Fingerpicking Pattern Encyclopedia (Book & CD-ROM) Paperback – July 1, 2000

I really like this book. It covers all the basic fingerpicking patterns with many variations. It is one short pattern after another that you can mix and match. It is written in music notation and TAB with very little explanation. It is very simple and straightforward (although some of the patterns get a little advanced), and a great resource if you just want to find a pattern or sound that works. I am actually working through it because it is also a great series of finger exercises. If you play through this, you can probably play almost any picking pattern. No BS, just a great reference. I am going to check out some of the other Encyclopedia books.

So far I like this book it really makes you use your fingers in all kinds of ways rather than just simple patterns.

I'm a beginning to intermediate acoustic guitar player. I haven't played for a long time and, although I prefer fingerstyle, I'm just learning this style of playing. My goal is to practice with as many patterns as possible. I own the Gibson Learn and Master Guitar, and the Gibson Learn and Master Fingerstyle Guitar, but I augment these with as many patterns, as I can find, using progressive chords. I've found some excellent free patterns on the internet. I like this book; it takes you through a lot of fingerstyle patterns, using the most common chord progressions. I find it an excellent practice book, with very good notation on how to apply these patterns (or how to devise your own patterns), to songs.

First impressions of the book have been really good. I wasn't too sure what the patterns were for finger picking - now I know! The book uses the same GCD note structure throughout the book. This allows focus on the pattern and not the notes. It has both TAB and in music notation.

Mr. Lou Manzi's Fingerpicking Pattern Encyclopedia, a very affordable book from Amazon.com, will take you to the next level! No more paying money to guitar teachers every week that are only committed to making money! You will "break out" into a new comfort zone of playing fingerpicking guitar. You will do so with ease of understanding! Included are BOTH tab and regular notation for both music and non-music readers. Why all that torture with those disrespectful teachers that don't respect their students! Come on, it's not all about making money! Enter a Nirvana of fingerpicking, so you can write your own contribution to the fingerpicking legacy of history. "When the student becomes a teacher", hm, what a concept? Find out how by reading Mr. Lou Manzi's book. You will not be disappointed!

As a n00b to the Fingerstyle world (started Jan 06) I am always on the lookout for instruction materials. After working thru the Mark Hanson book "The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking" I ran across this book.This book is worth 2x what it costs IMHO! It is laid out very logically, and the 13 "songs" do give you a grasp of how some of the patterns fit together, while giving you a real workout. The system uses the same chord progression (G C D G) in 90% of the book to demonstrate the patterns, and I think that this is a great way to do it. It gives you a base reference to compare the various "sounds" that each pattern creates. The Getting Started section (9 pages) is a quick & dirty course in reading music and finger position, and is really a nice, quick, overall lesson.Another feature is that each of the more popular patterns are marked as such, with a picture of a guitar. This gives you a quick reference for when you are thumbing thru the book looking for "something different" to practice. These two features, using the same chord progression and marking the most common patterns, makes this book top notch. And as soon as you start playing the patterns you will think of at least one or two songs that use 'em!The only draw back, for me, is the CD. It includes and example of every one of the patterns, and the recording quality is really a lot better than 99% of the other book/CD combinations I have. But it has 2 things that sort of "irk" me. One, each track includes 3 or 4 patterns. So,say, if you want to hear Pattern 53, you would go to Track 38, and listen to 1 or 2 patterns BEFORE you hear the one you want. I feel it would have been better to put each one on it's own track. BUT, to be fair, similar styles are grouped together. Two, they are all played at the same speed, about 110bpm. A slow and "performance" speed would have worked better I think.But none of this takes away from the value of this book. It is right up there with the 4 Hanson books I got in quality of printing and instruction material (which is saying something!). I had never hear of Lou Manzi, or National Guitar Workshop, before I ran across this book, but you can bet that I will be purchasing more from them as funds allow. If you need to break out you favorite 4 Travis/Atkins patterns, this is the book that will help you do it. Recommended!

Love this book and it really helps you get going with just a few basic cords (4 I think). One problem that I have with this book is that after about 15 minutes my brain is no longer able to process what I am doing so I hit this book 10 minutes at a time.

This is one very useful book for anyone who fingerpicks. Lots of patterns varying from the basics for beginners to advanced patterns. Well worth the money