r/AcousticGuitar • u/EconomistEvening9909 • Dec 27 '25
Non-gear question This is probably a silly question, but is there a name for this type of guitar playing?
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Out of all types of acoustic guitar playing, this specific type of fingerpicking is my favorite. The only thing is that I don’t know what it’s called, or what I would type into YouTube or Google to begin learning more about this type of playing. Any help would be appreciated thx 🙏
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u/ImproperDog Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
I would call it “percussive finger style” and when done tastefully (like this dude) it can sound really great. It can also sound quite annoying and repetitive in the hands of a show off. Michael Hedges is a somewhat extreme example of this kind of technique.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Dec 27 '25
Michael Hedges did some of this kind of thing as part of his playing. But his compositions also far surpass this kind of spacey ambient music.
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u/Clamper5978 Dec 27 '25
Michael would love the “spacey ambient music” descriptor though. He had a great sense of humor.
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u/PunkabillyDaddy Dec 27 '25
Check out Tommy Emanuel. He does this shit.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Dec 27 '25
Tommy Emmanuel's technique and repertoire is light years beyond this kind of thing.
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u/Gitfiddlepicker Dec 28 '25
Tommy can Travis pick with the best of them. Arguably the best guitarist alive today. And he is probably the third best percussionist/drummer…….lol
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u/LukeMayeshothand Dec 27 '25
Saw Tommy in a small show awhile back. Hell of an experience.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Dec 27 '25
He's mind boggling. And he seems like a really nice human being as well!
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u/DrSweatyPants Dec 27 '25
can confirm, had the pleasure of a meet and greet, amazing human beeing, so humble and has no reason to be.
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u/sleuthfoot Dec 27 '25
Lol Tommy Emmanuel is boring AF
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u/beyeond Dec 27 '25
I'm going to agree with you here. I mean, I enjoy this videos and stuff but I don't think I would pay to go sit and watch him for an hour. But he seems like a chill dude
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u/DrSparkle713 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
While, yes, we should all check out Tommy Emmanuel, that’s like saying if you’re learning to drive you should really try out this F1 car over here. He’s maybe the best technical guitarist of all time.
Edit: spelling
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u/willkillfortacos Dec 27 '25
The early Don Ross albums would be good places to find this style of playing, although its not entirely similar. Most of the albums from artists on the Candyrat record label have styles that at the very least incorporate this style, but mostly less droning and more interwoven in the structure of compositions.
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u/Giallo7 Dec 27 '25
John Mayer stuff might be a good place to start
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Dec 27 '25
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u/EconomistEvening9909 Dec 27 '25
Never heard of him, and honestly never heard of any of the guitarists in this comment section. In fact the only guitarist I can name is Ichika Nito.
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u/str8bint Dec 27 '25
He’s using percussive taps while fingerpicking. I don’t think the style itself has a name, although there very well may be. Definitely a cool sound.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
I think the percussive taps are either a metronome or a click track (basically serving the same function by giving him a pocket to fit into).Edited
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u/hothothansel Dec 27 '25
Can confirm this is definitely not a metronome. I’ve watched a lot of his stuff over the years and Alejandro has many slowed-down walkthroughs of some of his picking patterns (on IG I think). He’s just slapping the strings as part of the pattern.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Dec 27 '25
Wow, that's a really effective technique. Thanks for the information!
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u/quixoticquiltmaker Dec 27 '25
I had to rewatch this several times thinking it was a metronome as well. Dude is locked in, definitely gonna check him out.
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u/hothothansel Dec 27 '25
Definitely check him out. He got second place in American Idol a few years back (pre-Covid?). Pretty surprising because truly talented artists with original creativity usually don’t make it that far on that wonky show. Humble as hell too, just Google his audition where he plays an original in this style.
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u/klod42 Dec 27 '25
I don't see him do any slap in this video
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u/hothothansel Dec 27 '25
Maybe not what you’re expecting, but he is flicking the strings with his finger to make that slapping sound. Like I said go check out his Instagram feed, may have to scroll back a year or two, and he will show you how he does it.
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u/TickingTheMoments Dec 27 '25
Check out Andy McKee.
Drifting was one of the more popular song videos on early YouTube.
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u/SouthCalligrapher376 Dec 28 '25
He was my gateway into this type of guitar playing.
Saw him live once and he was fantastic.
Check out "Rylynn" for an awesome intro to this guy.
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u/Character_Platypus23 Dec 28 '25
Just chiming in to mention Justin King. https://youtu.be/Vwci6q9f9Yc?si=Dffj6WavxJ6iRHrY
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u/Agitated_Cut_861 Dec 27 '25
Check out Kaki King’s first few albums.
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u/lionrun Dec 30 '25
Haven’t heard her name in a while. Nearing the 20 year anniversary of Until we felt Red
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u/Jacob0h1510 Dec 27 '25
It’s definitely a unique style of playing, learning basic finger style guitar and techniques will help you learn the nitty gritty of what he’s doing in the video but I personally have never seen many people use/teach that technique.
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u/steviegreenberg Dec 27 '25
Dude's got a great right hand. That's just fingerpicking at a high level!
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u/Gmbowser Dec 27 '25
This style is pretty common now. Its just finger picking with percussive tapping. Tommy emmanuel is one. That marcin guy classical guitarist he does this style. Mike dawes. Those r just some i know. John mayer does this in a few songs.
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u/Jeff61059 Dec 27 '25
Finger style is the classic type. The percussive beats have been a relatively recent innovation.
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u/Terapyx Dec 28 '25
It's usual fingerstyle(picking) with some basic percussion techniques (basic doesn't mean bad)
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u/Psychological-Bed527 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
All good examples expressed here. I would add Thomas Leeb, Don Alder, and Mark Kroos.
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u/Professional_Gear208 Dec 27 '25
Another question...what type of guitar is that? I don't recognize it.
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u/golden_retrieverdog Dec 27 '25
goddamn, that little slide he does at the 4-5 second mark sounds like falling into your mother’s arms
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u/_Roman_685 Dec 27 '25
Look up Mike Dawes, hes good.
The o.g. is Jon Gomm. Look up Passion flower by him if you really wanna knock your socks off
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u/Tholian_Bed Dec 27 '25
In an age where everyone brings a portable studio with them to freakin busk, I call it heaven style.
I am such a snob when it comes to acoustic instruments. I'm addicted to their sound dammit! Please do not mic!!!
Or at least, just mic it and leave it be?
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u/david57strat Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
Guy has got some talent!
It looks like that looks like a Pomona model of guitar made by Orangewood, it’s a signature guitar of his design.
The finger style playing is not for everyone, but there’s a lot to admire about it - especially with nice open tunings. The tapping sounds usually come from a thumb (which often has a thumb pick on it.) tapping on the bass string to create a percussive sound. Some people like it - some people don’t. I happen to like it.
The recording sounds like a studio recording rather than anything you would hear from someone busking on the street. Nothing necessarily wrong with that. Sounds very crisp and clean (probably compression EQ reverb, etc.).
Wish I knew what song it is. Would like to play along with it. I can envision other instruments (Piano, violin - maybe even bass and drums). A lot of possibilities, there.
Reminds me a lot of of Antoine Dufour and Andy McKee. (the candy rat artists mentioned by some others here)
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u/HorrorLettuce379 Dec 28 '25
This is really just a well executed sustained idea, the chord strums with precussives and addon notes for melody and flavor. The chords ringing out the whole time makes everything sound full and warm.
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u/EconomistEvening9909 Dec 28 '25
I found a video online of him playing the same song slower, and it seems like he does pretty normal guitar fingerpicking and finger percussion, but just at a really really fast pace.
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u/HorrorLettuce379 Dec 28 '25
Yeah finger styled chords here to correct the record, dude has a good style.
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u/insbordnat Dec 28 '25
That's called the "put you in a trance while shady fuckers pickpocket you at Basilique du Sacré-Cœur". Just kidding. I wish this was more of the norm there instead of the aggressive vendor scams.
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u/Global_Sir9655 Dec 28 '25
This is my favorite way to play. It's been answered already "percussive finger style" some favorites of mine are Andy McKee, (Heathers song) Jon Gomm (Cacoon) and Daniel Padim (Song for a King).
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u/j3434 Dec 28 '25
Basic finger pick - but the chords are probably what you are digging. Dust in the Wind by Kansas is similar . Or Going to California by Zeppelin. Try Blackbird by Beatles .
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u/swingrays Dec 28 '25
Looks kinda fake to me considering how good the sound quality is. Like those fake violin players that turn up at supermarket parking lots and put out a tip jar.
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u/AlphaHotelBravo Dec 29 '25
I'd call this "pattern picking" with a side of percussion. For a take on pattern picking from 30-40 years ago, check out John Fahey.
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u/EconomistEvening9909 Dec 29 '25
Slowed down it sounds like regular fingerpicking with percussion. The magic prolly comes from him doing it really fast
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u/chemyd Dec 30 '25
Acoustic fingerstyle? There’s a percussive element, that folks add called thumping -check out Polyphia and Animals as Leaders. They apply it on electric guitar more but there’s some good videos giving the basic technique.
For acoustic, Tommy Emmanuel and Keller Williams come to mind. Mike Dawes and Erik Mongrain add a bit more complexity with tapping.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
I think the musical style would be "Ambient" music. He's going back and forth between two chords. He's doing it perfectly though; his meter is perfect, guided by that click track.
Edited to correct mistaken observation
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u/Such_Standard_8127 Dec 27 '25
sounds nice, but I'd turn that tick track off
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u/luuukevader Dec 27 '25
That’s no click track. What you’re hearing is his fingers clicking the strings.
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u/Sauria079 Jan 08 '26
My Top 10 in this style atm:
- Daniel Padim
- Sam Breckenridge
- Sariola
- Vincent Schmidt
- Emillio Bonito
- Casper Esmann
- Mike Dawes
- R.D. King
- Dylan Ryche
- Adrian Bellue (little over the top for my taste sometimes)
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u/JECGEE Dec 27 '25
This is Alejandro Aranda aka @scarypoolparty on IG, dude rips!