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:

an IMA pattern
an AMI pattern
an alternation (P to I)

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).

About Allen Mathews

Allen Mathews learned guitar as an adult, and has been a full-time guitar teacher for almost two decades to students age 4 to 96. He has taught classical guitar at Reed College and Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and has been a guest lecturer and clinician at schools and universities throughout the U.S. Allen is often praised for his creative teaching abilities, and his dedication to helping adults learn classical guitar. He has a popular Youtube Channel offering regular classical guitar tutorials, and has gained fans worldwide for his weekly emails and articles at ClassicalGuitarShed.com.

Thanks to you (you are my only teacher) in only a few months I've gone from very basic beginner pieces to having just completed learning Bach's Gavottes 1&2 in good form and execution. As a non-classical electric guitarist who has always used a pick and never his fingers, this has been no small feat!

-Gregg Olson

Hi Allen, I am thoroughly enjoying your website and I find it is just what I need in my renewed passion for classical guitar. I have rediscovered a great love for this instrument and the music I can learn and play and it has changed my life for the better dramatically! Thank you facilitating this process.

-George Rogers