Six Strings
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Beginner · step 8 · Not started · Acoustic guitar only

Fingerpicking arpeggios

Instead of strumming all the strings at once, you let them ring one by one, with your fingers. The sound gets softer and richer. Goal: play an even arpeggio and change chords without stopping.

This lesson is for acoustic guitar: it doesn’t count in your electric course, but you can still read it.

Time
15 minutes
Before you start
Three new chords: A minor, E major, A major
You’ll be able to
Play a p-i-m-a-m-i arpeggio

Playing with your fingers

Fingerpicking means plucking the strings with your right-hand thumb and fingers instead of a pick. When you play the notes of a chord one after another, that’s an arpeggio.

Your left hand doesn’t change: you fret your chords as usual. Everything happens on the right.

Who plays what

Each right-hand finger has a letter, taken from Spanish:

  • p (pulgar): the thumb;
  • i (índice): the index;
  • m (medio): the middle finger;
  • a (anular): the ring finger.

The split is simple:

  • the thumb takes care of the bass strings, strings 6, 5 and 4 (low E, A, D);
  • i plays the G string, m the B string, a the high E. Each finger stays on its own string.

Your pinky doesn’t play: let it rest, without tensing it. If you’re unsure about string numbers, check fingers and strings.

Hand position

  1. Rest your forearm on the top edge of the body, hand over the sound hole or slightly toward the bridge.
  2. Keep your wrist loose, slightly arched, not touching the top.
  3. Place i, m and a on their strings, gently curved, as if you were holding a ball.
  4. Keep your thumb ahead of your fingers, toward the neck, so it doesn’t bump into your index.

The thumb pushes its string downward. The fingers pull their string toward your palm, moving up, not outward.

The p-i-m-a-m-i pattern

Six notes: thumb, index, middle, ring, middle, index. It climbs to the treble strings, then comes back down. The thumb plays the chord’s bass note:

  • C: A string, 3rd fret;
  • A minor: open A string;
  • G: low E, 3rd fret.
e|-------0-----------0-----------3-----------0-----|
B|-----1---1-------1---1-------0---0-------1---1---|
G|---0-------0---2-------2---0-------0---0-------0-|
D|-------------------------------------------------|
A|-3-----------0-----------------------3-----------|
E|-------------------------3-----------------------|

Let the notes ring over each other: that’s what gives it that harp-like sound.

Exercise 1: one chord

Fret C and play p-i-m-a-m-i on a loop, slowly, counting six even notes. Watch only your right hand. Once it’s steady for a full minute, do the same on A minor, then on G: check each time that your thumb finds the right bass note.

Exercise 2: C, A minor, G, C

One full pattern per chord. The change happens during the last i: your left hand moves, and the new bass note lands right on time.

C

If it’s a struggle, play p-i-m-a-m-i on the open strings while your left hand changes: your right hand should never wait.

Common mistakes

Your thumb wanders. It hunts for its bass note and hits the wrong string. Before each chord, ask yourself: “What’s my bass note?” Then put your thumb on it before you play.

  • Your fingers pull outward. The string slaps against the frets. Pull toward your palm.
  • The volume is uneven. Often the thumb booms and the ring finger whispers. Play softly and listen to every note.
  • You stop at chord changes. A slightly messy chord is better than a hole in the rhythm: keep your right hand going.

Nails or fingertips?

With the flesh of your fingertip, the sound is round and soft. With a little nail, it’s brighter and carries further. Classical guitarists often keep short, filed nails on their right hand. To start with, fingertips are fine: just make sure your nails are smooth, with no snags.

You’ve got it when…