Ten Fingerstyle Etudes

Written and Performed by Stuart Ryan

Performance Notes

The ʻetudeʼ or short study has long been a mainstay of classical guitar studies and provides the
opportunity for the student to focus on particular areas of technique through the study of short
melodic pieces. These exercises are generaly written with specific techniques or patterns in mind
and allow a dedicated study and practise of the essential elements of fingerstyle playing.

However, whilst there is a wealth of material for the contemporary steel string fingerstyle player to
learn, there arenʼt so many short technical studies that allow the player to hone one area. These
ten short melodic ʻetudesʼ will serve as essential technique builders and warm up exercises. Make
sure you approach each study slowly, understand the relevance of each picking hand pattern and
then slowly build up to the suggested speeds - and beyond!

Guide to Notation

All exercises are written in both standard notation and tablature. Suggested metronome markings
for you to work towards and also given with each exercise. The letters inbetween the tab and the
stave give the recommended picking hand fingerings as follows:

p = picking hand thumb

i = picking hand index finger
m = picking hand middle finger
a = picking hand ring/third finger

Suggested fretting hand fingers are also given - these can be found next to the note heads on the
stave with ʻ1ʼ being the index finger, ʻ2ʼ being the middle finger etc.

Fingering Example:

All material © Stuart Ryan 2011

Etude 1 - This study is designed to increase picking hand speed and fluency. Maintain relaxed picking hand
fingers throughout and let the notes ring out. The thumb is tested here as it must pick strings four and two in
quick succession. You could also employ a more traditional ʻp m i aʼ pattern here though this can be harder
to execute at higher tempos. Suggested tempos - 92/152 bpm
Etude 2 - This study uses a traditional ʻrollingʼ pattern to work all four picking hand fingers across the strings.
Aim for an even dynamic and balance across all the notes and let the chords ring out - clean picking hand
techqnique is very important here. Also ensure you can synchronise picking hand movement with fretting
hand chord changes. Suggested tempos - 88/168 bpm
Etude 3 - The sextuplet rhythm for the first half of this etude provides challenges of speed and timing for the
picking hand. A repeating ʻp i mʼ pattern works well here though you must ensure that the picking hand fingers
are completely relaxed. Watch out for the shift to a straight semiquaver rhythm in bar five when the pattern
descends - this time an ʻm i pʼ fingering will work well. Suggested tempos 66/110
Etude 4 - This chordal idea is designed to allow the ʻpʼ, ʻiʼ and ʻmʼ fingers to work in unison. Each note in the
chord should be sounded with an even dynamic, nothing should dominate so you may find that you have to
moderate those notes plucked with the thumb. Also pay attention to picking hand accuracy, try and let all the
notes in each chord ring out as long as possible. Suggested tempos 80/126
Etude 5 - This melodic descending chord sequence allows you to work on note separation and overall clarity
when fingerpicking. It is also a good example of using a pedal note, a repeated note within a sequence which
is a common feature of fingerstyle. In this case the open B string acts as a repeating figure throughout the
whole sequence. The sextuplets from bar 6 onwards offer a different challenge, try using an index finger partial
barre for the notes on fret four. Suggested tempos 66/92
Etude 6 - This study is all about dynamics - the arrows above the chords indicate that these should be plucked
with more emphasis. This is great for increasing picking hand control and can create some interesting rhythmic
groupings. Maintain a relaxed picking hand throughout - too much tension and you will not be able to achieve
the desired effect. Suggested tempos 66/88
Etude 6 - (cont)
Etude 7 - This is another study for creating interdependence between the picking hand thumb and ʻiʼ finger.
Both sets of fingers need to move down the strings so a good idea is to try and get the picking hand to move
slightly downwards across the strings as you change string groupings. This exercise can also be performed
with a more conventionl ʻpimaʼ fingering pattern though this will be more difficult to execute at higher speed.
Suggested tempos 76/138
Etude 8 - This etude focuses on maintaining a pulsing pedal tone bass notes against which a syncopated
melody is sounded. Keep the fretting hand holding down the chord shape throughout so you can focus on the
picking hand movement. It is also common with this style of playing to palm mute the open A string (string 5)
so the melody notes can ring out even more. Suggested tempos 92/138
Etude 9 - Similar to etude 8 but with the addition of more movement in the bass parts (on string 4) which in
turn creates a greater challenge for the fretting hand. As with the previous study let all notes ring out and try
palm muting string 5 to add more clarity to the melody line. Suggested tempos 92/138
Etude 10 - This final etude is an exercise in clarity - all the strings must be fretted and plucked cleanly and
allow all the notes to ring out. The picking hand must be able to pluck the strings with an even dynamic whilst
the fretting hand fingers need to fret accurately so no adjacent strings are muted or muffled. This is trickier
than it looks with some demanding fretting hand fingerings. Suggested tempos 66/88