Essential fingerstyle percussion
This is the Basic version of the course with 1-year access.
Click here to compare it with the extended Plus version, and don’t forget to check the FAQ for important details.
Who is this course for?
Guitarists of various skill levels will find this course valuable, with exercises to enhance fingerstyle, percussion, and musicality.
Here’s who will benefit most:
Intermediate Beginners
Guitarists who are familiar with the basics of fingerstyle, can play simple songs and chords, know barre and legato techniques, understand basic guitar terminology, and are able to read tablature.
Advanced Guitar Players
Skilled musicians seeking a challenge or refreshment, who feel stuck and are looking to push their skills further. With intricate exercises designed to challenge your coordination, it will help elevate your playing to the next level.
Fingerstyle Enthusiasts
Players eager to incorporate percussive elements, rhythmic variety, and richer dynamics into their music, enhancing their playing to be more diverse, fun, and exciting, while expanding their overall musical expression and creativity.
Self-Guided Learners
Those learning fingerstyle guitar independently and seeking clear, straightforward, yet detailed instructions, practical exercises, and valuable tips to improve their technique and develop their overall skills.
What is this course about?
This course covers essential fingerstyle percussion techniques, focusing on key subtleties and nuances.
Here are the main topics, techniques, and information you’ll explore:
Thumb Slap Technique
You will learn the most popular percussive technique that adds a drum-like effect to your playing. You’ll master several variations of the Thumb Slap for different situations. Additionally, you’ll discover how to avoid common mistakes like string buzz, missed strings, and harsh or weak sounds, all while performing thumb slaps in the most efficient, economical, and smooth manner.
Wrist Kick Technique
The Wrist Kick is an advanced percussive technique that makes your guitar sound as if you’re playing along with a full band. It replicates the punchy, tight low-end sound of a drum kick, adding a dynamic drive to your playing. Integrating this technique will elevate your performance, making it more exciting and impressive. While mastering the Wrist Kick may seem challenging, it’s not as difficult as it appears. By following the key guidelines, you’ll learn to play it smoothly, cleanly, and fluently, while also avoiding any potential strain or injury to your wrist.
Wrist Kick Technique
The Wrist Kick is an advanced percussive technique that makes your guitar sound as if you’re playing along with a full band. It replicates the punchy, tight low-end sound of a drum kick, adding a dynamic drive to your playing. Integrating this technique will elevate your performance, making it more exciting and impressive. While mastering the Wrist Kick may seem challenging, it’s not as difficult as it appears. By following the key guidelines, you’ll learn to play it smoothly, cleanly, and fluently, while also avoiding any potential strain or injury to your wrist.
Combining Techniques
You will learn how to combine all the techniques and play melody and percussion parts simultaneously. Thumb slaps and wrist kicks can be seamlessly integrated with various string-picking methods: plucking single or multiple strings, striking them with your nails, or incorporating legato techniques like hammer-ons and pull-offs. Each approach serves a specific purpose — whether to enhance expressiveness, achieve a soft and clear tone, or simplify your playing.
Practical Tips
This course offers plenty of practical tips and recommendations for achieving optimal control and stability with your guitar, which is especially important for mastering kicking and slapping percussive techniques. You’ll learn about proper guitar positioning and how to use your pinky for extra hand support. I’ll also share insights on optimizing finger and hand movements to improve fluency and accuracy. Additionally, I’ll explain in detail how I strengthen my nails with an acrylic layer and shape them to achieve richer, deeper tones.
Practical Tips
This course offers plenty of practical tips and recommendations for achieving optimal control and stability with your guitar, which is especially important for mastering kicking and slapping percussive techniques. You’ll learn about proper guitar positioning and how to use your pinky for extra hand support. I’ll also share insights on optimizing finger and hand movements to improve fluency and accuracy. Additionally, I’ll explain in detail how I strengthen my nails with an acrylic layer and shape them to achieve richer, deeper tones.
Course experience
After purchasing, you’ll gain 1-year access through your personal account on the website. The course interface allows you to track your progress — marking lessons or exercises as completed and seeing how much you’ve accomplished. Its intuitive structure makes it easy to quickly find and access any lesson or exercise without hassle.
Talk-Free, Visual Learning
This course adopts a “video-book” format, combining concise written explanations with clear video demonstrations. Visual learning has been shown to improve retention and understanding, helping you focus deeply on the material while offering simple, efficient navigation — like flipping through a book or scrolling to the exact section you need.
Nuances and Details
Special attention is given to the nuances and subtle details of mastering and combining the studied techniques. Every movement is demonstrated from multiple angles and at slow tempos, providing enhanced clarity.
Distraction-Free
Designed to keep you focused, this course delivers practical information and effective exercises without unnecessary theories or filler content. It’s compact and straight to the point, helping you build reliable, safe, and correct playing techniques efficiently.
No Boring Exercises
The practice materials consist almost entirely of actual music pieces — ranging from my original guitar sketches, composed specifically for this course, to exercises based on intros, verses, or choruses of iconic songs by artists like Sting, Hans Zimmer, The Cranberries, Kino, and Green Day.
Personal Experience
In this course, I share my accumulated experience with these percussive techniques, covering their subtleties and applications in various playing situations. I’ll guide you through incorporating these techniques into your playing smoothly, while helping you avoid common mistakes.
The price:
Original price was: 115,00 $.99,00 $Current price is: 99,00 $.
EFP
Essential Fingerstyle Percussion (Basic version)- ○ 1-year access to the course.
- ○ Self-paced learning with no individual support.
- ○ Course content: 83 steps.
- ○ Upgrade option: Upgrade to the Plus version within 2 months.
EFP Plus
Essential Fingerstyle Percussion (Extended version)- ○ Lifetime access to the course.
- ○ Two months of individual support via chat from me, the course author. This includes:・Answering your questions related to the course topics.・Reviewing videos of your playing to identify mistakes.・Providing personalized feedback, tips, and recommendations to help you improve.
- ○ Course content: 88 steps that include 5 additional exercises across several practice sections.
- ○ Downloadable PDF & Guitar Pro tabs from practice sections.
FAQ
What is this course NOT about?
While there are many other percussive techniques in fingerstyle, this course focuses only on the essential ones. It does NOT cover techniques like:
• Thumb tap – Tapping the guitar body above the soundhole with your thumb
• Lower finger slap – Slapping the guitar’s side with your ring finger near the lower edge, towards the floor
• Lower thumb bone beat – Hitting the guitar body near the lower part of the side with your thumb bone (joint)
and other advanced techniques.
These advanced techniques will likely be covered in my next guitar course.
Who is this course is NOT suitable for?
If you’re a total beginner just starting out on guitar, I recommend taking some time to develop basic guitar skills before starting this course.
Additionally, if you’re not yet comfortable with fundamental left-hand techniques like proper hand positioning, fretting, barre chords, and hammer-ons/pull-offs, it’s best to focus on strengthening these skills first, as this course primarily concentrates on RIGHT-hand techniques.
What do I need to start the course?
You will need:
• A laptop/PC, tablet, or smartphone to access the course. A computer or tablet is preferred for better visibility and control.
• An acoustic guitar – either steel or nylon strings will work.
• A stable internet connection, as this is an online course.
• Time and motivation to learn.
Also, depending on your country, you may need a VPN on your device. The course videos are hosted on Vimeo (a platform for streaming high-quality videos), which is currently banned due to government regulations and censorship in the following countries: China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. I recommend checking the availability of Vimeo in your region beforehand.
What is the difference between the Basic and the extended Plus version?
The EFP Plus offers all the content of the Essential Fingerstyle Percussion (EFP) course, along with these exclusive benefits:
- Lifetime access to the course (the Basic version includes only 1-year access).
- Two months of individual support from Eiro Nareth, the course author. This includes:
• Answering your questions related to the course topics via an integrated chat feature, accessible directly on the course pages (no extra apps needed).
• Reviewing your practice videos and providing personalized feedback. You can record yourself playing the exercises from the course and receive detailed guidance on areas to improve.
- Five additional exercises, exclusive to the Plus version. In the Basic version, you can view the titles of these exercises, but the content remains locked.
- Downloadable tablatures for all Practice chapters. Files are provided in Guitar Pro, PDF, and GIF formats, allowing you to practice offline.
The Plus version is designed to provide deeper guidance, additional resources, and long-term access to enhance your learning experience.
Can I upgrade this course to the EFP Plus version?
Yes, you can upgrade to the EFP Plus version within two months after purchasing the Basic version by paying the price difference. More details about this upgrade option are available in the first lesson (Introduction) of your course.
Is it possible to download the course?
No, this is an online course and can only be accessed through your personal account, which you get upon enrollment.
Is it necessary to be able to read music?
No, reading sheet music is not required. However, you will need to know how to read tablature (tabs).
What if I have a guitar with nylon strings?
Nylon-string and classical guitars are perfectly fine. While the tone may differ from steel-string guitars, and the amplitude of some movements may vary, the fundamental principles of the percussion techniques will remain the same.
Which songs will I learn in this course?
The exercises in this course are almost entirely based on actual music pieces, so you won’t have to struggle with dull and boring exercises. The song list includes a variety of my original guitar sketches composed specifically for this course, as well as fragments from iconic songs such as “Shape of My Heart” by Sting, “Kukushka” by Kino, “Mad World” by Gary Jules/Tears for Fears, the iconic “Zombie” by The Cranberries, and pieces by Hans Zimmer, Linkin Park, and more.
How many lessons are in the course?
This course consists of 83 steps, including both theory and practice lessons. Some of these lessons are short and straightforward, while others may seem challenging and require a considerable amount of effort.