Modern fingerpicking styles grew from the techniques of Country Blues Artists who recorded in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Following close on their heals were country pickers such as Sam McGhee, Ike Everly, Merle Travis and eventually the great Chet Atkins. Atkins inspired scores of guitarists all over the world such as Marcel Dadi.

In the "folk boom" of the late 1950s and early 1960s more "uptown" city types began to learn and adapt the techniques of the early bluesmen. Many kept within the genre, but others adapted the techniques. Dave Van Ronk, Eric Schoenberg, Dave Laibman and others transcribed classic piano ragtime compostions for guitar. Brits Davey Graham (the "inventor" of DADGAD tuning), Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Richard Thompson and others applied these techniques to Celtic melodies, Indian scales and other style tunes. John Fahey , Robbie Basho and Leo Kottke specialized in composition and brought a more self-conscious "seriousness" to the style. By the end of the 1960s the idea of a steel string guitar as solo concert instrument was fairly well established.

Scores of great guitarists built on this legacy, including Pierre Bensusan, Duck Baker, Dave Evans, Peter Lang and Miller in the 1970s and Michael Hedges, Chris Proctor and Alex deGrassi in the early 1980s.

Many great guitarists are touring and recording today.