unit lI

month one

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 UNIT ll finger picking style
Month 1 - Week One
unit one revision

finger picking
Fingers
I have illustrated both hand to make clear
the difference between the 2 hands. M
I A

P = primary L
I = index
M = middle
P
A = annular
L = little

The finger names are important.

PIMI

fig.1 fig.2
fig.1
1 The thumb rests on
the string.

fig.2 The thumb plucks

the string downwards
towards the floor.

fig.3 fig.4
fig.3
3 The fingers rest on
the string.

fig.4
4 The fingers pluck
upward toward the roof.

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
Revision.
Either before or during the tune you will see which fingers to use in the form of a string of letters.
For example in this first exercise you can see the letters P M I and these letters tell us to play
the tune using the Primary finger then the Middle finger and finally the index finger. You will
also notice that in many cases because the pattern repeats the fingers will only appear once
or twice.

tune
Drift into night - Sad Fantasy

P M I P M I P M
D F6maj7 Cadd9 Am
2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1
0 0 0 3 3 3 2
3 3 3 0 0

D F6maj7 Cadd9 Am
2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1
0 0 0 3 3 3
3 3 3 0 0 0

Am G6 Am G6
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 1 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 0
3 3 3 3

F G6 Am
1 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0
1 1 1 3 3 3

Chords
F6maj7 Cadd9 G6
XX X
1 1 1

2 3 2 3 2 3

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 tune
Snowfall - Sad Fantasy
P I M A M I
Fmaj7 Fmaj7 Em Em
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
3 3 2
2

Dm Dm C C
1 1 0 0
3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0 2
0 3

Fmaj7 Fmaj7 Em Em
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
3 3 2
2

Dm Dm C
1 1 0
3 3 3 3 1 1
2 2 2 2 0 0
0
0 3 3

Em Em Am Am
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2 0 0

G6 G6 Am Am
0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0
3 3

Em Em C C
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2
2 3

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 P I M A M I
Dm Dm Fdim
1 1 1
3 3 3 3 0 0
2 2 2 2 1 1
0 0 0 0

Fmaj7 Fmaj7 Em Em
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
3 3 2
2

Dm Dm C Cadd9
1 1 0 0
3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0
0 3 3

Am Am Em Em
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
2
0 2
0

Am Am Em
0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0
2
0 2 2

Fmaj7 Fmaj7 Em Em
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
3 3 2
2

Dm Dm C
1 1 0
3 3 3 3 1 1
2 2 2 2 0 0
0
0 3 3

This is the symbol for pause,

pause very briefly or take a breath.

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 UNIT ll finger picking style
Month 1 - Week Two
unit one revision
Revise the time signature lesson from unit 1 (below) because we will be learning fingerpicking
patterns for several time signatures in this unit. Because the time signature tells us how the
rhythm should sound it is important that you play appropriate fingerpicking patterns for the
time signature when interpreting any tunes.

time signatures
A time signature is the numbers at the beginning of a score that look like a fraction.
The time signature tells the you how the rhythm should be counted (the beats per bar).

4
4
Interpreting time signatures

The TOP number is the number of beats in the bar.

The BOTTOM number represents the value of beat.
We have used 4/4 time in many of the tunes you have learned, and 4/4 time is in the
example above. The top 4 means that their are 4 beats in the bar, the bottom 4 tells us
that the beat value is a crotchet which is a 1/4 of a measure. So 4/4 time means that
their are 4 crotchets per bar.

The note value comes from the idea that a 4 beat bar is a measure, therefore a
semibreve is 1. All the other note values are considered to be fractions of the measure.

semibreve = 1 measure minim = 1/ 2 measure crochet = 1/4 measure etc.

List of note Values

1 semibreve

1/2 minim

1/4 crotchet

1/8 quaver

1/16 semiquaver

1/32 demisemiquaver

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 3/4 time signature and picking patterns

3/4 time is commonly associated with waltzes, however 3

Jimi
and even some rock such 4
you have to play just 3 crotchet beats in every bar. You can use any combination of note
values just as long as the final value is equal to 3 beats.
For example, all the bars bellow are in 3/4 time and have 3 beats.

3
4

rhythm for example 3 or 6 notes per bar. It is possible to use none multiples of 3, however this
is more difficult and will take some practise to make work with most tunes.

Examples of 3/4 time finger patterns

Patterns with 3 notes per bar

C P IMA IMA C P I MA C P M I
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0
3 3 3

Patterns with 6 notes per bar

C P I M A M I C P I MA I MA I C P I A M A I
0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3

Patterns that are not multiples of 3.

CP P I MA CP I MA MA CP IMA I MA
0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
2
3 3 3
1 . 2 . 3 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 1 . 2 . 3 .

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 P I M A I M A
D D A A
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 2
0 0

D D A 1st time
2 2 2 2 0 0
3 3 3 3 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2
0 2
0 0 2 4

2nd time

0 2 0

G G A A
0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0
3

G G A A
0 0 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2
2 0 0 2 0
3

G G A A
0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0
3

D A D
2 2 0 0 2 2
3 3 2 2 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0
0

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Exercise 2 - In the following exercises, the thumb or primary finger is used twice.
P M I M P M
F C
1 1 1 0 0 0
1 1
2
3 2
3

Dm C
1 1 1 0 0
3 1
2
0
3 3

F C
1 1 1 0 0 0
1 1
2
3 2
3

Am Dm
0 0 0 1 1 1
1 3
2
2 0
0

Exercise 3
P I M A P I
D E
2 0
3 0
2 2 1 1
0
0 2
0

G A
3 0
0 2
0 0 2 2
2
2 0
3

D
2
3
2 2
0 0
0

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
 tune
guitar study - Sad Fantasy
P I M I P I
C G6 Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 0 2 2
3 2 0 0

C G6 Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1
2
2 0 2 2
3 2 0

F C Dm
1 0 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2
3 2 0 0
3

F C Am
1 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2
3 2 2 2
3 0

Am
0
1 1 1
2
0 0 0

C G6 Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 0 2 2
3 2 0 0

C G6 Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1
2 0 2
3 2 0 0 0

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Em Em
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2
2 2 2 2
0 0 0

Am Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2
2 2 2
0 0 0 0

Am

0 0

Compare the previous pattern with this one

P I P I P I
C G6 Am
1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 (1)
0 0 2 2
2 0 2 2 2
3 2 0

C G6 Am
1 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 2
2 0 2 2
3 2 0 0 0

F C Dm
1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3
2 0 2 2
3 3 2 0 0 0 0
3

F C Am
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 0 2 2 2
3 3 2 2 2
3 0

Am
1 1 1
2
2
0 0 0

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
 UNIT ll finger picking style
Month 1 - Week Three
The Major scale

Lower, one octave Upper, one octave 2 octave

1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4

Lower, one octave 2 octave

IMPORTANT
Try to memorize this scale
1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

As with barre
and in

relative to the scales. The major scale will always start on the
tonic.

Octave
An octave is the gap between the two closest notes with the
same name, or in this case an eight note gap between three
tonic notes.

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 Major scale theory and key signatures
The major scale is like the DNA of western music in that virtually every chord and scale you
use has either come directly from, or has some connection with the major scale.

Most people know the sound of the major scale from the doh, ray, mees.

RAY ME FAH SOH LA TE

The major scale is simply a pattern of tones and semitones or intervals.

The pattern in semitones is

2 . 2 . 1 . 2 . 2 . 2 . 1

The pattern in tones and semitones is

TONE TONE SEMITONE TONE TONE TONE SEMITONE

Exercise

Play the pattern above. (A semitone is a gap of one fret and a tone is a gap of two frets)

Note;
This pattern is so important to the fundamentals of music that the layout of the piano
keyboard has been designed around it. If you play this pattern from C to C on a keyboard
you will notice that a black note appears everywhere a tone is played, or in other words you

Try to play the following pattern starting on any open string

Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone

open fret 2 fret 4 fret 5 fret 7 fret 9 fret 11 fret 12

You will find when playing the above notes that the produce the familiar major scale sound.

Key signatures
At the beginning of the stave for every piece of music you will find a key signature and this
tells us what key the tune is in, or in other words which major scale the tune is played in.

When playing the major scales in different positions on the neck, the number of sharps and
flats played in the scale changes depending on where we play the major scale. Each major
scale has a unique number of sharps or flats in it and when reading music, one of the first
things on the staff is the sharps or flats for that tune. From the sharps or flats on the staff tells
us what key the music is in, or what major scale was used when the music was written.

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 List of key signatures

7 8 10 8 7
8 10 10 8

7 9
7 9 10 7 9 10
7 8 10 7 8 10
8 10

7 8 8
8 10
10 7 9 10

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 and plectrum exercise

7
7 7 8 7 8 10 8 10
8 10 10

7 7 9
7 9 7 9 10 9 10 10
10

7
8 8 10 8 10
7 9 10 9 10 10

8 8

Improvising on the major scale

You can improvise using the major scale in the same way as you improvised using the blues

blues scale. Here below are the steps to improvising with the major scale.

1. Memorize the major scale

1 1 1 1
2. Practise the scale until it is fluent
2 2 2 2
3. Improvise using the backing. fret 8
3 3

4 4 4 4 4
For the first improvisation backing track in the key of
fret 10

| Am / / / | C / / / | F / / / | Dm / / / | G / / / | G / / / |

Some other chord progressions that work with C major.

C , Am , F , G7 C , Am , Dm , G Am , G , F , C Am , Em , F , C

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
 UNIT ll finger picking style
Month 1 - Week Four
Moving bass lines
Exercise 1

P P P I M A M I P P P I M A M I

G Em
3 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0

0 2 3 3 2 0

Exercise 2

P I M A M I M A P I M A M I P P
C C
0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
3 3 3 2

P I M A M I M A P I M A M I P P
Am Am
0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
2
0 0 0

P I M A M I M A P I M A M I P P
Dm Dm
1 1 1
3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0 0
0

P I M A M I M A P I M A M I P P
G7 G7
1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
2
3 3 3

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
Exercise 3
P I M A P I M A
G G
3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0
0 2
3

C C
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 2
3 3

Dm G7
1 1 1 1
3 3 0 0
2 2 0 0
0
0 2
3

C Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 2 2
2
3 2 0

Dm G7
1 1 1 1
3 3 0 0
2 2 0 0
0 0
0
3

Am Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
2 2
0 0

Dm G7
1 1 1 1
3 3 0 0
2 2 0 0
0
0 2
3

C C
0 0 0
1 1 1
0 0 0
2
3 3 3

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
 tune
Only you - Vince Clarke
Verse
P I M A P I M A
C G6 (B bass) Am Am (G bass)
0 0 0 0
1 3 1 1
0 0 2 2
3 2 0
3

F C G
1 1 0 3
1 1 1 0
2 2 (2) 0 0
3
1 3

C G6 (B bass) Am Am7 (G bass)

0 0 0 0
1 3 1 1
0 0 2 0
3 2 0
3

F C G
1 1 0 3
1 1 1 0
2 2 (2) 0 0
3
1 3

Chorus
P I M A I M A
F G
1 1 3 3
1 1 0 0
2 2 0 0

1 3

P I M A P I M A
C G6 (B bass) Am Am (G bass)
0 0 0 0
1 3 1 1
0 0 2 0
3 2 0
3

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copyright G C Hargreaves 2019
 F G
1 1 3 3
1 1 0 0
2 2 0 0

1 1 3 3

C C
0 0 0
1 1 1
0 0 0
3 3 3 3

Arrangement
verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse - chorus

chords

G (B bass) Am (G bass) Am7 (G bass) F

X X X X T
X 1
1 1

2 2 3 2 2

4 4 4 3

T = thumb
Alternative fingerings
G (B bass) Am (G bass) Am7 (G bass) F (barre)
X X X X X
1 1 1

1 2 2 2

3 3 3 3

G (B bass) G G (barre)
X X X X
T 1 1
fret 3
2 2

3 4 3 3

T = thumb

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 24
copyright G C Hargreaves 2019