FINGERSTYLE EXERCISES SERIES

This one is a little different, but not by much. IвЂ™ve changed the PIMA to standardВ tab notation so that it is easier to grasp immediately but have included itВ in the tablature at the top of the staff. Here I will supply you with the STYLE from above and you are to play in theВ appropriate order as it appears from above. The general rule with PIMA is a basic guideline and the 4th finger manyВ times is вЂnestedвЂ™ using the C-cup formation weвЂ™ve already talked about. WeвЂ™ll try to changeВ that a little, because when you get into work by Tommy Emmanuel and Chet Atkins,В not only will you have a need to use your 4th finger at times, but youвЂ™ll probablyВ wish for once you had another set of fingers to work with!Дў. Though the pinky (4th) finger is actually the STRONGEST finger on yourВ hand ( I know, it seems strange, but itвЂ™s based on the muscle structure ofВ your hand) it is rare that you use it solely to play a note. But Wait A MinuteДid you notice that using PIMA completely eliminates the use of your 4th finger,В or вЂpinkyвЂ™ finger? There are two reasons for this:ДЎ. ItвЂ™s based on the вЂboom-chuckвЂ™В that is so common in classical/fingerstyle guitar.

This is what you will PROBABLY be most familiar with. It still uses the acronym,В but really enhances your picking hand movement. This is a very common pattern in classical guitar. This exampleВ proves that the acronym can be adjusted accordingly. This mixed pattern set still uses the PIMA, but in various order.

FINGERSTYLE EXERCISES SERIES

You will recall that weвЂ™ve talked about the difference between arpeggios andВ actual fingerstyle guitar, where arpeggios are individual notes played out,В and sometimes fingerstyle guitar uses more than one individual note WITHINВ an arpeggio, right?В For the purpose of this series of basic exercises, we are going to use PIMAВ in the form of arpeggios, and then add to it with fingerstyle. The вЂњi, m,В aвЂќ just change string placement. Notice that all вЂњPвЂ™sвЂќ areВ on the Low E string, followed by the next series of letters. Here we have a basic legend that uses PIMA. It is also called TIMA, but that is only because the вЂњTвЂќ standsВ for thumb instead of вЂњPвЂќ for вЂpulgar.вЂ™ Since PIMA is a much olderВ acronym, weвЂ™ll be using it, as it will probably appear as PIMA in your futureВ studies.

I will be supplying you withВ the tablature, but also an overall legend using PIMA. Using PIMA will allow you to create your ownВ exercises without having to stare at tablature.

In fingerstyle accompaniment you are mostly playing chordsВ and always changing string, so that rule about using a different finger forВ each of the upper strings works well.ДЇor now, we donвЂ™t have to focus too much on this idea, but I want to introduceВ you to it because it allows you to play ANY note on the fretboard for practiceВ in your own personal studies. When twoВ consecutive notes are on the same string, you usually alternate between i, & mВ or m, & i.В This is really a general rule about fingerstyle accompaniment, rather thanВ solo fingerstyle. What is important about this is that this acronym is a basic guide into fingerВ picking based on the same concept of вЂњ Eat A Darn Good Breakfast EarlyвЂќ (EADGBE)В and the color wheel/rainbow of вЂњROY-G-BIVвЂќ ( Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet).В ThereвЂ™s a general rule in solo fingerstyle playing, especially in classical,В that you donвЂ™t use the same finger twice, apart from the the thumb. PIMA is an acronym that stands for: P = Pulgar = Thumb Since we should already all know about basic openВ chords and basic barre chords, the вЂfrettingвЂ™ hand exercises involve techniquesВ weвЂ™ve already learned under вЂњBasic Techniques 1вЂќ for added depthВ to the playing.

Each exercise includes a variation for bothВ fretting and picking hand. Here is a collection of basic fingerstyle exercises that will help you buildВ up your fretting and picking hand.

Fingerstyle exercises