This article continues similarly to Alternate Picking Using Three-Note Triads In Close Voicing Along The String. (See that article for a more thorough overview of the fundamental concepts.) Instead of using three-note chord inversions in close voicing, this post will focus on utilising a four-note chord, with one of the notes in the chord doubled up. Employing a fourth string allows exercises to develop fingerstyle picking patterns using the thumb and three fingers, with each finger allocated to an individual string. Furthermore, these exercises can explore rhythmic ideas alongside chord notes on the fretboard.
Fingerstyle Notation: An Introduction To PIMA
Sheet music written for classical or fingerstyle guitar often includes one of the letters of P-I-M-A alongside the note on the stave or underneath the tablature. Each letter comes from the Spanish word for thumb and finger.
- P = Thumb
- I = Index
- M = Middle
- A = Ring
Sometimes, people refer to each picking finger numerically; each row in the table identifies the same finger.
| P | Thumb | Thumb |
| I | Index | First |
| M | Middle | Second |
| A | Ring | Third |
Fingerstyle Picking Patterns Along the Fretboard
The first exercise on the sheet music below is often called a forward roll. The chord notes are arpeggiated, following a P-I-M-A pattern through each inversion.
The second exercise displayed is sometimes called a backward roll. Other than the thumb, everything is in reverse and follows the pattern P – A – M – I. It can sometimes sound slightly confusing when ascending, as the last note of each bar is the same as the beginning note of the next. When descending, this doesn’t occur.
The following exercise combines a forward and backward roll. The pattern is P – M – I – A. Unlike the forward and backward rolls, it’s less obvious to hear the direction of the pitch altering the sounds textures.
The following exercise is almost identical but includes an additional thumb stroke every time the index finger picks the string. Each thumb pick is every quarter beat, and on the sheet below, the notes are represented as tied notes.
The final exercise differs from the others as it utilises a triplet-based rhythmic pattern, whereas the previous exercises in this post utilise an eighth-note rhythmic pattern. The physical technicalities are very similar; using PIMA, the pattern becomes P – I – M – A – I – M.
Final Thoughts
Fingerstyle guitar requires different techniques than using a pick. Utilising a specific chord and its inversions allows exercises that focus on developing fingerstyle techniques alongside rhythmic devices while also learning the notes and inversions of a chord, creating an almost symbiotic process for developing rhythm, harmony and technique simultaneously.