Today’s article is a guest post from guitarist Brett McQueen.

I think fingerpicking was one of the hardest things I had to learn for guitar. I always had problems getting my fingers to be steady and independent enough to cleanly pluck a string. However, like anything else, you have to start somewhere and it just takes some time and practice.

In this lesson, we’re going to look at a basic fingerpicking pattern, one that helped me develop some independence between my fingers. You’ll be able to use this for many different types of songs and over many different chords.

Finger Position

I see a lot of beginner fingerpickers using only their thumb and index finger to pick. Some people I’ve seen are surprisingly fast and quick at this, but by using only these two fingers, you really limit your speed and accuracy in the long run. What we want to do is use four fingers instead of two–our thumb (T), index (I), middle (M), and ring finger.

Generally, your thumb will be responsible for plucking the lowest three strings – the E, A, and D strings – while your index finger will be responsible for plucking the G string, your middle finger the B string, and your ring finger the high E string. This whole position can move up or down a string, but this should be considered your “start” position.

Fingerpicking Pattern #1

Our first fingerpicking pattern will use that default position. We are going to play over a C major chord. You will need to know how to read guitar tab to see these patterns.

At the top of each tab, we have the designated finger we will use to pluck the note, while at the bottom of the tab we have the meter or the time in which we will play the pattern. We will want to be counting out the time as we play.

As you can see, we will use our thumb to pluck the C note on the third fret of the A string, then our middle finger to pluck the C note on the 1st fret of the B string, then our thumb pluck the E note on the second fret of the D string, and then our index finger to pluck the open G string. Then, we repeat the pattern.

You will want to start very slow at first. Speed will come naturally as you get more comfortable, so don’t force it. Each string should ring out clearly and without any buzzing. When you can play this pattern up to speed with your eyes closed, you’re ready to move on.

Alternating Bass Fingerpicking Pattern

Once we get comfortable with the first pattern, we can use the same C chord but alternate the bass notes being plucked. The rule of thumb is that you want to pluck the bass note that is the root note of whatever chord you are playing. For example, in this case we are playing a C chord, so the first bass note we pluck should be a C note.

In this pattern, we will alternate the bass from the C on the third fret of the A string to the G on the third fret of the low E string.

Again, you want to start slow, and you want to make sure you are counting aloud and playing in time. Each note should ring out clearly without any buzz or interference.

Adding a Chord Change

When you feel up for the challenge, you can even add in a chord change with the alternating bass fingerpicking pattern. In this example, we will change from a C major chord to an A minor chord. You’ll notice that we alternate the bass in both chords.

Again, start slow and practice good time. When you get a good grasp on these patterns, you can start applying them to different songs you know by just modifying the tempo and the chords you play the pattern over. What songs can you think of that this pattern could fit over.