Article Tags: fingerpicking skills practice

Working with a student who needs to strengthen right hand fingerpicking skills. What we did is do some simple arpeggio patterns over a simple chord progression. The chord progression doesn't matter but here's what we did.

Chords:
Am G C E one measure each (yes, that's from Tamacun)

Apeggio Patterns:
p i m a - p on the root, i m a on the G B and E strings, this makes an ascending arpeggio, do 16th notes

p a m i - p on the root, a m i on the E B and G strings, this is a descending arpeggio, do 16th notes

p i m a m i - a combination of the above two, do as 16th triplets

Use a metronome and start slow, focus on evenness of speed and the tone of each note. If there's one thing I've learned in a couple decades of playing guitar, focus on it slow then push the tempo. You need to train the tendons in your hands to do these different movements. Sure 'real' songs are often more complicated, but these exercises are building blocks.

Added on: 2008 10 20