16th-Note Subdivisions
Split one beat into four and you get 16th notes. Count them: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a ("one-ee-and-uh"). Funk, reggae and modern pop rhythms live here.
- Your hand now moves on every 16th: numbers and "&" down, "e" and "a" up.
- Keep the tempo low (60–80 BPM) since there are 4 motions per beat.
- The rhythm comes from skipping some strokes "in the air" — the hand never stops.
Straight 16ths
Syncopated funk pattern
When accents shift onto the "e" and "a", the groove appears.
Set the metronome to 1/16 and just count. Then move your strumming hand without touching the strings. Finally add the strum. These three steps make 16th rhythms stick.
Fingerstyle Patterns
In fingerstyle the picking-hand fingers are named by letters: p (thumb), i (index), m (middle), a (ring). The thumb plays the bass strings (6–4), the fingers the treble strings (3–1).
Travis picking (C chord)
The thumb alternates steadily between two bass strings (T) while the fingers fill the "ands" on the treble strings. A country and folk essential.
e|-------0-------0-------0-------0-| B|---1-------1-------1-------1-----| G|---------------------------------| D|-----2-------2-------2-------2---| A|-3-------3-------3-------3-------| E|---------------------------------| T i T m T i T m
e|-------3-------3-| B|---0-------0-----| G|-----------------| D|-----0-------0---| A|-----------------| E|-3-------3-------|
Arpeggio pattern (Am, p-i-m-a-m-i)
The flowing sound of classical and ballad guitar. Each finger "owns" a string: i → string 3, m → string 2, a → string 1.
e|-------0-----------0-----| B|-----1---1-------1---1---| G|---2-------2---2-------2-| D|-------------------------| A|-0-----------0-----------| E|-------------------------| p i m a m i p i m a m i
The thumb's rhythm must never break — it's your drummer. Play the thumb alone first, then add fingers one at a time.