Fingerpicking technique is one of the most creative ways to play guitar.
Think about guitarists such as Tommy Emmanuel, Sungha Jung, Andy Mckee, and Michael Hedges and how they can create beautiful music with the guitar.
They combine chords, melody, rhythm, and percussive technique to create fantastic music arrangements.
However, playing the guitar isn’t as simple as they make it look.
To become good at fingerpicking guitar, it takes time, practice, and passion. Most importantly, you have to know how to get started.
Today I am going to show you the 12 most crucial fingerpicking guitar exercises you must learn if you want to become great at playing guitar.
The word “Great” doesn’t mean you have to become a professional guitar player. Even if you don’t become the greatest guitar player on earth, you still want to be able to enjoy practicing and mastering the fingerstyle technique.
This is just a starting point, but we will be covering many important aspects of playing fingerpicking guitar.
Here are the 12 most important fingerpicking guitar exercises for beginners.
- Fingerstyle picking.
- Easy fingerpicking pattern for beginners.
- Fingerstyle scales.
- Fingerpicking chords for beginners.
- A simple fingerstyle song. Amazing Grace.
- Fingerstyle classical piece in A minor.
- Travis picking fingerstyle technique.
- Fingerstyle classical song. Asturias (for beginners)
- Fingerpicking warm-up.
- Fingerpicking blues.
- Fingerstyle Spanish Song.
- Percussive fingerstyle
1. Fingerstyle Picking
We can play guitar in two different ways: With a guitar pick or with our fingers.
When we pluck the strings with our picking hand, we call it fingerstyle technique or fingerpicking guitar.
The very first step is to understand how to position the fingerpicking hand so that you can pluck the strings smoothly.
Naming the Right Hand Fingers
Guitar players use letters to indicate the right-hand picking fingers.
Here’s how it work:
- Thumb: letter “P” from the Italian word “Pollice.”
- Index: the letter “i” from the Italian word “indice.”
- Middle: letter “m” from the Italian word “medio.”
- Ring: letter “a” from the Italian word “anulare”
We don’t pluck the strings with the little finger even though some guitar players do.
One of the most common words you will see a lot around fingerpicking music is “Pima” which represents the four plucking fingers.
Some of the most famous fingerpicking arpeggios are:
- Pima
- Pimami
- Pimiaimi
- Pami
- Pimaim
How to Pluck Guitar Strings Correctly
Two basic fingerpicking rules show you how to pluck the strings smoothly.
These two rules are essentials for any guitar player who wants to become familiar with the fingerpicking technique.
The two fingerpicking rules are:
- Thumb position.
- Fingers position.
Fingerpicking Rule #1 – Thumb position
Place the thumb in front of the fingers and pluck the strings downwards. Only use the major knuckle that connects the finger to the palm of your hand.
Plucking the guitar strings with the side of the fingertips produces a smooth and dull tone.
Fingerpicking Rule #2 – Fingers Position
The picking hand fingers should pluck the strings at a 45-degree angle.
Pluck the strings upwards towards the palm. Start the plucking movement by moving the finger away from the string to generate speed an momentum. This movement is called “Preparation,” and it comes from the major knuckle. As your finger touches the string, articulate with the minor knuckle upwards. This part is called “Plucking.”
2. Easy Fingerpicking Pattern for Beginners
Let me show you a straightforward fingerpicking guitar exercise for beginners.
This basic fingerpicking pattern is among the most common patterns for fingerstyle guitar and can be played over different chord progressions.
The pattern is called “P i m a m i,” a six notes pattern very popular in Classical and Folk music.
Here’s the exercise:
The basic chords I am playing in this example are straightforward and perfect for beginners. Some of them will probably sound new to you (and your ears).
Practice one chord at a time if you have to and practice the exercise slowly.
3. Fingerstyle Scales
There are different ways to practice scales on the guitar.
Some guitar players practice scales to improve their technique and speed or to improvise over a chord progressions.
Others use scales to learn more about music theory.
For me, scales are among the most important things every musician should learn. Today, I am going to show you how to get started with scales and how to practice scales with purpose.
How to Practice Scales on Guitar
Mastering scales takes time and practice.
If you want to get started playing single notes and melodies on fingerpicking guitar, you should learn the scales below.
In this lesson, we are going to learn and practice all the example in the C major key. You can then transpose this concept in other keys.
There will be a musical example for each scale so that you can see how to transform scales into beautiful melodies.
Let’s get started with the fingerpicking guitar exercises for technique and speed.
The C major Scale – For Technique and Speed –
The notes for the C major scale are C D E F G A B C.
If you want to practice the C major scale to improve your technique and speed, you should start by playing the scale up and down the neck.
*About the fingering*. The number next to the notes show you the left-hand fingers you should use.
- Number 1: index finger
- Number 2: middle finger
- Number 3: ring finger
- Number 4: little finger
C Major Scale Exercise #1
C Major Scale Exercise #2
The C major Scale – For Writing Fingerstyle Melody –
In the following example, we are going to learn how to write a melody on guitar by using the notes of the C major scale.
So, how do we write a melody over chords?
There are three steps you must follow:
- Step 1: Learn the C major scale
- Step 2: Write a chord progression
- Step 3: Simplify the chord progression
- Step 4: Play the notes of the scale over the chords
Step 1. Learn the C major scale
Learn the notes of the C major scale in one position of the neck. Notice that the scale starts with the note G, but it is still considered a C major scale.
The reasons why we play the scale on the top three strings only is because we have to keep the 4th, 5th, and 6th string for the bass note of the chords.
Step 2. Write a Chord Progression
How do you write simple chord progressions?
You should know that chords come from scales. Each scale degree generates a chord.
Here’s how it works:
Write down the scale. In this example, we will take a look at the C major scale.
Select the first note of the scale, in this case, the note C. We will call this note the “Root note” of the chord.
A chord is built by stacking up to three notes of the scale. Once you recognize the root note, add the 3rd and 5th.
This is called “triad,” the most basic chord we have in music.
In the example below, we have the Root note C followed by the 3rd, the note E, and the 5th, the note G.
Play these three notes simultaneously to play a chord.
Do the same starting from each degree of the scale, and you end up with seven chords.
- C major
- D minor
- E minor
- F major
- G major
- A minor
- B diminished
These are the chords from the C major scale/key.
Select some of the chords from the scale to come up with chord progressions.
The most common chord progression in music is the I V vi IV. If we go ahead with this option, we will play C, G, Am, and F major chord.
You can build other chord progressions such as:
- I V
- I vi ii V
- I IV V
- IV vi I V
- I II III IV V
- I III IV V
In this example, we will only refer to the I V vi IV chord progression.
Step 3. Simplify the Chord Progression
Make the chord progression simple by removing all the notes of the chord except the bass note (the lowest note of the chord.
Step 4. Play the Notes of the Scale Over the Chords
The last step is about playing the notes of the scale over the chord progression.
Check the four different examples below.
N. 4 Fingerpicking Chords for Beginners
Let me show you how to fingerpick chords easily.
There is a basic fingerpicking rule that every guitar player follows to play fingerstyle chords easily.
This rule goes as follows:
Pluck the 6th, 5th and 4th string with the thumb, the 3rd string with the index finger, the 2nd string with the middle finger, and the 1st string with the ring finger.
A simple variation of this rule occurs when we change the set of strings plucked by the index, middle and ring finger.
In the example below, I am going to show you practical examples of this simple yet effective rule.
Exercise #1 – Picking Simple Chords
In this first exercise, I am going to show you how to apply the fingerpicking chords rule.
Learn these basic chords played with a simple fingerpicking pattern.
- E minor chord: The thumb is on the low E string, index on the D string, middle on G string and ring on the B string.
- Cadd9 chord: Thumb on A string, index on G string, middle on B string and ring on E string.
- G major chord: Same as E minor chord.
- D/F# chord: Same as E minor chord.
Exercise #2 – Picking Chord Together
In this example, I am going to show you how to pluck the strings simultaneously using the fingerstyle chord rule.
Notice that we are also going to combine chords and melody. The note indicated with the “cross” is played with the thumb slap percussive technique. Every time you see this note, strike the string with the right-hand thumb.
N.5 Simple Fingerstyle Song | Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace is one of the most simple yet beautiful songs that you can play on the guitar.
The remarkable thing about fingerpicking technique is that it allows you to combine chords and melody.
It is entirely up to the composer to decide how difficult the arrangement of the song should be.
In this lesson, I am going to show you a simple Amazing Grace fingerstyle arrangement for beginners that I am sure you will enjoy learning and playing.
Pluck the strings using the two fingerpicking rules we talked about at the beginning of this post, and play the melody as evenly as possible.
This arrangement is explained in full in this YouTube video by LicknRiff. Click here to enjoy this lesson.
N.6 Learn a Fingerstyle Classical Piece in A minor
Fingerpicking guitar is the technique classical guitar player use to play classical music.
As you probably know, classical music is an extremely sophisticated style of music that challenges even the most talented guitar players.
Learning a Classical piece is an excellent way to improve your fingerstyle technique, as well as speed, control, musicality, and tone.
Today I am going to show you a fingerpicking classical piece in A minor called “Allegro” by Mauro Giuliani.
You can watch the video lesson and download the tab below.
Get the Tab Here.
N.7 Travis Picking Fingerstyle Technique
With the Travis picking technique the right-hand thumb plucks two bass notes on a steady beat while the index, middle and ring finger play the accompaniment on the top strings.
The Travis technique was popularized by the American singer-songwriter Merle Travis, who uniquely mastered this technique.
Today I am going to show you a few examples on how to get started with the Travis picking technique.
How to Play Travis Picking on Guitar
With the Travis technique, the thumb plucks two bass notes.
The very first step to getting this technique right is learning the thumb movement.
Pluck the strings with the side of the thumb and keep your hand close to the strings.
This is a fundamental bass line in a Travis style played entirely with the thumb.
Basics and Variations of Travis Picking Technique
Once you are done learning the bass line, you can then add the accompaniment which will be played on the top three strings by the fingers.
Notice that Merle Travis only used his index finger.
How crazy!
8. Fingerstyle classical song. Asturias
Asturias is one of the most popular fingerstyle songs on Classical guitar.
So many guitar players started playing guitar after they heard the main theme of this fantastic classical piece.
Isaac Albeniz composed Asturias. The first arrangement was written for piano in G minor key.
Many transcribed this piece for Classical guitar, but Segovia transcription remains the most popular. He also changed the key in E minor to suit the guitar range.
In this lesson, I am going to show you how to play the first theme of Asturias on fingerpicking guitar.
Again, another classical piece that will improve your technique and musicality as well as tone, control, and overall playing.
Asturias – Part one – Main There
Asturias – Part two – Main There + Accompaniment
9. Fingerpicking warm-up
How should you warm up for a fingerstyle session?
A good fingerpicking warm-up prepares your fingers and mind for a good rehearsal; this is why it should be done before you dive into your favorite songs and exercises.
In this section, I am going to walk you through three things you can use to successfully warm-up your fingers.
- 1. Scales.
- 2. Arpeggios.
- 3. Symmetrical exercises.
1. Fingerstyle Warm-Up with Scales
Warming up with scales is probably the number one thing that most guitar players do.
Every time I grab my guitar, I play a couple of scales up and down the neck. It helps my fingers to get going and focus on what I have to play in the session.
Music scales are incredibly beneficial for both technique and music theory. Nearly all the music written in Western music comes from scales: intervals, harmony, chord progressions, improvisation, and composition.
Let me show you three different scale figure you could use for your fingerpicking warm-up with scales.
Figure 1. Vertical Fingerpicking Scale
The vertical scale is played in one position of the neck between three and five frets.
This is example number 1.
The fingerpicking pattern is: i-m-i-m (index, middle), but there are plenty of different variations such as m-i-m-i, i-a-i-a, i-m-a-i-m-a.
Figure 2. Fingerpicking scale over two octaves
In this example, we are going to play the scale over six strings. For this reason, the exercise is more difficult because the scale is played over two octaves.
Check the example below.
Figure 3. Horizontal Warm-up Scales
Another way to warm-up using scales is by playing them horizontally.
This is an excellent fingerpicking guitar exercise for both warm-up and fretboard memorization.
In this example, I am going to show you how to play an E major scale horizontally.
2. Fingerstyle Warm-up with Arpeggios
An arpeggio is a right-hand fingers pattern that repeats itself.
The P i m a is one of the most popular fingerpicking patterns on guitar. Such patterns can be used to play chords, and they represent a tremendous warm-up tool.
In this section, I am going to show you the three most popular fingerpicking arpeggios every guitar player use for warm-ups.
How to name the fingers
Before we get started, learn the picking hand finger’s name.
- The letter “P” – Thumb
- The letter “i” – index
- The letter “m” – middle
- The letter “a” – ring
Fingerpicking Arpeggio #1
In this first example, we are going to warm-up the fingers with a simple chord progression in C major using the P i m a m i fingerpicking pattern.
This simple arpeggio is played with six notes.
The chord progression goes as follows: G | D | Em | C |.
Fingerpicking Arpeggio #2
In this example, we are going to have a look at a fingerpicking pattern played with eight notes.
This pattern is perfect for warm-up your right hand, and it is used a lot by many fingerstyle players.
The patter goes as follows: P i m i a i m i.
3. Symmetrical Exercises
One of the most common warm-up exercises is the one I call “Symmetrical exercise.”
Almost every guitar player is familiar with this type of warm-up because it is virtually the very first thing we practice when we start learning guitar.
This type of warm-up works for many different reasons.
- Coordination
- Speed
- Control
- Stretch
- Plucking
- Timing
Let me show you a few fingerpicking guitar exercises.
Symmetrical Exercise #1 – Two Notes per String
In this example, we are going to play two frets on each string, starting with the low E string.
The left-hand patter is 1 -2 on one string and 1-3 on the other string.
There are three things you MUST follow when practicing this fingerpicking warm-up.
- Number 1: Keep the left-hand thumb down behind the guitar neck.
- Number 2: Learn space between the bottom neck and the palm of your hand.
- Number 3: Pluck the strings with the index and middle finger close to the soundhole.
Symmetrical Exercise #2 – The Spider Warm-Up
The spider warm-up pattern is one of my favorite.
It consists of playing four notes on two strings alternating each note.
You can start with two strings only and build up to six strings when you feel ready.
This warm-up exercise looks like that.
10. Fingerpicking Blues
The Blues is one of the most popular styles of music of all times.
In this lesson, I am going to show you how to play a traditional fingerpicking blues in A.
We are going to combine chords and melody and make this lesson exciting and fun to play.
But before we get started, I should show you the fundamentals of fingerpicking blues.
There are only four things you have to know about the Blues.
- 1. The Blues chords.
- 2. The Blues structure.
- 3. The Blues scale.
- 4. How to play a simple blues on acoustic guitar.
1. The Blues Chords
The Blues is mainly played with Dominant 7th chords.
We are going to use a simple Dominant 7th chord shape that works perfectly with fingerpicking guitar.
In the chord diagrams below, you can learn how to play the three chords we need to play a Fingerpicking Blues in A.
The chords we are going to learn are:
- A7
- D7
- E7
With these fingerpicking Blues chords, you will only pluck the strings with the dots.
For the A7 chord pluck the 6th, 4th, and 3rd string for the D7 and E7 pluck the 5th, 4th, and 3rd string.
The Blues chords you are about to learn are also called the “173” and the “137” chord. The numbers refer to the chord’s degrees. In the 173 chord, we are playing the Root note, minor 7th, and major 3rd. In the 137, we will play the Root note, major 3rd, and minor 7th.
2. The Blues Structure
The most common Blues structure is the 12-Bar Blues. This is a twelve-bar chord progression repeated over and over.
When you write it down, it looks like something like that.
Each bar (also called measure) is four beats long. The symbol you see on bar number 4, 6, and 8 is a repeat sign, and it means that the A7 chord is played over that bar too.
Play each chord one time and let it ring out for four counts.
3. The Blues Scale
When you play a simple 12-Bar Blues, you can solo with a bunch of different scales.
The most popular scale used in Blues is the Minor Pentatonic scale.
The Minor Pentatonic scale is a progression of five notes from the Natural Minor scale. It is a simple scale to memorize on guitar, and it is easy to implement in a Blues.
The difference between the A minor natural scale and the A minor Pentatonic scale is that the Pentatonic is a scale of five notes only.
Notice how with the minor Pentatonic the II and IV degree of the scale are missing.
Which Pentatonic Shape is Good for Blues
In this lesson, I am going to show you how to write a simple Blues melody using one Pentatonic shape only.
We are going to use the Pentatonic shape number 1, which is the one starting from the root note of the scale.
Learn the Minor Pentatonic scale below.
The notes in the red box are the ones we are going to use to write the fingerpicking blues melody.
4. How to Play a Simple Blues on Guitar
Let me show you how to play a simple Blues on guitar.
We are going to combine chords and melody.
The goal for this lesson is to alternate a blues chord with a few notes from the Pentatonic scale.
This is the Blues melody I wrote for this fingerpicking guitar lesson.
11. Fingerpicking Spanish Song
Let me show you a beautiful yet simple Spanish song that you can easily play on guitar.
This is one of the best fingerpicking guitar exercises that beginner can practice for control and speed.
This Spanish song is based on one of the most popular Spanish chord progression, Em | D | C | B7 |
The fingerpicking pattern we are going to learn goes as follows: P m i P m i P m.
12. Percussive Fingerstyle
Percussive fingerstyle is considered one of the most thrilling modern guitar techniques of all time.
With this technique, you can use the guitar as a drum kit and add groove to the chords you play.
There are a lot of different ways of playing percussive fingerstyle guitar.
In this lesson, we are going to explore a simple percussive technique called “Thumb slap.”
The Thumb slap technique
With this slapping thumb technique, you are going to strike the string with the side of your picking thumb. This sound is similar to the snare-drum of a standard drum kit.
There are three steps you should follow to get this technique right.
- Step 1: Pluck a chord.
- Step 2. Move the thumb away from the strings to create momentum and power.
- Step 3. Strike the string with the side of the thumb. The string should be the same as the bass note of the chord.
Thumb Slap Exercise #1
In this first example, we are going to play a simple chord progression in E minor.
The slapping thumb technique is indicated with a cross.
Notice how the slapped string corresponds to the bass note of the chord.
Thumb Slap Exercise #2
Let’s Wrap This Up
Use the fingerpicking guitar exercises in this lesson to improve your technique and become better at playing guitar.
Each lesson can be customized based on your level.
I hope you get inspired, guys!
Keep playing; keep practicing, keep learning.
Marco.
