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beginnertechnique
Fingerpicking Patterns
Travis-style and arpeggio patterns for acoustic accompaniment.
Objective
Play Travis picking (alternating bass + melody) and a simple arpeggio pattern over a G–C–D progression.
Concepts
- ▸Fingerpicking uses the thumb (p) for bass strings (4–6) and fingers (i, m, a) for treble strings (1–3).
- ▸Travis picking: the thumb alternates between two bass strings while fingers pick melody above.
- ▸Standard thumb assignment: thumb plays string 6 for E-root chords, string 5 for A-root chords.
- ▸Simple arpeggio: p–i–m–a–m–i (thumb, index, middle, ring, middle, index) — a flowing roll.
- ▸Right hand position: rest the forearm on the guitar body. Fingers curve naturally, nails just over the strings.
- ▸Do not anchor the wrist — let the hand float slightly for flexibility.
Diagram / Notation
Travis picking pattern (G chord):
Beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Thumb: E6 A5 E6 A5
Finger: e1 B2 G3
Tab:
e |--3-----------3---------|
B |-----3-----------3------|
G |---------------------------0--------|
D |----------------------------0-------|
A |---0-----------0---------|
E |--3-----------3---------|
p i p m p i p m
Simple arpeggio (G chord): p-i-m-a-m-i
e |--3--|
B |--0--|
G |--0--|
D |--0--| play in order: D A G B e B G
A |--2--|
E |--3--|Exercises
1.Thumb independence warm-up
- 1.Fret G chord. Use only your thumb: alternating E6 string (beat 1) and A5 string (beat 2).
- 2.Keep alternating for 2 minutes. The thumb must be totally automatic before adding fingers.
2.Add one finger
- 1.Thumb still alternating. On beat 1-&: add index finger on string 1 (high e) on the "&".
- 2.Pattern: Thumb E → finger e → Thumb A → finger e → repeat.
- 3.When this locks in, add middle finger on string 2 (B) between thumb strokes.
3.Full Travis pattern through a chord change
- 1.G chord: 4 beats of Travis picking. C chord: 4 beats. D chord: 4 beats.
- 2.The thumb changes strings when the chord changes (G chord uses E6+D4, C uses A5+D4).
- 3.Record yourself. The bass should sound like a steady, unwavering heartbeat.
Tips
- 💡Grow your right-hand fingernails slightly (just past the fingertip) for a cleaner, brighter tone.
- 💡Do not look at your right hand — train it to feel the strings independently.
- 💡James Taylor, Chet Atkins, and Paul Simon are the masters to study for fingerpicking in pop/folk contexts.
- 💡If the pattern sounds mechanical, add very slight dynamic variation — slightly louder melody note than bass.