot of thumb index alternation.

The middle finger was considered second strongest, the index weaker.

This tablature has a suggested fingering for the right hand which seems to follow the renaissance concept.

I enjoy playing that way, but it may not be best for everyone. I have even gotten into the habit of planting my pinky on the soundboard sometimes, another characteristic of Renaissance lute playing. Apparently that practice changed during the Baroque period or later.

The selective emphasis of the melody versus accompaniment is a skill that is worth developing. For the way I play, this tablature and fingering would help with that.

 

[engravertom]

I would have to see more of the tablature to see how the melody develops. When the thumb is used for bass notes or is otherwise occupied, I tend to favor the middle finger for bringing out the melody, if possible.

 

[engravertom]

A good interpretation of two voices. But I disagree with counting this as 6/8 but stick to 3/4 to make sure emphasis is on dotted half first beat. As for the tab it is also possible to continue playing the A on re-entrant G string and not use the open A at all, or to play the first A on open which will ring longer than if fretted on G string.

You are right about more sustain from the open a string. With reentrant stringing, sometimes different solutions might work better.

 

[ripock]

I think you should do both because the more you ask the fingers to do, the better the fingers become at doing things.

For what it is worth, I use thumb, index, and middle fingers and have yet to find a piece of music where I had to abandon my preference and use the textbook four-finger method.

 

[Bill Sheehan]

"Doing what works well for you" gets my vote! Of course, I play upside down...

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

Can you elaborate on your question as the example does not tell the difference between your way and the book way? That dotted first beat sure makes for an interesting waltz though.

It's easier for me to use "p" for strings 4 and 3, that's all. It's not that this is difficult pattern, I'm thinking more along the lines of "learn it the official way then change it after".

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

"Doing what works well for you" gets my vote! Of course, I play upside down...

I play non-dominant handed and it does change my accuracy and speed, but I'm okay with that.

 

[ploverwing]

The tab doesn’t suggest 6/8 to me. The tab using the thumb on the 4th string will help emphasize the first beat, which you rightly point out is important in a waltz.

Renaissance lute music deliberately makes use of the thumb for strong beats, and the concept was to have a contrast between strong and weak beats. This is one reason why lute music uses a lot of thumb index alternation.

The middle finger was considered second strongest, the index weaker.

This tablature has a suggested fingering for the right hand which seems to follow the renaissance concept.

I enjoy playing that way, but it may not be best for everyone. I have even gotten into the habit of planting my pinky on the soundboard sometimes, another characteristic of Renaissance lute playing. Apparently that practice changed during the Baroque period or later.

The selective emphasis of the melody versus accompaniment is a skill that is worth developing. For the way I play, this tablature and fingering would help with that.

I'm beginning to learn to play Renaissance music, and my teacher tends to play the music with this kind of emphasis, so I'm learning about this stuff. I know there are people that would then say "why not learn to play the lute if you're going to play the ukulele like a lute rather than playing it like an ukulele?"

I think you should do both because the more you ask the fingers to do, the better the fingers become at doing things.

This too!

 

[engravertom]

I'm beginning to learn to play Renaissance music, and my teacher tends to play the music with this kind of emphasis, so I'm learning about this stuff. I know there are people that would then say "why not learn to play the lute if you're going to play the ukulele like a lute rather than playing it like an ukulele?"


This too!

Well, a decent lute is expensive, and they have lots of strings to tune, and are a bit awkward to hold.

I had one on loan for almost 4 years from my sister in law who had inherited it from a friend. I learned how to string and tune it, made sone minor repairs to it, and learned how to play a little on it. I gave it back to her last summer.

It was bigger and had more courses than I wanted. The bridge had been replaced some time ago and the string spacing was too tight for me. It’s not a great strumming machine, either! They are not as portable as the Uke, and cases themselves are very expensive!

The Uke is great for renaissance and baroque music, and lute technique is not that different from Fernando Sor’s RH guitar technique.

Those are some reasons to not take up the lute over the Uke. But, the lute, in its many forms, is a wonderful instrument!

Besides that, the renaissance guitar is essentially a low g tenor Uke with doubled strings… Lute technique has made me a better musician on guitar and ukulele.

 

[Mike $]

I agree with a lot of what has bee said. RipRock has some great advice. Learning how to do things more ways than one will help you exponentially.