Free self-guided guitar practice

Beginner Guitar Fingerpicking Practice

Fingerpicking is a way to create a flowing accompaniment without strumming every string at once. You can start with open chords and one repeated pattern; advanced technique is not required for the first exercises. Here you can move from simple plucking to alternating bass, coordination and more demanding string changes.

Explore all 10 levelsWatch this exercise on YouTube

How to practise

  1. Rest your picking hand comfortably and identify the thumb and fingers used in the pattern.
  2. On Am and Em, follow a p–i–m–a sequence: bass first, then the higher strings.
  3. Keep each note even at 60 BPM. Repeat before trying a pattern with more movement.

Practise at your own pace

Small movements, a relaxed hand and a steady pulse.

Replay as often as you need. You can mark exercises as practiced in the main library and save your progress locally in your browser. Every level stays open, even if you have never used the site before.

What to try next: Combine this with the chord-change library to keep your fretting hand confident while your picking hand learns a pattern.

Start here

Basic Guitar Fingerpicking | Am–Em | 60 BPM

A free YouTube exercise you can play along with right on this page.

Open exercise on YouTube

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Exact Tone Practice is a self-guided exercise library — not a graded course or a professional qualification. Practise any skill, in any order.