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Easy Fingerpicking
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By Andrew DuBrock
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Unlock the flowing rhythm of Coldplay's "Clocks" with one simple pattern
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  Tune up
Coldplay’s climb to superstardom began in 2000 with its hit single “Yellow.” Since then, the British foursome have charmed critics with their melodic pop, crisscrossed the world on huge tours, and even brushed shoulders with a movie star or two along the way. The band’s sophomore effort, A Rush of Cold Blood to the Head, built on the success of “Yellow” with five standout tracks: “In My Place,” “The Scientist,” “Green Eyes,” “Warning Sign,” and “Clocks.” We’ve only got enough space in these pages to print one tune, so we’ll look at “Clocks.” With its simple chords and repeating pattern, it’s a perfect launchpad for learning to fingerpick. We can’t guarantee it’ll land you a movie star date, but it will certainly help convince potential sweethearts that you really can play guitar!
Before we start, you’ll need to know the common way right-hand fingers are labeled in guitar notation:
p=thumb
i=index
m=middle
a=ring
If you’re trying to figure out where the p in thumb is, you’re not the first English-speaking person to wonder. The letters refer to Spanish words used in classical notation: p is for pulgar, i is for indice, m is for medio, and a is for anular. We’re not going to use your ring finger (a) in this lesson, but it’ll likely make an appearance in your future fingerpicking career.
Basic Patterns
Now that you know why p means thumb, let’s put those fingers to work. Look at Example 1. First, form a D chord with your left hand (if you’re not sure how to make a D chord shape, see Chords 101). Next, rest the fingers of your right hand on the strings as follows: thumb on the fourth string, index finger on the third string, and middle finger on the second string. We’re going to start off by using just the index and middle fingers. Play the second string with your middle finger, as shown, and then play the third string with your index finger. Don’t worry about how long the notes are; just try to keep them slow and even, and repeat the example until you’re comfortable with how it feels. Your index and middle fingers will stay on these strings throughout the whole song, so once you get comfortable playing on these strings, you are well on your way.
Example 1
A Look at Rhythm
Let’s take a moment to check out the rhythm in Example 1. Here, you are picking quarter notes on the beat. That means that if you tapped your foot along with your fingers (or counted “one two three four”) in this example, you would tap at the exact same time you picked each string. Once you’re comfortable tapping along, let’s add in the thumb, as shown in Example 2. The symbol at the end of the measure is a rest (a quarter-note rest, to be exact) which means you don’t play anything on the fourth beat (your foot will tap all by itself).
Example 2
In Example 3, we’re going to get rid of the rest and just repeat those three notes over and over. (The thick double bars and dots that bracket either end of this and the following examples are called repeat marks. This simply means you repeat what lies between the two sets of marks).
Example 3
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