Fingerpicking

Fingerpicking lets one guitar sound like a bass player and a harpist at the same time. Your thumb holds down the bass while your fingers play the top strings, and simple open chords suddenly ring out like a full arrangement. This chapter is a fingerpicking guide for beginners, built on open chords you already know.

You'll start by giving every finger its own string: thumb on the bass, index on G, middle on B, ring on the high e, over C and G. Then you'll learn arpeggio patterns in A minor, forward rolls and triplet patterns that sound smooth and even, and pinch patterns where the thumb and a finger pluck together to put a melody note on top. Next you'll fingerpick a full C, Am, F, G progression, the backbone of countless singer-songwriter songs, keeping the right hand moving through every chord change. The chapter ends with hammer-ons and pull-offs that turn a plain pattern into a little tune.

Every fingerpicking pattern comes as tab that plays in your browser with a click, so you can hear how it should sound before your fingers learn it.