Free stroke with i and m: alternating fingers for classical guitar
Every note twice, once with the index finger and once with the middle, along the high E, then the B, then the G string, and a last bar that walks down across all three. Alternating i and m is how a classical guitarist plays every single-note line, and playing each note twice shows straight away when one finger is louder or later than the other.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, 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
- 4/4
- Level
- Beginner
- Plays with
- A metronome
How to play it
i, m, i, m without a break, even when the line changes string: never two strokes in a row with the same finger.
Every note is played twice, once with i and once with m, in eighths. Bar 1 stays on the high E string: open, then F at the 1st fret and G at the 3rd. Bar 2 is on the B string, C and D at the 1st and 3rd frets and the open B. Bar 3 is on the G string, A at the 2nd fret and the open G, with two open B's to end it.
Bar 4 walks down from E to A across all three strings, one note each: E, G, F, E on the top string, D, C and B on the B string, A on the G. The fingers keep alternating through every string change, never two strokes in a row with the same finger.
For a free stroke, the fingertip plucks the string and follows through into the palm, clear of the string below. The hand stays still; the movement comes from the knuckle.
Mistakes to watch for
- Playing two notes in a row with the same finger at a string change, usually when the line moves down to a lower string.
- One finger louder than the other. Playing each note twice makes this easy to hear: the two should be identical.
- Plucking up and away from the guitar, which makes a thin, snapping tone. Pluck into the guitar, then follow through.
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 Free stroke: i and m?
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.
Why alternate fingers instead of using one?
One finger can't play fast, and it tires. Alternating i and m doubles the speed for the same effort and gives an even rhythm, the same way a pick goes down and up.
Should I use my nails?
Most classical guitarists play with the flesh and the nail together: the fingertip touches the string first and the nail releases it. That gives a clear, round tone. Without nails the tone is softer, but the exercise works just the same.
More classical exercises
All 12 classical exercises · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises