by Mickey Cochran
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With this exercise, we're essentially staying with the same effort of learning how to coordinate our left and right hands. The fourth exercise below focuses on playing C Scale Exercises utilizing the same thumb and index alternating pattern. After we've become accustomed to playing basic major scales with our fingerpicking pattern, we can then move onto learning our first melody using the thumb/index patttern.
By now, you might have discovered other apects of playing with the thumb and index fingers...such as the fact that on the downbeat the thumb always comes into play; when the upbeat comes around, the index finger comes into play with an upstroke. In future studies, this type of pattern may change; nonetheless, what we're establishing with these early studies is an innate understanding that the thumb establishes a solid accent and downbeat essential to good meter and essential to distingiushing the melody from other passing tones.
The objective would be to keep an even time as you count through the music. If necessary tap your foot at the same time as you're counting out the 4 beats per measure. Take it slowly at first and speed up only after you feel comfortable with the music.
There will be no fretting involved; the focus is solely on the fingerpicking pattern of alternating the thumb and index fingers.
Notes: Pay special attention to the letters above the tablature. These designate which fingers to use as you fingerpick. The numbers below the tablature indicate the meter and establish the rhythm of the piece. Be extra careful to keep an even tempo as you go through this study. In this first study our focus will be on playing with just the thumb and index finger.
Goals: 1. To keep an even tempo. 2. To hit only the strings designated in the sheet music. 3. To gain facility with alternating between the thumb and index fingers. 4. To learn how to switch over to other strings without faltering or accidentally hitting other strings. 5. To gain the coordination between the left and right hands.
T = Thumb • I = Index Finger • M = Middle Finger
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