Finger Names for Classical Guitar | This is Classical Guitar

Left Hand Finger Names for Guitar

The left hand fingers on guitar are named 1, 2, 3 and 4. The thumb does not have a specific name other than thumb because in modern guitar technique we generally don’t use it to fret any strings. Below are the names of the left hand fingers.

Index Finger = 1
Middle Finger = 2
Ring Finger = 3
Pinky or Little Finger = 4

Right Hand Finger Names on Guitar

Right hand finger names are most often used for classical guitar, fingerpicking, or fingerstyle but these days even electric players tend to use these names. The origin of the names come from the Spanish words for the fingers.

Right Hand Fingers:

Thumb (pulgar) = p
Index (indice) Finger = i
Middle (medio) Finger = m
Ring (anular) Finger = a
Little (chiquito) Finger = c

Left Hand Technique Video for Classical Guitar

You can see my full lesson on Left Hand Position for Classical Guitar with video, photos, tips, and diagrams. The five main left hand tips for beginners I mention in the video are:

Left wrist is straight, not over-extended
Left palm and knuckles are parallel with the strings
Left hand thumb is vertical and behind 2nd finger
Left hand fingers are curved and on fingertips
Left hand fingers play very close to the fret

Right Hand Technique Video for Classical

You can see my full lesson on Right Hand Position for Classical Guitar with video, photos, tips, and diagrams. Main right hand tips for beginners I mention in the video are:

Your right arm contacts the guitar below the elbow but well before the wrist
- this will vary based on your size and the guitar size
Your right hand should be somewhere near the rosette (especially beginners)
Your right wrist is straight, that is, in-line with your forearm
Your fingers move in toward the palm