Fingerpicking in 3/4: a waltz arpeggio
Six notes to a bar of 3/4, thumb, index, middle, ring, middle, index, rising and falling over Em, C, G and D. The arpeggio fits a waltz exactly, so the pattern starts again with the thumb on each bar's first beat. It's the accompaniment of many folk ballads, and it trains the fingers to roll back down the strings as evenly as they went up.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 100 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 100 bpm
- Starts at
- 60 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 3/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Up with p-i-m-a, back with m-i: the thumb lands on the bass on every first beat.
Six notes fill each bar of 3/4: the thumb on the bass, then index, middle and ring up the G, B and high E strings, then middle and index back down. Counted '1 and 2 and 3 and', the thumb lands on every 1 and the ring finger on the 'and' of 2, the top of the arpeggio.
The bass notes are the low E for Em and G, the A string for C and the open D string for D. Hold each chord for the whole bar so the arpeggio rings.
Coming back down, m then i, is where the notes usually turn uneven: the fingers are less used to that order. Listen for six equal notes.
Mistakes to watch for
- Accenting the ring finger at the top, so its note pops out of the arpeggio.
- A gap before the thumb's note on 1 while the fretting hand changes chord. Start the change during the bar's last two notes.
- Plucking with the whole hand instead of the fingers. The wrist stays still and the fingers move.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 60
- 65
- 70
- 75
- 80
- 85
- 90
- 95
- 100
That's 16 loops and about 3 minutes before you're playing at 100 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Fingerpicking in 3/4?
The goal is 100 bpm in eighth notes, which is 3.3 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 60 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Can I use this pattern for songs in 3/4?
Yes. Most songs in 3/4 can be fingerpicked with it, a bass note on 1 and the arpeggio filling the bar. For a song in 4/4, add two more notes or use the p-i-m-a pattern instead.
Should I use a thumb pick?
It's up to you. A thumb pick makes the bass louder and brighter, which suits country and folk; bare fingers are softer and easier to start with. The pattern is the same either way.
More acoustic exercises
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