6 Levels of Fingerstyle Guitar Using One Simple Song
by Simon Candy
In this video, you’ll learn 6 levels of fingerstyle guitar using the classic song Aura Lee — also known as Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley.
Most people think playing chords and melody together is too advanced — but even the simplest fingerstyle guitar arrangement can sound beautiful.
In this lesson, we start at the very beginning and build step by step through a clear fingerstyle progression, showing how anyone can learn fingerstyle guitar in a logical, musical way.
Wait until you hear the trick at Level 5 that can make any melody sound stunning!
What level can you make it to on your fingerstyle journey?
Watch the video below to find out:
6 Levels of Fingerstyle Guitar Using Aura Lee (Love Me Tender)
• Level 1: Bass/Root Notes
Simply playing the root notes under the melody on the first beat of each bar is enough to create a full-sounding arrangement of Aura Lee.
Here is how Aura Lee sounds with this approach:
Even at this stripped-down level, it sounds clear and musical.
That’s the beauty of fingerstyle guitar for beginners — you don’t need to be advanced to sound great.
But the more tools you add, the more colours you get.
The next level introduces more texture to our arrangement by including one simple thing…
• Level 2: Chords
At this level, we’re not just playing the root notes — we’re bringing in the full chords underneath the melody.
This immediately makes the arrangement sound fuller and more complete.
Here is how Aura Lee sounds with this approach:
Already, you can hear how much richer this sounds — and we’re only at Level 2!
But let’s not stop here.
If you only pluck chords, it can sound a little “blocky”.
The next step unlocks the magic that really starts to bring your fingerstyle playing to life…
• Level 3: Arpeggiation
Arpeggiation is when you break a chord up and play the notes one at a time instead of all together.
This adds movement and texture without adding difficulty, especially if you already have Levels 1 and 2 as a foundation.
Here is how Aura Lee sounds with this approach:
This instantly gives your playing flow, elegance, and sophistication.
All we’re doing is filling the space between the bass and melody with chord tones on the offbeats.
These kinds of fingerstyle techniques create motion and interest without making the music harder to play.
But… this can still sound a little “pretty” without much groove.
And that’s where the next level comes in…
• Level 4: Travis Picking
This is where we bring in the famous Travis picking pattern, one of the most important fingerpicking guitar techniques in acoustic fingerstyle music.
Here, we alternate the bass on the beat while adding melody and harmony notes on top.
It’s the heartbeat of countless fingerstyle songs.
Here is how Aura Lee sounds with this approach:
Now it feels like two guitarists are playing at once — one playing bass, the other playing melody.
This is where people start saying,
“Wait… how are you doing that with just one guitar?”
But we’re not done.
The next level introduces a sound that feels almost magical…
• Level 5: Open Strings & Harmonics
At this level, we bring in the natural resonance of the guitar using open strings and harmonics.
This adds shimmer and sparkle — and it’s not as hard as it sounds.
Here is how Aura Lee sounds with this approach:
Suddenly, the guitar sounds bigger than it is — almost harp-like.
This is one of those ideas that can instantly improve your fingerstyle guitar playing, no matter what level you’re at.
And here’s the kicker: you can apply this trick to any melody you know.
It also works beautifully as part of a larger arrangement, where you bring in harmony and chords later using ideas from Levels 1–4.
Now, before we wrap up, let’s go all the way to Level 6…
• Level 6: Walking Bass
Walking bass lines connect the root notes of the chords using smooth stepwise motion with scale tones, chord tones, and chromatic notes.
Here is how Aura Lee sounds with this approach:
This is the full package — bass, chords, melody, and groove — all happening at once.
Notice how the melody has been moved up an octave, creating space for the walking bass line to sit clearly underneath.
Summary
And there you have it — 6 levels of fingerstyle guitar, all built from the same simple song.
At Level 1, you saw how just root notes and melody can sound beautiful together
At Level 2, we added texture by bringing in chords
At Level 3, things started flowing with arpeggios
At Level 4, things started grooving with Travis picking
At Level 5, we added those magical open strings and harmonics
And at Level 6, we brought everything together with a walking bass arrangement
Each level you explored here is a complete arrangement on its own.
You can also connect any two or more levels to create a richer arrangement of Aura Lee, which is a powerful way to continue your fingerstyle progression and deepen your overall fingerstyle journey.
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