PIMAMI Arpeggio Pattern for Classical Guitar
This common pattern is another “combination pattern”. This means that we combine our primary arpeggios to come up with longer, more complex patterns (like this one!)
You can graduate to this pattern after mastering the primary arpeggio patterns.
We can think of PIMAMI as a combination of 3 different things:
You may notice, this is an elaboration of IMAM (aka AMIM), and is also similar to PIMA.
To play PIMAMI:
- P plays, alternates with I
- I plays, M and A throw
- M plays
- A plays, M and I throw
- M plays
- I plays, alternates with P
When first practicing this one, be sure to take your time and articulate each movement as a “snap” (as opposed to drifting from note to note).

Hi, I’m Allen Mathews.
I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in love with classical guitar in my 20’s. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn’t get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn’t see the way forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to discover a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I help guitarists find more comfort and flow in their music, so they play more beautifully.
Click here for a sample formula.
These warm-up and stretching exercises are helping me a lot! Because I’m a software developer I have to stay 8 hours typing on a computer keyboard, so I use my hands a lot during the day. At night, when I have some time to practice the guitar my hands and arms are usually in pain because they have been working a lot during the day, but I’ve found that doing the warm-up/stretching exercises in The Woodshed releases me from this pain and I’m then able to practice after doing them.
You are building a very interesting and working guitar course, because for what I’ve seen so far it really works!
~ Ulysses Alexandre Alves
-Ulysses Alexandre Alves
I also want to thank you for including more video lessons on the Bridges Guitar Series. I have learned to play Calatayud's Waltz. The most exciting thing about having done this is that I sight-read the entire piece as I was learning it. Six months ago looking at a sheet of music was like looking at Egyptian hieroglyphics. Learning to read notation is empowering and I appreciate the sensible way you are teaching us to learn to read music.
~ Steve Simpler
-Steve Simpler
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