Basic Fingerpicking Patterns - Page 5

by Christopher Sung So far, we've just concentrated on just one chord - the C major chord. Now, let's apply the same pattern from last page to some other chords.

In measure 2, we have a D chord. In this case, our picking hand changes from playing the 5th-2nd strings for the C chord, to playing the 4th-1st strings for the D. Thus, our picking hand moves up 1 string.

In measure 4, we have a G chord. In this case, our thumb will play the low note on the 6th string, and our index, middle, and ring fingers take care of the 4th-2nd strings, just as they did for our C chord.

Getting used to picking different sets of strings for different chords is one of the hardest parts of fingerpicking, so be patient with the example below. Slow it down if it's too fast and slowly speed it up until it feels good.