The Trick to TRAVIS PICKING Learn it in 10 Minutes! (Plus free chord charts!)
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- Опубліковано 19 лис 2023
- Learn Travis picking and you'll be able to play almost any picking tune you like. Named after the legendary guitarist Merle Travis, it's the most popular picking style in the world.This short tutorial will show you how to make light work of it. As always there's a method (a trick) to remembering what to do but trust me, it's really easy... when you know how! Click the link for my 'idiot proof' chord and finger position charts. They're free! www.bluenoteguitarschool.com/i...
ok, i took up the challenge.
after about 100 hours and 2 months into it i am finally approaching ludicrous speed with getting a more acceptable number of stumbles per minute. it will takes months to eliminate them completely while changing chords and/or string sets.
getting to this point was in no way easy.
doing this at a walk is easy to learn and pretty easy to do once your right hand gets the basic idea.
getting competently past a walk takes serious work, dedication, perseverance, and...pain.
your picking hand will fight back, you have to force it, even when it wants or demands you stop KEEP GOING! as fast as you can, even if you are to the point that your fingers refuse to move. everyday.
If you don't, you will be stuck in walk land forever. its work.
i started with 5 minute forced marathons and progressed to 10, 12, 15 min at a time. now much more. I didn't really worry about doing the picking pattern perfectly while forcing, it was more about getting the picking hand to do the motion and not stopping.
thanks, rob, for showing that that i could actually do this.
signed: a 40 year power chord poser.............
Good advice, I'm two months in now but haven't hit it as hard as you have. Saying that I think I may take your advice as it seems to be a better option than the path I'm on.
@@JohnMcintosh-dm1gn the up side is that once you get it, you got it. i'm now at the point that i just brush up here and there now. If I can do it, you can.....
Really helpful and easy to understand video, the first of yours I've seen, will be checking out more - thanks a lot. ATB
Really good, fundamental lesson.........that is absolutely essential. You are a great teacher. And this is coming from ( me ) a 62 yr old, lifelong guitarist. I gigged professionally ( guitar/singing/blues harp ) for many years & eventually grew tired of the club/lounge scene & "retired" back in 2003. But the music lives on with me, as I'm back into playing again.
Best travis picking lesson I have seen, thank you.
Priceless, always thought I could never finger pick but your breakdown has changed that thought. I'll be 64 next week and learning something new. Thanks.
Years ago, I had the pleasure of socializing with a young man who had been a professional Las Vegas pit band guitarist. This was in Memphis, TN. They had a blue grass "opry" out in a neighboring small town, Lucy. It was simply called the Lucy Opry, and almost everyone knew what you meant. After he had been in Memphis a few weeks, he found his way out to the Opry, and just a while later, he played in the "opry" talent show and won. When asked how long he had been playing "grass" he replied, "about 2 weeks.
Point is, if you are proficient at one form of music, it does not take much time to learn another. As one poster here referred to it, "pattern" picking is the basis of all finger picking styles. That's what I did for years because, as the poster implied, I used it as accompanist for my singing. However, once I decided to try adding melody notes along with the pattern, it was not that hard. I did learn the intro lick to Fogelberg's "Leader of the Band" in just a few minutes.
One more thing, you don't see many "pickers" doing any complicated riffs while singing. When they start sing, they resort to the patterns.
Thank you, you made me understand this so much quicker than anyone else.
Happened upon your channel and I had to stop to compliment you for your no nonsense, direct and intelligent manner of instruction. Thank you for as much and for sharing your excellent talent for playing, too!
Outstanding, short, clear and concise tutorial. Much appreciated!
Excellent lesson ! Simple and concise. Thank you.
Amassing work, Rob. Very easy and helpful.👍
Love your style Rob , demystifying the guitar and making it simple , cheers .
Really great approach, no frills and easy to follow instructions. Thank you!
Thank you. My great grandfather was Earl Travis, first cousins with Merle Travis. Merle got his first guitar from my grandfather. I grew up hearing the stories, and now I am trying to learn Travis picking and this was very helpful.
I’m from the next town over from Drakesboro and learned Travis picking there back in the 60s from a guy who had learned from Merle. What the fellow is teaching in this video is folk style finger picking, not Travis picking.
Merle used two fingers, but by definition this is Travis Picking. The technical term is alternating thumb style, which if you want to be a purist, that is probably a better name for this guys finger picking style, but everyone knows this as Travis Picking. I am learning the pure 2 finger style, I would guess like you play. I am curious who you learned from. My family is from Browder. @@jysmtl
@@TheCommonSenseProfessor Good for you for deciding to keep the tradition going. His name was McPherson. I could have the spelling wrong. It was a long time ago. Around ‘66-‘68 or so. He was a fantastic player. I recall he was from Drakesboro, but I might have that slightly wrong, too. I heard he died in a car crash driving home from a gig quite a long time ago now.
He could play anything, including Travis picking. He taught us differences between the way Merle and Chet played. Chet had heard Merle on the radio and that’s how he picked it and added to it over the years.
I’ve been clicking around UA-cam and see that a lot of people are saying that any alternating thumb on bass strings is Travis picking. I think that’s very wrong. There’s a world of difference between folk style finger picking - even if much of it entails alternating thumb on different bass strings - and Travis picking. Paul Simon is a great great player. Peter, Paul & Mary style is great, but it ain’t Travis style.
You’ve got to get that thump thump thump going, with palm muting and locked-in solid on the rhythm with whatever’s the lowest note on the 6th or 5th string, alternating down to usually the 4th string. Often on that second hit with the thumb pick you hit two strings at once, the 4th and 5th together (depending on the chord and all). Then melody on top, of course. For melody, even though Merle only used one finger, it’s okay if you use two. Just using index finger only is not what gives the distinctive Travis picking sound.
I’m just a hacker, not a true expert, but I’ve been around Travis picking since that time and played (my poor version of) Cannonball Rag probably about as much as anybody. I’d suggest listening first of all to the playing and teaching of (Merle’s son) Thom Bresh (here’s a good one ua-cam.com/video/P6l3GKN6AEE/v-deo.htmlsi=WPU4hb5fLOzSWQ8U ). Or any of the great players who have kept Merle’s and Chet’s styles alive, honestly sometimes taking them even further. Tommy Emanuel, Doyle Dykes, plenty of others. They get the style, the sound, the feel of Travis picking. That’s the way I see it and hear it. Best of luck with your learning!
@@TheCommonSenseProfessor
Hey my great grandmother was Odra Travis. She was also first cousins with Merle and I guess your great grandfather as well. Small world!
@@rbh615 That is a small world. My Grandfather was Earle Travis.
Great lesson!! Love finger picking songs.
Thanks Rob.Excellent lesson.Cheers Jim
Just stumbled across this - never seen your channel before. Been playing 30+ years but learned something straight away. Like everyone says, you're an excellent teacher and I'm now going to burn hours and hours going through your old videos. Subscribed!
Thank you,
Travis picking and folk picking is a very hard pattern picking to understand and learning.
Great video
I am so glad that I found you. Now that I have retired, I can practice heaps. I am more of a singer than a guitarist, but I am working to put the two together.
Simply brilliant!
what a teacher , love it ,
Absolutely fabulous
No nonsense, just great help and advice thanks Rob
Excellent Travis picking lesson ! Thank you !
Great. The outer-inner is immensely helpful. Thanks Fennah Bob.
You demonstrate and explain it so well you sir are a very good teacher!
I have a few styles of my own using this basic positioning.. very helpful indeed, thank you 🙏
I've been playing these type banjo rolls on the guitar since the '60s and never knew it was called "Travis Picking." You explain it so well.
Thank you! You have given me just what I needed to try fingerstyle.
Been using Travis Picking since the 70's when I got turned on to John Prine. But I just happened to come across this video and this is an excellent lesson for those just getting started! You have a great teaching style.
awesome lil tune to practice, thank you!!
This is just great! I've just found your channel. And I love Travis picking. End your lesson helped me. A lot! Thank you so much!
Lovely lesson. I will try this
What a hoot! Love your style - based on this with some work, I still have a chance to Travis pick. Yay.
Now at last it’s making sense, thank you thank you and more please.
thank you for your video Sir. You are an excellent educator!
Wonderful lesson once again.
Thanks for taking your time and putting this video together..
Really good teacher. So straight forward
Wonderful lesson, thank you!
Excellent tutorial! I'm a long-time amateur who couldn't get my right hand to cooperate with the left. Your tips for independent focus does the trick. Thanks! And it's a wonderfully succinct summary of alternating the base notes.
This really simplified Travis picking for me, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Amazing Rob. Thank you.
This is terrific thank you Rob!
Excellent Tutorial!!! Direct and to the point unlike many long winded tutorials. A natural approach spot on. Thanks!! Musician/Artist USA- ThomMeinert
Ah, amazing lesson, you make it so easy to learn. Like being in the same room. Thanks so much for your videos.
Thank you for the help and inspiration to give it a go!
Cheers,
Kevin
Very good pattern for folk music. Paul Simon uses this on the song The Boxer on the intro. Peter, Paul, and Mary used it on most songs they sang. Donovan a major influence on The Beatles taught them how to do this or tried to. Paul came up with a method that worked for him. I have to say this video covered things very well. Being a five string Banjo picker as well I'm use to all this already but I still found information in this video that's helpful to anyone be they new or accomplished. Excellent.
F yeah man, this is super helpful, & thank you for the closing tip of practicing each hand independently!
Very helpful. Thank you sir!
That is awesome! I might be able to play it right now!
This was really helpful.
Thank you for sharing
This is a great help, can't wait to try it out
Super helpful! Thank you!
I been playing for 47 years and always avoided Travis picking but I am going to get into it now, Just got to get the old brain in time with my fingers. This looks like the easiest way to learn I have ever seen. Thanks
Thanks Rob. God blessed you. Lucky you are. 🤗
Good stuff... Thanks for sharing
Brilliant lesson that, thanks 👍🏻
Excellent, thanks!
Great video. I tried Travis about a year ago and just never felt comfortable. I think I'll try it again thanks to you.
Ain’t no way you randomly explained the exact part of big love I didn’t get! Thank you so much !
Thanks very helpful and informative
Great lesson going to check out your channel.
Thank you for this video! It's going great for me so far 👍
This may be an old post, but it is the most helpful I’ve run across in many years. Thank you.
I love the way you talk - right down to earth and you’re so funny. Thanks for this lesson and your humour.❤😂🤘
Excellent Tute thanks!
This is so useful. Thank you so much
Great example for beginners! I laughed out loud when you went to the C chord - and _automatically_ went to 5-4-6(whoops) on the bass. It's all about the 'pattern', and the more patterns you get proficient at, the more you can interchange them in your chords to start adding some 'lead' and 'runs' to you accompaniment. I think a lot of people will be helped by this explanation. I'm glad I didn't 'wince' when I watched this video - I often do at people trying to explain non-classical finger picking.
Brilliant video thanks, Macca should watch this!
great Rob thanks
This was brilliant! Thanks for keeping it simple, but not rambling on. Now I have something to practice!
Would love to learn the great R. L . Burnside's strumming technique, as used on Jumper On The Line
Not only is this an AWESOME lesson, but it is an ASMR video. I will be subscribing to channel!
Would you consider possibly doing "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" by Dylan?
Excellent lesson. As someone who plays 90% of the time with a plectrum, this was a revelation. Thank you.
Brilliant! Thanks very much
thanks la. very entertaining and instructive.
This has to be the BEST explanation / instruction of travis picking bar none.
Hey! I really like your method! You can really connect with your audience! You have really motivated me to keep at it, and know it’s possible to learn! Many thanks! Frank
Great lesson, well paced - some tutorials make their commentaries too elaborate which paradoxically doesn’t always help, yours was concise and easy to follow.
Thanks this helps me a lot!
Great! This works!
Thank you very much my friend for the tip. Greetings!
I really enjoyed this lesson. I’ve been trying to improve my fingerpicking and this was super clear and easy to follow, many thanks.
Check out Chet Atkins.
Great start to picking gor me, thank you
Grate lesson great teach in style
Excellent thanks
Easy to understand, i already use some patterns in my own song, but this is great for knowing how to do it more accurately and comfortably. An nice pattern indeed, thanks. I'm almost up yo speed to try adding the bass in next after a few hours
Enjoyed the lesson im knew to fingerstyle good stuff
You’re correct about Lennon and Travis picking….I learned Julia, Dear Prudence and a couple others after delving into Travis picking…
Good lesson…always looking to improve…
Travis Picking is great with alternate tunings as well when you’ve got it down some.
Glad I discovered your channel…
Brilliant it's always about muscle memory but your explanation and pattern will get you there with steady practice and I'm sure even Merle used the same method.
Nice what you did at the end of the video. It's always surprising how little changes can make such a difference in what you play.
excellent lesson!
Thanks Rob, that's a great pattern. 🤓
locked in today
made some progress
Many Thanks for posting
🙏
Nice work!
Thank you
So cool worth waking up for thankyou
Wow, really helpful!
"Big Love," back at you! Good show, mate!