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Fingerpicking
p-i-m-a, arpeggiating chords and basic patterns.
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Stop 1 of 5
p-i-m-a, arpeggiating chords and basic patterns.
Welcome to the Groove Garden. So far the pick has been your main tool: strumming, riffs, solos. In this stage you'll discover new textures for accompaniment, and the first one is right at your fingertips. In each finger looks after its own strings and the guitar becomes a small orchestra: a bass, an accompaniment and, later on, a melody, all at the same time.
Before any explanation, listen. These are the same two chords you've been playing since the start of the journey, Am and C, but instead of strumming them, they're played one note at a time. Notice three things: the bass note that opens each bar, the notes that keep adding up, and how everything keeps ringing together, like a chord that breathes.
The letters above each note (p, i, m, a) tell you which finger plays it. You'll learn them in the next scene. What matters now is the idea: a chord played note by note is called an , and fingerstyle guitar lives on arpeggios.
Compare it with the chord played all at once:
To write which finger plays each note, guitarists all over the world use the initials of their Spanish names, inherited from the classical guitar tradition. This is the system:
| Letter | Finger (Spanish name) | Strings it usually plays |
|---|---|---|
| p | thumb (pulgar) | 6, 5 and 4 (the bass) |
| i | index (índice) | 3 |
| m | middle (medio) | 2 |
| a | ring (anular) | 1 |
The little finger hardly ever plucks in classical guitar; when it does, it's written c, e or x depending on the method. For now, let it rest.
This assignment, one finger per string, is the great advantage of fingerstyle: your hand doesn't have to search for strings, because each finger is already waiting above its own. It's the same idea as on the fretting hand, applied to the other hand.
Each finger can attack the string in two ways, and both have their own names in the classical tradition:
Rest stroke
The finger plays through the string and comes to rest on the neighbouring string (the next, lower one). It sounds full and present. Ideal for making a melody stand out from the accompaniment.
Free stroke
The finger passes over the neighbouring string without touching it, closing towards the palm. It sounds lighter and, above all, lets the other strings ring. This is the stroke for arpeggios.
In glossary terms: the (Spanish apoyando) and the (tirando). Try both on this little melody with i and m alternating, first free, then rest strokes. You'll notice the rest stroke sounds more "up front".
The thumb plucks down and forward, moving from its joint with the hand rather than bending its tip. As a rest stroke it ends up on the next higher string; as a free stroke it moves slightly outwards. In arpeggios you'll almost always use a free thumb stroke so you don't deaden the neighbouring string, which may be part of the chord.
A string only sounds while it vibrates freely. When a finger rests on it, it stops the vibration instantly: it's the same principle you use when you mute strings on purpose. In a rest stroke the finger ends up on the neighbouring string, so if that string was ringing as part of the arpeggio, you cut it off. In a free stroke the finger passes over it and the neighbouring string keeps vibrating, so the notes of the arpeggio pile up and the ear hears the complete chord. That's why arpeggios use free strokes, while a melody that wants to stand out can use rest strokes.
The thumb is the bass player of your inner band. Its number-one job is to play the correct lowest note of every chord, which is almost always the root. If the thumb hits the wrong string, the chord sounds "crooked", even if your fretting hand is perfect.
String 6, Open: E2 · 1 · Scale tone
| Chord | Thumb string | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Em | 6 open | E |
| G | 6, fret 3 | G |
| Am | 5 open | A |
| C | 5, fret 3 | C |
| D | 4 open | D |
The first exercise separates the two jobs: the thumb plays the bass, then i, m and a pluck together on the three treble strings, like a small chord. It's the "bass, chord, bass, chord" scheme, and it forces you to think about each chord's bass.
Now that every finger knows its string, patterns are just different orders of the same movements. Take them one at a time; spend a few minutes on each before moving on.
The thumb opens and the fingers go up (i-m-a) and down (m-i). Six eighth notes per bar: a gentle waltz. Use free strokes on every finger.
Here the index returns to string 3 between every note: p-i-m-i-a-i-m-i. It's the pattern you heard at the start. The index acts as a pivot and gives the arpeggio a rolling motion often heard in ballads.
Now the fingers come down from the top string: p-a-m-i. It sounds like falling water. Play it twice per bar; in the second half the thumb can play another chord tone, for example on string 4.
Which part of the finger do you pluck with? There are two options, and both are legitimate:
If you choose nails, keep them short and smooth: one or two millimetres past the fingertip, with a curve that follows the shape of the finger. A fine file (or very fine sandpaper) keeps the nail from catching the string and clicking.
Put it all together over a four-chord progression. Each bar lasts four beats and uses pattern 2 (p-i-m-i-a-i-m-i). Press Listen first, then play along with the backing.
Goal: Play C, Am, Em and G with the bass-chord scheme twice through, without missing a single bass note, at 70 BPM.
Use the soft backing as a cushion. Change pattern every two rounds. Use free strokes and listen for every note of each chord ringing together.
Goal: Play the C, Am, Em, G progression with each pattern, twice through without stopping, at 72 BPM (pattern 1 in 3/4 at 80).
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