The Song and What You Need to Know

"What More Can I Say" is a fingerstyle guitar piece that appears on several recordings, most notably associated with classical and acoustic guitar repertoire. The piece uses open tuning or standard tuning depending on the arrangement you're working from, and it requires clean finger technique rather than heavy strumming. If you've found tab or sheet music for this piece, you're looking at a song that rewards patience and accuracy over speed.

The main challenge with this piece is that it sits somewhere between beginner and intermediate difficulty. You'll need solid fingerpicking control, the ability to hold multiple notes cleanly, and enough finger independence to play melody and bass lines at the same time. Most arrangements run between three and five minutes, so you're committing to learning a complete piece rather than a short riff.

Key Takeaways

  • The piece uses fingerstyle technique, meaning you pluck individual strings with your fingers rather than a pick, and you'll need to keep bass notes ringing while playing melody on top.
  • Standard tuning works for most arrangements, though some versions use open tuning—check your tab or sheet music before you start.
  • The biggest mistake is rushing; this piece sounds best when you play it slowly and let each note ring clearly, which takes weeks of practice to build muscle memory.
  • Breaking the piece into four-bar or eight-bar sections and drilling each one separately will get you to a full performance much faster than trying to play through from start to finish.

Setting Up Your Tuning and Strings

Before you touch the fretboard, make sure your guitar is in tune and your strings are in good condition. Old or worn strings will sound dull and make it harder to hear whether you're playing the right notes. If your strings are more than a few months old and you play regularly, replace them before you start learning this piece—you'll hear the difference when ready.

Check your tab or sheet music to see which tuning the arrangement uses. Most versions sit in standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E from lowest to highest string), but some fingerstyle arrangements use open tunings like open G or open D. If the tab doesn't specify, assume standard tuning. Tune carefully using a tuner app or physical tuner; even being slightly flat or sharp will throw off your ear as you learn the piece.

Understanding the Fingerpicking Pattern

Fingerstyle guitar means you're using your thumb and fingers to pluck strings individually instead of strumming across them. For "What More Can I Say," you'll typically use your thumb on the bass strings (the three thickest strings) and your index, middle, and ring fingers on the higher strings. This split lets you play a bass line with your thumb while your fingers handle the melody.

The most common pattern for this piece alternates between bass notes and melody notes. Your thumb might play a bass note on beat one, then your fingers play a melody note on the "and" of beat one, then another bass note on beat two, and so on. This creates the illusion of two instruments playing at once. Practice the pattern slowly without worrying about the actual notes first—just get your fingers moving in the right order. Once the pattern feels automatic, add the actual pitches.

A common mistake is letting your fingers mute the strings they're not playing. When your index finger plucks a note, your middle and ring fingers should stay relaxed and ready, not pressing down on the fretboard. This takes time to develop, so don't expect it to feel natural for the first few weeks.

Learning the Piece in Sections

Don't try to learn "What More Can I Say" from beginning to end. Instead, break it into chunks of four or eight bars and master each section before moving on. Write down the bar numbers on your tab or sheet music so you know exactly where each section starts and stops. Spend three to five days on each section, playing it slowly and cleanly until you can do it without looking at the music.

Once you've learned two or three sections, start connecting them. Play section one, then section two, without stopping. This builds the muscle memory you need to move smoothly from one part to the next. When you finally play the whole piece, you're just connecting sections you already know rather than learning new material and trying to remember what comes next at the same time.

Use a metronome set to a slow tempo—around 60 beats per minute is a good starting point. Play each section at that speed until you can do it cleanly three times in a row without mistakes. Only then bump the tempo up by five or ten beats per minute. This slow approach takes longer upfront but gets you to a polished performance much faster than rushing.

Keeping Notes Clean and Ringing

The biggest difference between a beginner and intermediate fingerstyle player is how the notes sound. Beginners often mute strings accidentally, play notes that don't ring clearly, or let their fingers get in the way of strings they're not playing. "What More Can I Say" exposes all of these habits because the piece relies on clean, ringing tones.

When you pluck a string, your finger should move away from it cleanly and not come back to touch it. If your finger lingers on the string, it will dampen the note. Similarly, when you're holding down a fretted note with one hand, make sure your other hand isn't accidentally touching any strings. This is harder than it sounds because your hands have to work independently.

Practice playing single notes slowly and listening to how long they ring. A note should ring for its full duration—if it dies out early, you're probably muting it. Once you can play single notes cleanly, add a second note and listen to both. Then add a third. Building up gradually trains your hands to stay out of each other's way.

Connecting the Sections Into a Full Performance

Once you've learned all the sections and can play them individually, the next step is connecting them smoothly. Play section one, then when ready play section two without stopping or resetting your hands. If you stumble at the connection, slow down and practice just the last two bars of section one and the first two bars of section two together. These transition points are where most people fall apart during a full performance.

When you can play the whole piece at your practice tempo without stopping, bump the speed up slightly. Keep doing this until you reach the final tempo you want. This gradual approach means you're never playing anything you haven't already mastered, so mistakes become rare.

Record yourself playing the piece on your phone or computer. Listening back will show you where the tone gets muddy, where you're rushing, and where your timing is uneven. You'll hear things you can't feel while you're playing. Make notes of these spots and drill them separately before recording again.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

The most common mistake is playing too fast. "What More Can I Say" sounds best when it's played slowly and deliberately, with each note clear and distinct. If you're rushing, slow down by 20 or 30 beats per minute and try again. You'll when ready hear the difference.

The second mistake is not letting bass notes ring. In fingerstyle, your thumb plays a bass note and then moves on to play other notes, but the bass note should keep sounding underneath the melody. If your bass notes are getting muted, check that your thumb is moving away cleanly and that your other fingers aren't accidentally touching the bass strings.

The third mistake is pressing too hard with your fretting hand. You only need enough pressure to make the note ring clearly—anything more is wasted effort and will tire your hand out. If your fingers hurt after practicing, you're probably pressing too hard. Ease up and see if the notes still ring clearly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to use a pick or fingernails for this piece?

Fingerstyle guitar typically uses fingernails or fingertips, not a pick. Most players use their natural fingernails on the plucking hand (usually the right hand for right-handed players) and let the nails grow slightly past the fingertip. If your nails break easily, you can use fingertip alone, but it will sound softer. Some players use artificial nails glued over their natural ones for durability.

How long does it usually take to learn this piece?

Most players with some guitar experience can learn "What More Can I Say" in four to eight weeks of regular practice, assuming 30 to 45 minutes a day. If you're new to fingerstyle, add another two to four weeks. The timeline depends on how much you've already practiced guitar and how much time you can dedicate each day.

What if I can't find the exact arrangement I'm looking for?

Search for the piece by title plus "guitar tab" or "sheet music" in quotes. Multiple arrangements exist, and some are easier than others. If the first version you find is too hard, try a different arrangement. You can also ask in guitar forums or communities—other players often know where to find different versions.

Should I memorize this piece or play from music?

Start by learning from the tab or sheet music. Once you can play it smoothly, memorizing becomes easier because your hands already know what to do. Many fingerstyle players memorize eventually, but there's no rule against playing from music in a performance if that's what you prefer.

My fingers keep muting the strings—how do I fix this?

Slow down and focus on hand position. Your fretting hand fingers should curve so only the fingertip touches the fretboard, not the flat of your finger. Your plucking hand should move away from each string cleanly after you pluck it. Practice single notes slowly until your hands learn to stay out of each other's way, then add more notes gradually.