Guitar · Chapter 14 of 23
Fingerpicking: p, i, m, a
Put the pick down. With the thumb and three fingers you can play a bass, a chord and a tune all at once.
In fingerpicking each finger of the right hand has its own job. The usual starting plan: the thumb (p) plays the bass strings 6, 5 and 4; the index (i) plays string 3; the middle (m) string 2; the ring (a) string 1.
The hand
Where it rests
The hand hangs over the sound hole, wrist slightly arched, fingers curved. Rest i, m and a on strings 3, 2 and 1 and the thumb on string 6 to feel the starting spot.
The thumb
The thumb pushes down and slightly forward, staying ahead of the fingers so they don’t collide. It moves from the base joint, not by bending the tip.
The fingers
Each finger pulls up into the palm, moving from the knuckle. The hand itself stays still: only the fingers move.
An arpeggio: p i m a
An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. Hold a C chord and play thumb, index, middle, ring, then back down middle, index:
The same pattern in 3/4 is the sound of countless classical studies:
Thumb and fingers together
A pinch is the thumb and a finger plucking at the same moment, squeezing toward each other. Try p and a together (strings 6 and 1) on Em, then p alone, then i and m together:
Carcassi’s Prelude in C
A real piece from a guitar method of 1836. Each half bar is one chord: the thumb plays the bass and lets it ring, then i, m and a climb up the top three strings. Hold the whole chord shape down for the half bar.
Remember
- p thumb on the bass; i, m, a on strings 3, 2, 1.
- Fingers move from the knuckle; the hand stays still.
- Hold the chord down while you pick it, so it rings.