finger picking | chords | strings

Question:

How you know which strings to play when you are finger picking?

Answer:

Essentially there are two main finger picking patterns:

(a) 3/4 pattern (for songs in 3/4 time e.g., three beats to the bar) right hand picking code Thumb 1 2 3 2 1

and 

(b) 4/4 pattern (for songs in 4/4 time e.g., four beats to the bar) right hand picking code Thumb 312 1312


Here is how the codes work:

Your thumb (of your picking / strumming hand) plays the bass note of the chord, the thumb can play either the 4th / 5th or 6th string depending on the name of the chord. In other words if the chord was *D* you would play the 4th sting open (D), alternatively if the chord was *A* you would play the 5th string (A).

The other numbers represent the individual fingers:

1 = 1st finger (this finger plays the 3rd sting)
2 = 2nd finger (this finger plays the 2nd sting)
3 = 3rd finger (this finger plays the 1st sting)

Now, for a working example, let's play a *D* chord in 3/4 time.

step 1 : Thumb plays 4th sting open (D)
step 2 : 1st finger plays the 3rd string
step 3 : 2nd finger plays the 2nd finger
step 4 : 3rd finger plays the 1st string
step 5 : 2nd finger plays the 2nd finger
step 6 : 1st finger plays the 3rd string

all this is done while holding the *D* chord shape

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