When we strum, we typically play all of the strings at once. When we fingerpick, we pluck strings individually. My introduction to fingerpicking came via a copy of Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo. In his book, Scruggs outlines his renowned style of playing—it’s called three-finger picking because it utilizes the thumb, index, and middle fingers to play the strings. Classically trained string players are often taught the PIMA method, which adds the ring finger into the mix, but my picking feels much clumsier when I try to incorporate it. Perhaps I would feel differently if I had learned the PIMA method first, but I’ll never know. As is true for many areas of making music, there no singular way of doing things. Try these picking patterns using whatever combination of fingers feels most natural to you.

How to Play a Fingerpicking Pattern

Fingerpicking diagrams use horizontal lines to represent the strings of the ukulele. The letters on the horizontal lines indicate which finger to use to play that string:

Fingerpicking diagrams use horizontal lines to represent the strings of the ukulele, always with the G string on the bottom and the A string at the top. Read the diagram from left to right, playing the strings in sequence with the pads of your fingers. The letters on the horizontal lines indicate which finger to use: T = Thumb; I = Index finger; M = Middle finger. Pick in a downward motion with your thumb; curve your index and middle fingers and play the strings upward. Rest the pinky of your fretting hand on the body of your ukulele, just below the A string—doing so helps you keep your bearings as the other fingers move from string to string. Reading from left to right, play the sequence of notes in the diagram:

Play the “Four in a Row” Pattern

t = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger

First rest the pinky of your fretting hand on the body of your ukulele, just below the strings—doing so will help you keep your bearings as the other fingers move from string to string. Pick in a downward motion with your thumb; curve your index and middle fingers to play the strings upward. To pick the pattern depicted above on an uke in standard tuning, pick the G string with your thumb; the C string with your thumb, the E string with your index finger, and the A string with your middle finger. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Try to play as evenly as possible. Play the pattern with the chord of your choice until you get the hang of it, then try pairing it with one of the songs in the book.

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