Your Classical Guitar Input Here

P I M A

by Elie
(US)

First of all, thanks a lot for this wonderful website. I like the music sheet with TAB and the videos!!! What more one can get!

While playing the music, I am having difficulty figuring out what finger (p, i, m, or a) to use on the strings. Sometimes it is difficult to see it on the video.

Would it be possible (here comes a demanding student!) to add the letters p, i, m, a on top of each note on future music sheet. That way, I will learn to play the song without picking the wrong fingers and catching bad habits.

Again, thanks for this excellent website.

Elie

Hi Elie,

Thanks for all the wonderful comments. In terms of p.i.m.a. don't get too hung up on it. It's really a guide, albeit a good one. Remember that everyone's different.

The days of Segovia slamming his cane on the floor and demanding fingerings being changed back to what he wrote (he actually did this to a young Christopher Parkening) are long over.

Don't get me wrong, I love Segovia, his playing, music and what he achieved for the guitar but times have moved on. There's no need to be as "fixated" as he was.

You'll notice even in my videos that my fingering doesn't always match what I've written on the arrangement. That's because I've learnt to "trust" my fingers and know that they'll be able to play the notes automatically, as it were.

You've got to get to the point where all your fingers are "strong" enough to play the music. It comes with practice and time.

Hope this helps.

Trevor M.