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The technical ability of a guitarist is also evaluated by the versatility that he has both from a practical and a theoretical point of view. The right hand, which is often underestimated, can be a source of study and exercise with the purpose of enhancing your technical ability. All you need to do is look at the many guitarists that have developed their own style, partly due to the way in which they use the pick with the right hand, (for example Al Di Meola, John Petrucci), the fingers (Mark Knopfler, Andrea Braido), or the hybrid pick/finger technique (Albert Lee, Brett Garsed). But obviously the electrical guitar isn't the only instrument that exists. Therefore if you look at how the classical and folk guitars are played, you will see that the use of the fingers of the right hand is fundamental in obtaining a certain sound. Classical, flamenco, and Latin music all use a more traditional fingerstyle.
This section is dedicated to all those people who want a modern methodology using the fingers of the right hand. I should mention that some "historical" methods like a Giuliani, a Carcassi or a Sor, should not be neglected.

Formulation and fundamental exercises.

The correct position of the fingers of the right hand is substantially more complicated than that of the pick. Positioning the hand on the strings can create practical differences, such as the conformation of the hand of each person. The starting set-up is fundamental, where the fingers of the right hand that are used are the thumb, the index, the middle and the ring fingers. In rare cases even the little finger, but mainly the first four. We will analyze a basic position that, and as you will see later, will be modified for particular techniques. For now, follow the lessons that we are about to analyze, with the use of the figures.

The methodology that we will initially use is... numbers. It is an organizational-type system where you need to teach the fingers to work where they are needed. Lets start by abbreviating the fingers of the right hand (we will use the abbreviation of the Italian name):
p = thumb (sixth, fifth and fourth string)
i = index finger (third string)
m = middle finger (second string)
a = ring finger (first string)
Now we can play the notes related to the open strings following a scheme that requires the succession of p, i, m, a, m, i, where the thumb plays the sixth string and the other fingers the third, second and first strings, respectively.

Play the sixth string with the thumb using a downstroke. You should strum the upper part of the string with the fingernail. I must point out that many also pluck the string with the finger-tips, others pluck the string between the finger-tip and the fingernail. Each of these techniques produces a different sound: the sound of the finger-tip, for instance, is much softer than the incisiveness of the fingernail.
The index finger plucks the under side of the third string, using a closing movement of the finger itself. For this finger, as well as for the other two, the pluck can be any of the three methods mentioned above.
As you see from the diagram above, the succession of the fingers is combined to the number related to the strings played. The complete exercise is seen below. Notice that on every line of numbers the only change is related to the thumb. Therefore you play the p on the sixth string, followed by i (third), m (second), a (first), m (second) and i (third string). Moving to the next line, only the thumb is different: in fact we have p (fifth string), i, m, a, m, i. On the next line: p (fourth chord), i, m, a, m, i. The thumb finally returns to the fifth string, while the other fingers follow their own sequence.

Ex. 1

In the next exercise the finger sequence changes on the three upper strings (a, m, i, m, a), while the thumb changes strings every line.

Ex. 2

Now the system should be clear. The following exercises use some different sequences. Try them one by one, using a very slow rhythm and checking the set-up of the right hand.

As you have seen, the procedure is very simple and logical. Now we can start working on the chords using this number system. We have to play every sequence using a different chord for each of them. In the following exercise (same as Ex. 1 above), the first sequence (with the thumb on the sixth string) is played in the chord of Em, the second (thumb on fifth string) in the chord of Am, the third (thumb on fourth string) in D and the fourth (thumb again on fifth string) in C. The bass chords, as you may have noticed, coincide with the bass strings played by the thumb in each sequence.

Ex. 7

Now it's your job to formulate a succession of chords to put into the sequences of the six exercises seen above, using the thumb on the three bass strings, and therefore adapting the chords to the basses that must be played. Below are a pair of exercises that show you how to personalize your own study.

This first series of exercises should be practiced for a few days, in order to obtain good agility with the fingers of the right hand. All this will become useful when studying the execises on the next page, which become more and more complex.

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