Lesson 10: Fingerpicking, Part 2 < >

This lesson will pretty much just give you a few examples of some fingerpicking patterns to play around with. I am definately not an expert on this but I thought it would be good to share with you these little patterns.

Now with the real stuff. If you do not know what pima is, go to Lesson 9: Fingerpicking Pt. 1. This will introduce you to fingerpicking. All I am going to show you is a couple of ways to fingerpick chords. It is pretty self-explanatory, and it is not too difficult. As a general rule, the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings are plucked by your thumb (or "P" finger). The 3rd string is plucked by your index finger ("I"). The 2nd string is plucked by your middle finger ("M"), and the 1st string is plucked by your ring finger ("A").

The examples below both use a C major chord. These patterns are not limited to this chord though. These patterns are meant to be used in chord progressions. Try alternating through the patterns when you play different chord progressions. These patterns can be used as warmups, plus they can help you gain more control over your right hand. Play through these at your own pace. You can make some nice little 3 chord tunes with these.

C Major
C Chord Image

 

Fingerpicking Patterns

The "P" with the "A" over it means that you play the lower note with the "P" (your thumb)
and the higher note with the "A" (your ring finger).

Do you want to learn more? Check out Guitar Lesson World: The Book