Acoustic Guitar Fingerstyle for Beginners

I really like to help beginners with a fingerstyle technique. Playing the guitar is awesome, but it can also be frustrating. Beginners are more likely to struggle at some point, so with this lesson, I will do my best to give you the three killing exercises for fingerstyle beginners. 

I hope you like it!

Is fingerstyle guitar difficult?

The truth about playing guitar.

For some reason, most people who start playing acoustic guitar think that fingerstyle is a complicated technique compared to strumming.

The truth is, fingerstyle can be beginner-friendly and really fun to start with. It can also be pretty simple as long as you know how to start. 

80% of guitar players start with strumming. For this type of guitar player, fingerstyle looks really difficult. They are also quite surprised when you teach them fingerstyle as they realize how simple it can be. The other 20% of guitar players start instinctively with fingerstyle. I see that a lot of time, and it’s fascinating because they are kind of different. You give them a guitar, and they start plucking. For this type of guitarist, fingerstyle is easy. Bless them.

Today I am going to give you three killing exercises for beginners. If you are a complete beginner, these are the exercises you want to start with. You need to understand that the Fingerstyle technique is the Right-hand approach.

The exercises you are about to learn are specific technical exercises for the right hand. Because you are a beginner, I want to make sure you know the three main rules to prevent injuries when you start playing guitar.

• Rule 1: Age doesn’t count! It doesn’t matter how old you are. A beginner is a beginner. Make sure you start slowly and practice the exercise step by step. I try to put all the information you need to be safe, but because I am not there watching you, you might practice the exercises wrong. Sit on a chair (no bed or sofa) and use a footstool if you can.
• Rule 2: Does it hurt? Stop immediately! I can’t stress this enough. Pain is a warning signal. If you feel pain, whether the fingers, wrist, elbow, back or neck, stop immediately; you are doing something wrong! Also, make sure you practice the exercise for no more than 10 minutes. I would highly recommend practicing one exercise a week so that you give your fingers time to get used to the movement. Sore fingers are normal at the beginning after you play, but if you experience pain while you are playing, stop immediately and rest for a few minutes.
• Rule 3: Don’t overdo it. Learn your limit! As I was saying, try the exercises for 10 minutes max for the first couple of weeks. Sometimes I see people going too hard at the beginning. They want to learn fast, so they start exercising for too long. When you are a beginner, you need to start slowly. Practicing guitar is just like going to the gym. Take it step by step, and don’t try to lift a hundred pounds on day one. You will hurt yourself.
• Rule 4: Keep your back straight: Sometimes, we are so focused on hour fingers that we forget about an hour back. Remember to sit on a chair and use a foot-stool. I wouldn’t recommend sitting on the couch or bed.

Exercise n.1

We will start training i-m-a fingers (Index, middle, and ring fingers). When you read sheet music, the right hand is indicated with the letter P-i-m-a, which means Thumb, index, middle, and ring finger. We don’t use the little finger.

Now, I am assuming you are a beginner, so I want to keep the left hand really simple. Focus on the right-hand movement, articulation, and timing. In this exercise, we are going to start developing the index and middle finger articulation.

• Tip 1: Lean the thumb on the 6th string. By doing that, you will reduce what I call “bouncing hand.”
• Tip 2: Pluck the string gently with the left side of your fingertip. If you have nails, use both flesh and nail.
• Tip 3: Focus on the rhythm. I don’t really recommend a metronome at that stage but make sure you keep the same timing.

If you are a beginner, you will probably feel a bit of pain when pressing the frets. Take a break every time you need it. It’s fine to set up short intervals when you first start.

Exercise n.2 

In this exercise, we will use the ring finger (indicated with the letter “a”). The best way to start using this finger is to create a simple plucking pattern with thumb and ring finger playing simultaneously. This plucking patter will make the ring finger more “friendly” and keep the volume even.

• Bad thing n.1: Most of the time, the ring finger feels quite unnatural. For that reason sounds either too loud or too quiet.
• Bad thing n.2: For some reason, when you start using the ring finger, you are more likely to “grab and pull” rather than the “gently puck” type of movement.
• Bad thing n.3: Most of the time, the ring finger sounds bad. Because it is the last finger, the plucking angle is slightly different. If you cannot adjust the angle, you will have a wonderful sound with the index and middle finger and a horrible sound with the ring finger.

• Tip 1: You should grow a bit of nail (just a tiny bit) so that you can have better control and attack on the string.
• Tip 2: With a bit of nail, you will also keep the volume even.
• Tip 3: Use enough articulation so that the finger feels more agile.

Let’s go! Some chords might be too difficult for you. If this is the case, practice the arpeggio pattern on the chords you are comfortable with. Good luck!

Remember: Thumb and ring finger play together with the first two notes, then index and middle finger pluck 3rd and 4th string separately. 

Exercise n.3

In exercise three, we are going to pluck the strings at the same time. This is an excellent exercise for beginners because it will improve your timing, control, and accuracy. Again, because I assume you are a beginner, I will keep the left hand really simple. I want you to focus 80% on the right hand and 20% on the left hand. Good luck.

• When you pluck, the strings always use finger articulation. Avoid bouncing on the strings.
• Keep the same volume. Usually, the ring finger is the one that sounds quieter.
• Make sure that the chords sound good. The left-hand fingers should always be placed close to the fret-wire.