Six Essential Fingerstyle Rhythm Patterns By Bill Tyers

The ability to play a fingerstyle rhythm accompaniment should be an important goal for all aspiring guitar players.

A great fingerstyle part opens up the guitar accompaniment and provides the listener added interest.

This lesson will get you started on this road by introducing some of the most played fingerstyle licks.

We have used the conventional guitar fingering notations on the following rhythms.

Once you are comfortable with this pattern experiment with it on other songs in your repertoire.

This rhythm pattern is great for a slow ballad type song.

Pattern 3 features a strong alternate bass style often called "Travis Picking".

Be sure to use the correct right hand fingering on this rhythm.

It's important to follow the correct fingering as well as the right hand in all examples.

With this rhythm the thumb plays the bass as usual but the upper chords are played with the index finger in a up down motion. The v indicates an up stroke the other symbol means a down stroke.