Don Ross

Fingerstyle is a technique-driven acoustic guitar genre in which the player uses individual fingers (rather than a flatpick) to articulate independent bass, harmony, and melody lines on a single instrument. It blends alternating-thumb bass patterns, syncopated inner voices, and lyrical melodies—often in open or altered tunings—so that the guitar functions like a self-contained ensemble. Modern fingerstyle also embraces harmonics, tapping, and percussive hits on the guitar body, expanding its tonal palette from folk-blues roots to cinematic, contemporary textures.

Folk is a song-centered acoustic tradition rooted in community storytelling, everyday life, and social history. It emphasizes clear melodies, simple harmonies, and lyrics that foreground narrative, protest, and personal testimony. As a modern recorded genre, folk coalesced in the early-to-mid 20th century in the United States out of older ballad, work song, and rural dance traditions. It typically features acoustic instruments (guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica), strophic song forms, and participatory singing (choruses, call-and-response).