How to Turn an Open Guitar Chord Into a Fingerpicking Pattern

Use standard tuning: E–A–D–G–B–E, from the lowest-pitched string to the highest. In the instructions below, string 6 is low E and string 1 is high E. These examples assume standard tuning throughout. Fender’s guide to standard tuning confirms that open-string sequence.

Form an open C major chord with your fretting hand:

• Index finger: string 2, fret 1.
• Middle finger: string 4, fret 2.
• Ring finger: string 5, fret 3.
• Leave strings 3 and 1 open.
• Leave string 6 out of this exercise.

This is the standard open C shape described in Fender’s C chord lesson.

Before adding a rhythm, pick strings 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 individually. Listen for a clear note on each string. If one is muted, adjust the chord and check that string again. This is a useful checkpoint: it separates a chord that needs adjustment from a picking sequence that needs practice.

Keep the chord held while you pick. An arpeggio sounds a chord’s notes individually, and allowing them to overlap gives this exercise its connected sound. Andy Guitar’s basic fingerstyle lesson likewise teaches holding the chord while the notes ring.

Fingerpicking notation often uses p, i, m, and a for the picking-hand thumb, index, middle, and ring finger. These letters identify the picking fingers; they are separate from fret numbers. Fender’s explanation of PIMA defines this notation.

For this lesson, use the following assignments. They are a consistent setup for these exercises, rather than a requirement for every fingerstyle arrangement.

Picking finger	Letter	String in the starting pattern
Thumb	p	5: A string
Index	i	3: G string
Middle	m	2: B string
Ring	a	1: high E string

Say “thumb, index, middle, ring” while touching the assigned strings without playing. Then pluck them in that order. Notice that the thumb skips string 4 when moving to the index finger’s note: 5–3–2–1 is the intended sequence.

The following is a worked practice arrangement created for this lesson. Hold C major and play one note on each count in a four-beat bar.

Count	1	2	3	4
String	5	3	2	1
Fret	3	0	1	0
Picking finger	p	i	m	a

Count aloud: “one, two, three, four.” Play the fifth string on one, the third string on two, the second string on three, and the first string on four. After four, return directly to the fifth string on the next one.

The fret row tells you where the selected note is held. A zero means an open string. You do not need to rebuild the chord for each note; maintain the C shape throughout the bar.

Choose a pace at which you can keep all four notes evenly spaced. If using a metronome, an illustrative starting setting is 60 beats per minute, with one pluck per click. Reduce it if needed. Even timing is the priority in Andy Guitar’s introductory arpeggio lesson.

Listen especially to the join between repetitions. The distance from the final high E to the next bass note should match the spacing between the other notes. A pause at that point makes the pattern sound like separate attempts instead of a continuous accompaniment.

Once the four-note sequence repeats smoothly, play it twice within one four-beat bar. Count “one and two and three and four and.” Each spoken syllable receives one pluck.

Count	1	&	2	&	3	&	4	&
String	5	3	2	1	5	3	2	1
Picking finger	p	i	m	a	p	i	m	a

The string order stays the same; its placement within the beat changes. Your thumb now plays on beats 1 and 3. With a metronome marking the numbered beats, the notes on “and” fall halfway between clicks.

Lower the metronome setting when making this change if necessary. At an unchanged beat setting, moving from one note per beat to two notes per beat doubles the rate of plucking. Treat that as a separate step, rather than expecting the faster version immediately.

For a simple musical variation, bring out the first bass note slightly and keep the higher notes even. Listen for a clear beginning to each bar without letting the bass obscure the rest of the chord.

Now apply the eighth-note pattern to a two-chord loop: one bar of C, followed by one bar of Am. Repeat those two bars.

For open Am, keep your fretting-hand index on string 2, fret 1, and middle finger on string 4, fret 2. Move your ring finger from string 5, fret 3, to string 3, fret 2. String 5 becomes open. These positions follow the fingering list in Fender’s A minor chord lesson.

Chord	String sequence for one bar	Frets on those strings
C	5–3–2–1–5–3–2–1	3–0–1–0–3–0–1–0
Am	5–3–2–1–5–3–2–1	0–2–1–0–0–2–1–0

Your picking hand follows exactly the same route on both chords. The fretting hand changes the notes underneath it. Start the Am shape on the next bar’s first count, then return to C at the following bar line.

If the change interrupts the rhythm, return temporarily to the four-note version. Practice one bar of C and one bar of Am with one pluck per beat. Restore the eighth notes after the transition works at that simpler pace.

When adapting the approach to another chord, identify its intended bass note before moving the thumb. Beginning with the chord’s root is a useful starting choice; the string carrying that root can change between shapes. Andy Guitar’s beginner fingerstyle patterns lesson explains this relationship between the chord root and the thumb’s starting string.

Use this sequence to decide what to practice next. Change one element at a time so you can hear whether the adjustment helps.

What you hear	Check	Next action
One note stays muted	Play that string alone while holding the chord	Adjust the chord before repeating the pattern
The wrong string sounds	Follow the string numbers slowly	Rehearse one 5–3–2–1 sequence at a time
A gap appears after the high E	Listen to the return from string 1 to string 5	Loop that join slowly
Timing slips only during chord changes	Compare one-chord playing with C–Am	Use the four-note version for transitions
The higher notes disappear beneath the bass	Listen to their relative volume	Make the thumb note quieter and repeat

A short recording can help you compare repetitions. Listen for three specific things: eight evenly spaced plucks, the intended string order, and a chord change that arrives on the next one. Use those observations to select the next exercise.

A repeated bass note is enough for this first accompaniment. If you want a moving bass part next, practice alternating the thumb between strings 5 and 4 while holding C. Fender’s Travis picking lesson begins with that bass-string pair, then adds higher-string notes in stages.

Keep this as a separate exercise initially. Alternating bass adds another string choice for the thumb, so establish its rhythm before combining it with the treble notes. Fender describes Travis picking around a steady alternating bass with higher notes played by the fingers.

To finish your first pattern, return to the C–Am loop and play several connected repetitions. Keep the sequence audible, count through the bar lines, and let the chord notes ring. You have a usable accompaniment when the picking order continues through the chord change; from there, choose whether to explore a different rhythm or a moving bass part.

• Standard Tuning: How EADGBE Came to Be — Fender
• Learn to Play the C Chord on Guitar — Fender
• What is PIMA? — Fender
• Fingerstyle 04 - Basic Fingerstyle Pattern — Andy Guitar
• How to Play the A Minor Chord — Fender
• 3 EASY Fingerstyle Patterns For Beginners — Andy Guitar
• Learn the Travis Picking Guitar Technique — Fender