Fingerpicking pattern p-i-m-a for beginners
The thumb picks the bass and the index, middle and ring fingers each take a string of their own, in a rolling pattern through C, Am, Dm and G7. Giving every finger its own string is the base of all fingerpicking: once the fingers know their strings, the hand can play the pattern without looking and the chords ring into each other like a harp.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 80 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 80 bpm
- Starts at
- 48 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Beginner
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Thumb on the bass, index on the G string, middle on the B, ring on the high E: each finger stays on its own string.
The letters are the Spanish names classical guitarists give the fingers: p the thumb, i the index, m the middle, a the ring. Here the thumb plays the chord's bass note, the index always the G string, the middle the B and the ring the high E, in the order p, i, m, i, a, i, m, i: eight notes a bar.
Rest the hand so each finger sits just under its string and moves only from the knuckle, plucking up towards the palm. The thumb moves down and a little forward, staying outside the fingers. Its string changes with the chord: the A string for C and Am, the D string for Dm, the low E for G7.
Let every note ring: hold the chord shape for the whole bar, so the notes overlap like a harp.
Mistakes to watch for
- The index finger wandering onto the B string as the tempo rises. Each finger stays with its string.
- The thumb and index finger colliding. The thumb plays down and out, the fingers up and in.
- Lifting the chord shape early, which cuts off the ringing notes.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 48
- 52
- 56
- 60
- 64
- 68
- 72
- 76
- 80
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 80 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: p-i-m-a?
The goal is 80 bpm in eighth notes, which is 2.7 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 48 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
What do p, i, m and a mean?
They name the picking hand's fingers, from the Spanish: pulgar (thumb), índice (index), medio (middle) and anular (ring). Tab and classical guitar music use them to show which finger plucks each note.
Do I need long nails for fingerpicking?
No. Steel-string players use the fingertips, nails or a thumb pick, whichever they prefer. Fingertips give a softer sound and are the easiest way to start.
More acoustic exercises
All 20 acoustic exercises · Strumming patterns · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises