How to Do Finger-Picking Arpeggios on a 12-String Guitar

The 12-string guitar is played either with a pick or your fingers. Finger picking allows you to play more notes at once and more complex note sequences. It turns an ensemble instrument into a solo instrument.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Grow your finger nails a bit on your picking hand. In finger picking the finger nails pluck the strings. They don't have to be really long, but they do have to be able make contact with the strings without interference from your finger tips. File your finger nails into smooth curves.
2. Practice plucking the open strings with your nails. The pluck is downward, not outward. Work on striking the 12-string guitar's double strings together for a rich, ringing 12-string sound.
3. Work on your hand position. With the palm of your picking hand facing the strings, tilt your finger tips downward to create a slight upward bend in your wrist. This position allows your thumb and first 3 fingers to rest easily on the strings, and works better for finger playing than the straighter picking hand position.
4. Select a simple major chord such as G and play the notes of the chord individually using your nails. A broken chord like this is called an arpeggio.
5. Use your thumb to play notes on the 3 lower guitar string pairs, and your index, middle and ring fingers to play notes on the other strings. Keep your little finger relaxed.
6. Practice finger picking different chords. Experiment playing the notes of a chord in different orders, and notice what melodic effects emerge. Play patterns over and over until you can pick arpeggios in a fluid, relaxed manner as you change from chord to chord.