Fingerstyle guitar: The ultimate guide to the fingerstyle technique including chords, TABs, exercises and more

How to learn fingerstyle picking patterns

• Step 1: Practice with your picking hand only on open strings without fretting a chord.
• Step 2: Choose one chord with a bass note on the low E string and practice the pattern with your thumb on the low E string. 
• Step 3: Repeat Step 2 for a chord with a bass note on the A string and then on the D string.
• Step 4: Choose one chord shape that allows you to pick all three low notes. Practice the pattern and pick a different bass note each measure.
• Step 5: Choose a chord progression and practice the picking pattern until you can play it at the speed of your choice.

Below you’ll find a diagram showing how to read our chord charts. Below are 4 chords you can use to create a fingerstyle chord progression.

Here are four chords you can use to create an easy fingerstyle chord progression.

3 easy fingerpicking patterns

If you have a basic sense of rhythm and some chords up your sleeve, learning how to play guitar without a pick is just a matter of getting comfortable with fingerpicking patterns.

When you start out, these fingerstyle guitar patterns will feel awkward, and you’ll struggle to stay on the beat. 

The hardest part will be to stay loose! 

Once you lock these exercises for fingerstyle guitar into your muscle memory, you’ll hardly have to think about them.

Fingerstyle picking pattern #1 – T123

We’ll kick things off by translating a simple 4/4 strumming pattern into a T123 picking pattern.

• Your thumb (T) will pluck the bass notes.
• Your index (1), middle (2), and ring (3) fingers will pluck your higher string sets.

Below are the fingerstyle guitar TABs for this pattern.

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If you’re new to reading TABs, here are the basics:

• Read from left to right.
• The six lines represent the six strings on guitar.
• The lowest line is the low E string. 
• The numbers on the lines represent frets.

Check out this in-depth guide on how to read fingerstyle guitar tabs.

Fingerstyle picking pattern #2 – T12321

Here’s another one that you can use with a song in 6/8 or 3/4 time.

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Fingerstyle picking pattern #3 - Multiple notes together

If all of this feels super easy, try out this picking pattern. It incorporates a pinching motion where you pluck two strings at the same time:

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My top 3 tips for practicing a new picking pattern

Here’s what I do to make my fingerstyle guitar training stick:

• I practice the pattern super slowly at first.
• I look at the thumb separately before anything else.
• I only use a single chord shape until I master the pattern.

If you’re stumbling through a pattern, you’re probably (definitely) practicing too fast. 

When the pattern is tricky, I learn what the thumb does first, and then what’s going on with the rest of the fingers.

Once I figure out the basics, I start practicing with a metronome. (We have a free online metronome you can use).

I only increase the speed when I can play a picking pattern without making a mistake (and without tension) five times in a row.

Once you’ve got the T123 pattern down, you can experiment with the picking order of the high notes. 

Try out T321 and T213 patterns if you’ve got this down.

Using open chords to play fingerstyle guitar

Acoustic guitars shine when you let the strings and body of the guitar do most of the work. 

This means: 

• Making use of chord shapes with open strings
• Letting notes ring out as long as possible (or as long as they sound good with the rest of the notes you’re playing)

Now that you’ve learned a few fingerstyle exercises for beginners, try them out by mixing and matching these colorful open chord shapes. 

Here are some fingerstyle guitar chords to get you started in the key of C:

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If you want to play them in a different key, use a capo. 

It’s a common tool for fingerstyle guitarists and the easiest way to move the beautiful sounds of open chords up the fretboard.

What’s next?

There are different routes you can take from here. 

You could

• learn how to play folky thumbpicking patterns to incorporate lively basslines,
• learn how to add melodies to a picking pattern, or
• learn more chords that incorporate open strings in keys other than C major.

While studying fingerstyle guitar looks relatively easy on paper, the patterns can get pretty tricky, real fast. 

The key is to build a solid foundation and master the fundamental mechanics of fingerpicking before moving on to elaborate song arrangements

If you want to dive deeper and learn fingerstyle guitar step by step, check out a free 14-day trial to our Fingerstyle Learning Pathway. 

In this 3-month program, you'll learn everything you need to play solo guitar arrangements. 

Plus, you'll know exactly what to work on at every step of the way.

Playing fingerstyle on acoustic vs. electric

It doesn’t matter which guitar you have at home – any guitar will do for beginning fingerstyle guitar. 

Choosing the right guitar is about your personal preference and what sounds best to you.

Once you progress further and start arranging fingerstyle guitar pieces, you might develop a preference and pick the guitar that’s the best tool for your vision.

I started learning fingerstyle on a classical guitar with nylon strings and these days I am just as happy playing on my acoustic Taylor than I am on my Squier Jazzmaster.

Just to give you an idea, here are three examples of the same song:

• Here’s Jeff Buckley playing his famous cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah on a telecaster. 
• Hear the same song on a classical guitar, the La Mancha Opalo SX/63 to be exact. 
• Yet a totally different version of Hallelujah with a fun percussive fingerstyle guitar style. Look at Trace Bundy’s fingernails! 
  

Choose your genre

Below are three music genres that lend themselves fingerstyle playing. 

Jazz

Jazz guitarists often play fingerstyle when they arrange jazz standards and other popular songs for solo guitar.

This style of playing is also called chord melody.

It involves intertwining melody and chords. 

You can find many chord melody jazz guitar tabs for fingerstyle on YouTube since it’s a common way to learn and teach jazz standards.

Here’s an example of an arrangement by Yuto Kanazawa of Arthur Schwartz’ Alone Together. 

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If you’re interested in more jazz content, check out our blog article with jazz guitar lessons.

Blues

Just like the other genres in this list, blues music has existed for much longer than electric guitar and picks, so fingerstyle guitar blues is a natural combination.

Here’s the famous Doc Watson with a short fingerstyle blues guitar lesson before performing his rendition of Deep River Blues.

He’s using a thumb pick but it’s still worth watching. 

Classical

Classical guitars (or Spanish guitars) are the perfect instrument to learn flamenco style music. 

Or maybe you dream of performing the most classical fingerstyle guitar song of all: The Canon in D by the German baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.

Basic fingerstyle guitar songs

There are so many songs you could be learning. I’ll make your life easier by giving you a few suggestions below.

What are some easy fingerstyle guitar songs for beginners?

You can turn any song into a basic fingerstyle song and that means you can pick one of your favorites.

Here’s how to do it:

• Take the chord progression of a song you already know.
• Instead of strumming each chord, pick through the progression. 
• Use a simple picking pattern.

Voilà! 

You've got the recipe for creating the best beginner fingerstyle guitar songs. 

Once you feel comfortable with one or two picking patterns, it’s a good time to look for some songs that were written to be played without a pick.

The best way to learn fingerstyle guitar is to find a tune you really like and let it motivate you to work on the technique you need to play it. 

You can search the internet and use keywords such as ‘beginner fingerstyle guitar TABs’.

You’ll probably find a sea of material on different websites.

If you’re having a hard time choosing a song, I’ll list a few easy fingerstyle guitar songs below that would be suitable for someone who has just mastered one or two simple fingerpicking patterns.

• Don’t Let the Old Man In by Toby Keith
• Are You With Me by Easton Corbin
• Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
• You Were Meant For Me by Jewel

What are some fingerstyle guitar songs for intermediates?

At this level, you’re ready to incorporate some bass lines or connect chord shapes with melodic lines.

The lines blur between intermediate fingerstyle guitar and advanced arrangements.

Don’t be discouraged if you have to give learning a few songs a try before you find one that suits your level.

Below are a few suggestions of  fingerstyle songs for guitar that might be a good fit:

• Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
• The Wind by Yusuf/Cat Stevens
• Blackbird by The Beatles
• Is There Anybody Out There? by Pink Floyd

Happy Birthday songs

Most people are already very familiar with these songs and that’s a great starting point for learning fingerstyle guitar arrangements.

What better way to send you birthday greetings than via a guitar performance?

Here’s an example of Happy Birthday (Cumpleaños Feliz) on a classical guitar by Paola Hermosín.

There’s also the Mexican tradition of singing Las Mañanitas in the morning to the person who’s celebrating their birthday that day.

Intermediate guitar players can take stab at this arrangement of the German birthday tune Viel Glück und viel Segen.

Christmas songs

Funk guitar expert Jude Smith teaches a fun version of The First Noel in this video below. Another great example of playing fingerstyle on electric guitar.

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FAQs

How hard is it to learn fingerstyle guitar?

The best fingerstyle guitar songs combine bass lines, chords, and melody – and that’s pretty hard to pull off. 

But luckily you don’t have to start there.

When it comes to developing new skills, quality fingerstyle guitar tutorials will definitely help.

A program like Pickup Music’s Fingerstyle Learning Pathway includes pieces specifically composed to gradually increase difficulty.

You’re likely to make better progress when following a well-designed curriculum as opposed to trying to learn random songs. 

How long does it take to get good at fingerstyle guitar?

Everyone learns at a different pace and has different amounts of time to practice, so there’s not one answer that fits all.

In general, you should be ready to invest a few months to get comfortable with a completely new technique and playing style – this includes fingerstyle guitar exercises.

If your definition of “getting good” is performing your own fingerstyle song arrangements, you’ll also have to learn about the relationship between melody and harmony, and find the right chord voicings to play both.

Who is the best fingerstyle guitarist?

There are too many to choose from but if you want to dive deeper into the fingerstyle tradition, I suggest learning more about these players:

• Merle Travis
• Elizabeth Cotton
• Chet Akins
• Tommy Emmanuel
• Kaki King

Merle Travis 

Travis used a playing style that became so widely known, that people refer to it as Travis picking. 

It only involves the thumb and index finger. 

Travis was born in Kentucky and his work was mostly rooted in country music but countless musicians have been influenced by his playing.

Track To Check: Sixteen Tons

Elizabeth Cotton 

The musician from North Carolina was active for many decades before she passed away in 1987. 

Only a few years earlier she had received a Grammy award at 90 years old for a category then called “Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording”. 

Cotton was left-handed and played a right-handed guitar upside down.

Track To Check: Freight Train

Chet Atkins

This Nashville musician has made a lasting impression with his playing during a career that lasted six decades. 

He worked with musicians like Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers. George Harrison from The Beatles was inspired by Atkins. 

Harrison wrote in the liner notes for Atkins’ cover album Chet Atkins Picks on The Beatles: “For me, the great thing about Mr. Atkins is not the fact that he is capable of playing almost every type of music but the conviction in the way he does it.”

Track To Check: Wind and Warm

Tommy Emmanuel

Emmanuel is continuing to carry the torch of the players mentioned above while adding his own spin.

He has written original music but is also well known for his arrangements of popular songs. 

Track To Check: Somewhere over the Rainbow

Kaki King

The Rolling Stone Magazine has called King “a genre unto herself”.

The Brooklyn-based musician is known for her unique use of the instrument and incorporating visual elements into her shows.

Track To Check: Skimming the Fractured Surface to a Place of Endless Light

Is fingerstyle guitar for beginners?

Yes and no. 

Some people find playing with a pick very awkward in the beginning so they choose to play without. 

Using your fingers means you are directly in touch with the strings.

No need to worry about holding a foreign object.

When it comes to picking patterns and playing a combination of chords, bass notes, and melodies at the same time, fingerstyle can get pretty complicated pretty fast.

If you’re a beginner and would like some song suggestions, scroll back up to our section on beginner fingerstyle guitar songs.

Why is the pinky not used in fingerstyle guitar?

People use their pinky mostly as an anchor point – not to pick strings.

It helps them pick the right string because they always keep their hand in the same position.

The reason why people don’t usually use their pinky to pick strings is that in fingerstyle most people divide the six strings into two areas:

• The thumb covers the lowest three strings.
• The first, second, and third fingers cover the highest three strings.

Does fingerstyle sound better?

Everyone has a different taste but if you’ve fallen in love with fingerstyle playing, yes, it does sound better!

How do you shape your fingernails for fingerstyle guitar?

People who use their fingernails for fingerstyle guitar picking often shape them so that they resemble a pick.

If you know anything about picks, it’s that there are many different shapes and styles.

The same is true for shaping your fingernails – it’s an individual choice.

What are the best fingerstyle guitar strings?

The ones you have on your guitar!

Unless they’re rusty. 

Then get some new ones that are right for the type of guitar you have (acoustic, classical, electric etc.) 

Preferably get the same gauge as before so you don’t have to worry about setting up your guitar for a different gauge.

Where do I find fingerstyle guitar TAB PDFs?

Ultimate Guitar offers a pro membership that lets you download any of their TABs as a PDF.

You can also search for fingerstyle guitar PDFs on YouTube. Many musicians provide links to PDFs of their arrangements for free or a small fee.

Learning fingerstyle guitar online and locally (worldwide)

Whether you’re in the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, NZ, or anywhere else around the globe, if you search in Google for ‘fingerstyle guitar lessons near me’, a list of local teachers will appear for you to research and choose from for one-to-one instructional tutorials.

The pros of face-to-face guitar lessons include:

• Every lesson is tailored to your skill level.
• You get immediate feedback on your technique. 
• Your local guitar teacher is connected to the local music scene.
• If you spend a lot of your time looking at screens, you’ll be happy to have a screen-free lesson.
• Your teacher can play along or jam with you in real time.

The cons of face-to-face lessons include:

• In-person lessons are usually more expensive.
• It takes time and money to get to class.
• It’s easier to unsubscribe than to cancel lessons with a teacher you’ve grown fond of but who isn’t serving you any longer.
• An advanced student with very specific goals might not find a suitable teacher in  their area. 

In-person tutorials can be great providing you have the extra time and finances required to maintain the program the teacher has laid out for you.

Online courses and lessons on the other hand provide greater flexibility, lower cost and 24/7 support from a community of members who are passionate about fingerstyle guitar just like you.

Ultimately you’ll make the right choice for your time and budget, and if you choose to learn online, we look forward to supporting you here at Pickup Music.

We have members online 24/7 from all over the world in cities like NYC, LA, Vancouver, Toronto, London, Paris, Rome, Sydney, Auckland, and beyond… so you’ll find lots of awesome guitar buddies to connect with and learn from.

Fingerstyle Guitar Course Online

Pickup Music (Free trial + paid upgrade option) – is the world’s number one online platform for learning guitar. 

Our Fingerstyle Learning Pathway course is super straightforward: 

You’ll have daily lessons guided by experts, you’ll be able to submit videos and receive 1:1 feedback on your playing and you’ll join an active and supportive community forum of guitar lovers as well as masterclasses to attend and interact. 

YouTube Videos (Free) – there’s always a cost to ‘free’.

With free guitar lessons on Youtube the cost is that you won’t have someone pointing out the mistakes that are holding back your progress. 

Without guidance, you’ll waste time going down rabbit holes and might end up watching more guitar videos than playing your instrument.

What are the best fingerstyle guitar methods and books?

Below is a small selection of books from the many available ones that cover how to learn fingerstyle guitar. 

All of the publications listed below include easy fingerstyle guitar tabs and audio or video materials.

Hal Leonard 

This publishing company has numerous books on fingerstyle guitar, with ‘Hal Leonard Fingerpicking Guitar Method’ being the one that covers essential techniques using popular songs.

Ken Perlman 

Perlman is a famous banjo player but he has also written “Fingerpicking Guitar” which covers how to play folk, blues, Celtic fiddle tunes, and ragtime. 

Tommy Emmanuel 

Emmanuel’s most recent book ‘Tommy Emmanuel's Fingerstyle Guitar Milestones’ was published by Fundamental Changes in 2021 and covers the basics of playing fingerstyle guitar.

Beyond Basics Fingerstyle Guitar (Book)

Mark Hanson’s ‘Beyond Basics Fingerstyle Guitar’ features beginning fingerstyle guitar exercises and original compositions that teach the basics of playing with the thumb, index, middle, and ring finger. 

Learn & Master Fingerstyle Guitar

Nashville guitarist Steve Krenz covers different styles of fingerstyle guitar from beginner up to advanced lessons in his book ‘Learn & Master Fingerstyle Guitar’.

Wrapping up

Playing fingerstyle is a wonderful way to showcase the beautiful sounds the guitar has to offer. 

Lots of different musical genres incorporate this technique, so whether it’s pop, rock, jazz, classical, or blues, you’ll be able to apply your fingerstyle skills to the songs you love.

Fingerstyle guitar lends itself well to solo guitar arrangements but juggling bass lines, chords, and melody is a big jump up from using a picking pattern.

Finding lessons that increase in difficulty slowly and deliberately is the key to achieving intermediate and advanced levels of fingerstyle playing.

Yes, I’d Love A Free 14-Day Trial Of Pickup Music To Learn Fingerstyle Guitar From Experts >

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Author: Julia Mahncke

Julia Mahncke is a journalist and musician based in Pittsburgh, PA. Holding a degree in musicology from the University of Bonn and a guitar performance degree from the University of Oregon, Julia is a skilled guitarist with a knack for communicating musical concepts in a straightfoward manner.

She has written, recorded, and performed music as a solo artist, as part of a duo, and as the lead guitarist for the band Meeping. With hundreds of shows under her belt, Julia plays bass in various projects, enjoys participating in jam sessions in Pittsburgh, and remains active as a singer-songwriter.