Right Hand Combinations

Single Finger Combinations:

p

i

m

a

Two at a Time:

pi ip

pm mp

pa ap

im mi

ia ai

ma am

Three at A Time:

Single Forms:

pim pmi pia pai pma pam

ipm imp ipa iap ima iam

mpi mip mpa map mia mai

api aip apm amp aim ami

Double Forms:

pimi pmim piai paia pmam pama

ipmp impm ipap iapa imam iama

mpip mipi mpap mapa miai maia

apip aipi apmp ampm aimi amim

Four at a Time:

Single Forms:

pima piam pmia pmai paim pami

ipma ipam impa imap iapm iamp

mpia mpai mipa miap mapi maip

apim apmi aipm aimp ampi amip

Double Forms:

pimami piamai pmiaim pmaiam paimia pamima

ipmamp ipamap impapm imapam iapmpa iampma

mpiaip mpaiap mipapi miapai mapipa maipia

apimip apmimp aipmpi aimpmi ampipm amipim

Miscellaneous Forms:

pmiamaim aimpipmi (Villa-Lobos Etude #1 patterns)

piami (flamenco tremelo)

These combinations cover rest and free stroke scale technique as well as arpeggio. For scale practice, play all the notes on the same string. For arpeggio practice, play each note on a different string.

For single finger practice, follow the link.

For two at a time, pick one:

1) Play the chromatic scale, or any scale, with each combination.

2) Play each combination on an open string for 1,2,3 or more minutes.

3) Play Villa-Lobos Etude#1 using each two finger combination only.

Underlined combinations can be played rest stroke. Go here for more instructions

While three at a time should sometimes be done on one string, they are mostly arpeggio combinations. Do each one 4,8 or 16 times, or do each for 1,2,3 or more minutes. The same applies to the four at a time combinations.

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