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Here are eight right hand fingering patterns:
1. a m i a p m i m
2. p p a p m p i p
3. p I m a p a p P
4. p a m m i a p i
5. p i a a m i p m
6. p i m p a `m p a
7. m a a i i p m 'a
8. a 'p -i 'p M I A m
Use each of these 8 patterns to play the chord sequence below. It's supposed to look like music. This is a whole note: ( ) . Sort of defocus your eyes. C, A minor, D minor... Get it?
3 #()
----
2 <> H12
----
--------------------------()--------------------------
() | () | | | () ||
-------------|--------|---()---|--------|--------||---
4 () | () | | 1 () | () ||
G------------|--------|--------|--------|--------||---
4 | () | () | | ||
--------()---|--------|--------|--------|---()---||---
| | | | ||
------------------------------------------------------
()
-()- --- --- -()-
-()- T -#()-
For those of you who can't read music - or can read music, but not that stuff - here's the same thing in tablature.
4/4
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
____________________________________________________
E ___0______|_0______|_1______|__11______|_0_______||_
B ___1______|_1______|_3______|_H12______|_1_______||_
G ___0______|_2______|_2______|__________|_0_______||_
D __________|________|_0______|__10______|_________||_
A ___3______|_0______|________|__________|_3_______||_
E __________|________|________|___6______|_________||_
Play the selected pattern twice through for each chord, making 16th note arpeggios. The example below shows pattern 1 applied to the first measure.
a m i a p m i m a m i a p m i m
---------------------------------------------------------
| () () () () |
--|---------------------------------------------------|--
| () () () () () () |
--|---------------------------------------------------|--
| |
--|--------()----------()-----------()----------()----|--
| |
---------------------------------------------------------
-()- -()-
Or, in the conciseness of tablature:
a m i a p m i m a m i a p m i m
_______ _______ _______ _______
|-|-|-| |-|-|-| |-|-|-| |-|-|-|
___________________________________
__0_____0_________0_____0________|_
____1_______1___1___1_______1___1|_
______0_______0_______0_______0__|_
_________________________________|_
__________3_______________3______|_
_________________________________|_
I have chosen simple chord formations to allow the player to concentrate fully on the right hand fingers. As valuable as these exercises are, spend no more than 3 to 4 hours per day on them.
Just before your fingers start to fall off, grab a pencil and give your brain another sort of workout. Find the words listed below in the grid of right hand fingerings.
Words may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Punctuation and capitalization must be scrupulously observed. Some words may appear more than once, but it is not permissible to use the appearance of a word wholly contained in a larger word, such as "ma" in "amp". Don't even think about it, pal. Cheaters never win.
Words even we know:
a I am ma pa pi
aim amp imp map pap pip
ma'am maim mama papa (pimp) pampa
Words for a crossword nut:
aa - rough, cindery lava. impi - body of warriors.
ai - 3-toed sloth. mamma - milk-producing organ.
ama - oriental wet nurse. mim - primly demure.
ami - friend. pam - jack of clubs.
amia - freshwater fish. pia - brain membrane.
imam - Muslim priest. pappi - bristle tufts on a dandelion.
Musical-type words (how nice!):
p mp pp ppp pppp ppppp
mi p'i-p'a (4-stringed Chinese lute)
Proper nouns and fringy stuff:
Pima - Arizona, um, Indians, uh, redskins, er, aboriginal Americans.
Miami - Sor never played miami, right?
Mimi - John Lennon's aunt.
mmm-mmm - Campbell's soup goodness (alleged).
MIA - (upon revisiting this page, no joking matter.)
APOLOGY: to all Western Samoans for missing out your capital, Apia.
It's too late now, friends.
THANKS: The whatsit chord in measure 4 is based on one created by Stephen Funk Pearson in "Four Skaals", no. 3. T = left hand thumb.
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Helpful keywords not in the main text: right hand exercises; classical guitar.
And if you liked this one, please visit my page of Scrabble II for word lovers!