Guitar Fingerings for the Right and Left Hand
Left Hand Fingering
The fingers on the left hand are numbered 1 through 4 as follows:
- 1 - Index
- 2 - Middle
- 3 - Ring
- 4 - Pinky
Although it is rarely used for left hand fingerings, the thumb is often indicated with a 'T'.
Fingerings may occasionally include a zero, which indicates that a string is open. This is important due to the possibility of playing some notes as both open strings and fretted notes.
These fingerings are indicated in music by placing the number above, below or beside the note it affects. The position of the fingerings will depend on the individual publisher and the need to avoid collisions with other symbols on the staff.
Finger numbers are stacked on top of each other when the fingers should play two or more notes together. The lowest number corresponds to the lowest note in the chord. These numbers may be placed next to the notes of the chords so that it is clear which finger goes with which note.
Fingering Isn't Always Provided
Finger numbers are generally only included when it isn't obvious how a passage or chord should be fingered or if a non-standard fingering is to be used. If no fingering is specified, it is usually because the editor assumes that the fingering would be obvious to a player skilled enough to play the music.
Fingering for Repeated Passages
Fingerings are rarely given when the same passage occurs multiple times in the music. You are expected to remember the fingering from the first time the passage occurred. The exception to this is if the fingering should be different, which may be necessary if the music before or after the passage requires an alteration of the fingering to play correctly.
Right Hand Fingering
Right hand fingerings are generally indicated by abbreviations of the Spanish names of the fingers (PIMA). The chart below shows the fingerings with a few variations on the standard fingerings:
| Abbreviation | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| p (or occasionally T) | thumb | pulgar |
| i | index | indice |
| m | middle | medio |
| a | ring | anular |
| e or c | pinky | meñique |
Fingering indications are usually placed below notes for the thumb, and above them for the index, middle, and ring fingers.
The letters may be stacked on top of each other to indicate a fingering when two or more notes are played at the same time.
