The overall concept of PIMA, this acronym is an effective template for learning not only how to play fingerstyle chords and arpeggios in various note order, but also in practicing complex fingerstyle songs.

Here’s the template:

P = Pulgar/Thumb
I = Indice/Index
M = Medio/Middle
A = Anular/Ring

 

Here is the breakdown of the average template-based use of the letters. Usually, the following strings are played in conjunction with the letters used in the acronym, but this is not always the case. It depends on the style of fingerstyle being played.

  • The P (Thumb) is used mostly on the Low E string and the A string of the guitar. Depending on the complexity of the pattern, it can also be used as an anchor on the D string, if only the highest few strings are used.
  • The I (Index) is used mostly on the D string, but can also be used by more intermediate to advanced guitarists on the A string as well. This depends on your ability (or lack of ability) to use the thumb as a major anchor point.
  • The M (Middle) is used almost exclusively in conjunction with other acronym letters but is generally played on the G and/or B string on the guitar.
  • The A (Ring) is commonly played on the B and high E strings. This depends on your usage of the E (4th/Pinky) and how well you are able to actually play with your 4th finger.

Adding The 4th Finger

Here is the overall picking hand placement for the use of PIMA. As you can see in the first diagram, the 4th finger, or ‘pinky’ finger is not labeled. Though you DO use the 4th finger for various passages, usually the 4th finger can act as an anchor for the more beginner to intermediate passages you work with. When applied as an anchor (meaning, resting on the body of the guitar, below the high E string) the 4th finger provides a much-needed rest on your wrist at times when the 4th finger is not needed for play.

There are also many who feel that since the 4th finger is generally the smallest finger, using this finger can cause you to move out of the PIMA box that is created with the acronym. I’m on the fence with this, because though I rarely use my 4th finger, I DO feel that it is important to use all methods of fingerstyle delivery available, so I will touch base on this from time to time, but only for songs or passages that I feel you can play the 4th finger with.

Important: There has been an argument from various guitar books and references that the letter ‘s’ should be used in place of the ‘e’ for the 4th finger. But, there has been no verification of this switch in letters, so we are going to use the only tested method thus far – the use of the letter ‘e’, which in Spanish means ‘mignolo.’ This is the interpretation of the word “PINKY” in Spanish.

The main reason that books argue this (and I’m not sure why it is such a big deal) is that when the letters are shown on tablature as a reference, there is confusion for some beginner guitarists that mistakenly identify this letter as an open E note or as a reference for the high E string, which is usually noted as ‘e’ instead of ‘E’ as noted for the LOW E string. Since I’ve addressed this from the ‘get-go’ we are going to be using the ‘e’ as it has been a proven method for many years. Why change a good thing?