Repetition is the number one of the things that will make your guitar play better. If you repeat the same chord progression repeatedly, you will inevitably become good at it (unless you practice the exercise wrong).

The only problem with repetition is that after a while, it makes whatever it is that you are practicing repetitive and boring. If you can find a way to make repetition exciting and musical, practicing the same exercises for hours will not be a problem anymore.

In this lesson, I want to show you how to improve your fingerpicking technique by practicing a simple melody. The goal is to make this melody enjoyable to play so that you get bored quickly.

But how can you make a melody more interesting?

First of all, we will be playing the melody in four different positions. Each position will have a different left-hand fingering. This approach keeps you engaged with the exercise.

We will also pluck the melody with the alternate fingering pattern “Index-middle” or “Middle-index.”

The melody is in the key of G major. It’s a lovely classical motif that you will easily recognize.

I played the melody at 95Bpm. The melody is played with four semiquavers per beat; therefore, it can be quite fast at first.

You don’t have to get to this speed. I recommend that you start without the metronome. Memorize the notes and play them for a while. Once you feel ready, use the metronome starting from 40 BPM.

Enjoy the lesson.