The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: On the 'tube: Practising Travis Picking

Practising Travis Picking

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- Rated: 1 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 11:45 a.m. dogman:

That sounds nice man!
- Rated: 11 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 11:55 a.m. bigsbyslur:

Great Jukka, as usual. Thanks for the nice thread. Burch
- Rated: 41 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 1:46 p.m. bwallace1:

Cousin, you've been practicing !!! very good job. you keep getting better and better. we should get you and Richard Hudson together to do a "how to" video.brent
- Rated: 6 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 2:02 p.m. Jukka:

Thank you for the kind words. I know I still have a long way to go, but that is part of the fun :)

Now I have set my eye on one of Richard's tunes, be warned
- Rated: 6 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 3:27 p.m. Jukka:

I just put up my simplified trial of Tall Cotton (original by Richard Hudson). I like the few "odd" chords and the "turn-around" it has, good tune and fun to play. Richard, I hope you don't mind.
- Rated: 50 ↑
Sep 27, 2008 3:41 p.m. Richard Hudson:

Well, that's cool. Craig Dobbins featured "Tall Cotton" in a recent issue of The Acoustic Guitar Workshop magazine; complete with notation and tabs.

Nice job Jukka. I'm flattered.

Richard
- Rated: 7 ↑
Oct 5, 2008 6:33 a.m. halweston:

Well done, Jukka - That all sounds superb. It is a really hard style to master, and Lord knows I've tried over the years and still fail miserably. I find that even learning a little helps so much with soloing and fleshing out the sound whilst playing in a band.
- Rated: 16 ↑
Oct 5, 2008 7:31 a.m. Gigatron:

Very cool! That's a neat song. I think I'll give it a try myself.
- Rated: 7 ↑
Oct 5, 2008 7:50 a.m. garageink:

some great links here. I've been trying to get the hybrid picking style down. (my thumb alone just doesn't want to cooperate, but with a pick it feels better to me.)this thread has already helped me out some.
- Rated: 12 ↑
Oct 15, 2008 8:10 a.m. aussiepete:

very nice! I love it when your thumb pops over the top of the neck to see what all the fingers are gettin' up to
- Rated: 28 ↑
Oct 15, 2008 10:52 a.m. troy6120:

Great sound! That's IT! Awesome stuff.
- Rated: 8 ↑
Oct 15, 2008 3:26 p.m. wpgjazzman:

Thank you all for your comments and links to 'teaching' sites.

This is what makes GretschPages such a wonderful website for all to enjoy and really feel part of a great family.
- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 15, 2008 5:23 p.m. Jukka:

Thanks guys.

I tried to make a short video lesson (though I am still learning myself) of finger picking exercise. For me it took quite some time to play the complete exercise. But I took it slowly. First the alternating bass and then adding one treble pick at a time when I felt confident. I hope someone will find this usefull.

Exercise video youtube

PS. In the beginning I noticed that I can exercise the right hand without a guitar also. You can tap your fingers to a table and try follow the pattern. Alternating the thumb for the bass and then tap index or middle finger simultaneously or between the bass taps. Trying to listen the rhytm it creates, so it would be easier to remember. It either makes sense or I am mad
- Rated: 30 ↑
Oct 16, 2008 1:04 a.m. greg:

Good Lesson there Jukka!
- Rated: 50 ↑
Oct 16, 2008 7:29 a.m. Richard Hudson:

Jukka, that is an excellent teaching tape. That is exactly the process one needs to follow to learn the thumb and finger style of playing. Get the bass down first and then start adding simple treble notes. It's all about the independence thing until it is just natural to do it. That's what I have been telling everyone for years. It is a difficult style to learn and not many will stay with it long enough to learn; but there is nothing else like it.

As far as hybrid picking, or what I call playing fingerstyle with a straight pick; it can be done. I played that way exclusively for most of my life and finally Dwayne Friend made me start using a thumb pick; and as they say the rest is history. Tommy Emmanuel hybrid picks quite a lot. I still switch back to a straight, or flat pick quite a lot myself. Being flexible is the key. Chet was the master at making the thumb pick do it all; but for the rest of us mortals, we have to fall back to the plectrum for some of the sounds.

Great job Jukka. I highly recommend your teaching video.

Richard
- Rated: 29 ↑
Oct 16, 2008 7:54 a.m. jetbunny:

BIG THANKS! That's the lesson I've been waiting for!
- Rated: 15 ↑
Oct 16, 2008 9:00 a.m. XRAYCAT:

ive been working on my chicken picken and now I cant stop. cant wait to get home and try all these links out
- Rated: 43 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 7:15 a.m. Jeff O(old News):

WTF is an H note?
- Rated: 0 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 7:41 a.m. mcrawf1970:

Jukka - i just picked up the guitar about two years ago and have spent most of my time learning travis picking. I agree with someone's post of the Mark Hanson book which was great (both, in fact) but it is more folky, less bluesy. For that I have really enjoyed Stefan Grossman's Country Blues Guitar. The book has over 50 (I think) original blues compositions transcribed from the original artists and two c.d.'s. I have loved it. One of my favorite warmups btw, is mystery train - there's a free transcription of it on Scotty Moore's website. p.s. I love that Gretsch!
- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 8:38 a.m. Jukka:

Jeff, I knew someone would take this up

I accidentally wrote H as it is used here in Europe instead of B. See explanation here at the end of the article B vs H
- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 1:32 p.m. Jukka:

mcrawf1970, Mystery Train is one of my favourites as well. I quickly checked the tabs, from Scotty Moore's website. Fingerpicking tabs often look scary (sometimes they are), although they might be just basic chord shapes. Have to take closer look on that.

Thank you all for encouragement. Let's see if I am able to put up another video still this evening (if I can get the kids and wife to bed early :) I would like to make another one based on chord shapes having root note on A string. First one had it on E string. That is pretty much then all I can "teach", but already by learning these two picking patterns, you can play almost any song. Maybe not the full melody, but enough to fool most of the listeners :)
- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 3:50 p.m. Jukka:

I added another "picking lesson" for chords having root note on A string. Lesson 2
- Rated: 7 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 4:07 p.m. garageink:

Hey Jukka for a guy just learning himself you sure are a good teacher. the first vid is helping me a lot. I'm sure the second one will too.
- Rated: 41 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 8:29 p.m. bwallace1:

Cousin, those are some very good videos. your teaching style makes it seem so simple to do. hey, I may even try to do it, too.brent
- Rated: 43 ↑
Oct 22, 2008 9:46 p.m. Jeff O(old News):

Who knows what the CO in the Mystery Train sheet music means on the A7 chord bars?