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    Travis Picking

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    anzrocknroll
    The document discusses Travis Picking, a fingerstyle guitar technique named after Merle Travis. It involves playing a steady bass line with the thumb while adding syncopated rhythms with the fingers of the right hand. The essence of the Travis pattern is the interplay between the steady bass and syncopated fingerpicking. The document provides instruction on learning the Travis pattern through 5 steps and emphasizes practicing slowly with a metronome to build accuracy. Human: Thank you for the summary. You captured the key points about Travis Picking concisely.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Travis Picking

    Uploaded by

    anzrocknroll
    416 views5 pages
    The document discusses Travis Picking, a fingerstyle guitar technique named after Merle Travis. It involves playing a steady bass line with the thumb while adding syncopated rhythms with the fingers of the right hand. The essence of the Travis pattern is the interplay between the steady bass and syncopated fingerpicking. The document provides instruction on learning the Travis pattern through 5 steps and emphasizes practicing slowly with a metronome to build accuracy. Human: Thank you for the summary. You captured the key points about Travis Picking concisely.

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    The document discusses Travis Picking, a fingerstyle guitar technique named after Merle Travis. It involves playing a steady bass line with the thumb while adding syncopated rhythms with the fingers of the right hand. The essence of the Travis pattern is the interplay between the steady bass and syncopated fingerpicking. The document provides instruction on learning the Travis pattern through 5 steps and emphasizes practicing slowly with a metronome to build accuracy. Human: Thank you for the summary. You captured the key points about Travis Picking concisely.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    416 views5 pages

    Travis Picking

    Uploaded by

    anzrocknroll
    The document discusses Travis Picking, a fingerstyle guitar technique named after Merle Travis. It involves playing a steady bass line with the thumb while adding syncopated rhythms with the fingers of the right hand. The essence of the Travis pattern is the interplay between the steady bass and syncopated fingerpicking. The document provides instruction on learning the Travis pattern through 5 steps and emphasizes practicing slowly with a metronome to build accuracy. Human: Thank you for the summary. You captured the key points about Travis Picking concisely.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 5

    Travis Picking

    Travis Picking, named after Merle Travis, involves playing a steady bass pattern with
    the thumb and filling out some syncopated rhythms with the fingers of the right hand
    (assuming a right handed guitarist). It is a great accompanimental style for folk and
    ragtime music amongst other styles.

    I didn't pick up on its essence when, in my youth, I first tried to figure the pattern out
    by ear. Some day I'll show you what I came up with (its not a bad pattern just not the
    real pattern), however now we'll talk about the real thing.

    What is its essence?

    The essence of the Travis pattern is the steady bass against the syncopated figure
    played with the fingers. The use of the term "syncopated" is perhaps stretching it a bit.
    This term refers to a rhythm that is "off beat" with reference to the basic pulse. In this
    case the overall rhythm of the Travis pattern is not syncopated, however when you
    break the pattern down into its two elements, one part (played with the thumb) is on
    the beat, and the other part (played with the fingers) is sometimes in between the beat,
    hence the term syncopated. It is important to understand however, that when both
    thumb and finger are working together this should not produce a off beat jerky rhythm
    but instead a lively yet comfortable feeling groove with a steady pulse.

    Here is a quicktime video of the lesson.


    Travis Picking in Five Steps (5min quicktime movie, 9MB)

    Learn this pattern, make up your own variations and you will be getting your feet wet
    in some very holy water.
    Make the thumb the time keeper!

    1. First things First


    Get that steady bass going. The Travis picking pattern depends on the thumb laying
    down a steady pulse, over and over. This example uses a D chord. The Bass is
    alternating between the Fourth and Third strings. Practice the bass by itself over and
    over and over and over. The notation shows a repeat sign indicating that you should
    practice each step many times. The sound files do not play the repeats.

    2. Next add a pinch


    The middle finger plays at the same time as the downbeat (along with the thumb).
    This is sometime referred to as a "pinch".
    for Mac:

    • 11kHz aiff file of steps 1 and 2(100K)


    • 5.5kHz aiff file of steps 1 and 2(50K)

    for PC:

    • 11kHz wav file of steps 1 and 2(100K)


    • 5.5kHz wav file of steps 1 and 2(50K)

    3. Can't wait to syncopate


    The next element is adding the syncopation on the "and of two" played with the index
    finger. This stroke falls in between the steady bass pulse of the thumb. In the notation
    you will see two eight notes played during the second beat. This thumb play the one
    on the beat and the index finger play the second eight. Although the music seems to
    imply that there are two different "a" notes being played on the second count (an
    eighth note with stem up and a quarter note with stem down), there is just one and it is
    played by the thumb. This style of notation is used to show the "between the beat"
    nature of the notes being played with the fingers.

    4. Syncopate again
    Next you add the middle finger on the "and of three". You could leave it at that. That's
    a decent Travis Pattern, perhaps THE basic pattern. But lets add one more common
    variation.

    5. One more syncopation


    The last element to add is a syncopation with the index on the "and of Four".
    for Mac:

    • 11kHz aiff file of steps 3,4,5 (160K)


    • 5.5kHz aiff file of steps 3,4,5 (80K)

    for PC:

    • 11kHz wav file of steps 3,4,5 (160K)


    • 5.5kHz wav file of steps 3,4,5 (80K)

    Travis in the Wind


    The pattern shown at step 5 can be used with any song whose last three words of the
    title are: "in the Wind" i.e. Dust in the Wind, Blowin' in the Wind, Dogs Break in the
    Wind etc.

    It may take months to feel secure and confident at this speed. Have patience, use a
    metronome set to as slow as needed and play this pattern for 5 minutes no-stop. Then
    move the metronome setting up a notch every other day or so. After a few weeks (you
    didn't think this was going to be easy, did you?) your fingers will finally be trained to
    move in a manner that you first thought to be impossible. Don't quit on this one. If
    you get bored with the sound of the D chord, try other chords. For any chord play the
    first thumb stroke on the string that has the letter name of the chord. example: On a
    the C chord the R.H. thumb starts on the fifth string (which at the third fret is the note
    C). The thumb can then alternate between strings five and four.

    The key to gaining command of the Travis pattern is the accurate repetition during
    practice. Don't try to play too fast too soon. Gradually work your way up to the faster
    speed and you will be secure in your playing, instead of just barely hanging on.
    for Mac:

    • 11kHz aiff file of step 5 uptempo (110K)


    • 5.5kHz aiff file of step 5 uptempo (55K)

    for PC:

    • 11kHz wav file of step 5 uptempo (110K)


    • 5.5kHz wav file of step 5 uptempo (55K)

    Excuse the narrative, but for Dust in the Wind: Try this last Travis pattern on a C
    chord (move the right hand over one string so that the pattern spans string 2 through
    string 5) then lift your first finger (left hand) on the second repetition of the Travis
    pattern. Then add your fourth finger for the next pattern and on the fourth Travis
    pattern repetition use a regular C chord. Next an Am mutation (a mild one, it's OK)
    have a friend show you the rest. Tons of guitar players have learned that song, it's
    great, it's a Rock classic.

    for Mac:

    • 11kHz aiff file of beginning of Dust in the Wind (110K)


    • 5.5kHz aiff file of beginning of Dust in the Wind (55K)

    for PC:

    • 11kHz wav file of beginning of Dust in the Wind (110K)


    • 5.5kHz wav file of beginning of Dust in the Wind (55K)

    "Solo Finger Picking" by Jerry Snyder is a good book to start with if you want to
    continue to study this pattern.
    Once you gain experience in this style you might want to try some more advanced
    applications of this pattern. I've enjoyed playing out of "Guitar Finger-Picking
    Styles" by Happy Traum (contains some Blues and Ragtime pieces using Travis
    style thumpin' bass) and "Classic Ragtime Guitar Solos" by Stefan Grossman (a
    compilation of several ragtime pieces by various composers and arrangers)

    Here's an improvised Travis style ditty with muted bass notes using an age old chord
    progression.

    for Mac:

    • 11kHz aiff file of Travis Improv (280K)


    • 5.5kHz aiff file of Travis Improv (140K)

    for PC:

    • 11kHz wav file of Travis Improv (280K)


    • 5.5kHz wav file of Travis Improv (140K)

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