Audio: Tune Up

If you’ve been playing songs like Merle Travis’s “Nine Pound Hammer,” Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band,” or anything else that uses alternating-thumb picking (sometimes called Travis picking, after Merle Travis), you may have reached a plateau where you find it hard to progress. If this sounds like you, it may be a good idea to get down to fundamentals and look at exactly how your hands are playing even the simplest patterns. Most problems can be fixed by striving for proper hand position and better economy of movement.

In this lesson we’ll check out a few different bass patterns in various keys, some simple melodies, and even some ways to move from one chord to another. If you’re an intermediate level thumbpicker, this short “refresher course” can really improve your playing. And if you’re trying out the style for the first time, you can learn it the right way from the ground up.

Pick a Chord, Start Thumbing

The first key to getting a good sound when playing alternating-thumb guitar is—you guessed it—a steady thumb. Example 1 is a simple bass pattern that will get you started. If you’ve been at it for a while and have hit a roadblock, checking your hand position to maximize efficiency might be just the thing you need to move forward. Position your picking hand over the strings, just behind the soundhole. Your picking hand should be relaxed, with your wrist close to the top of the guitar instead of arched. Hold an E chord with your fretting hand and pluck with just your thumb, moving back and forth between the sixth and fourth strings. Let your thumb do all the work, moving from the big knuckle at the base of your thumb instead of moving from the wrist or elbow. You might want to rest the little finger of your picking hand lightly on the top of the guitar for balance, but you don’t have to if it feels uncomfortable.

Practice with a metronome set to around 112 beats per minute, and try not to rush or drag. Nashville guitarist Paul Yandell (who worked with fingerstyle legends Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins) told me that he still sometimes practices just his thumb, over and over, to get a good, relaxed feel.

 Audio: Example 1

Now that your thumb is in good working order, let’s add a finger. In Example 2 you’ll play the treble strings with your index finger while your thumb keeps the alternating-bass line going. Keep your finger in position over the string you’re going to play and bring your finger across the string back toward your palm in one smooth movement. It may feel strange at first, but doing so will preserve economy of movement and result in smoother playing and better sound in the long run. Notice that we’re able to play both Examples 1 and 2 without making any changes at all in the fretting hand—just one E chord did the trick.

 Audio: Example 2

Reach Outside the Chord

Sometimes you need to reach “outside the chord” for a melody note. Depending on your personal level of experience, this might sound like old news, but the following simplified examples are designed to get you actively thinking about your technique. In Example 3, fret the C# in measure 1 and the A in measure 2 with your little finger, while holding the E chord with your other three fingers. Example 4 is the same melody as Example 3 with an extra bit of syncopation.

 Audio: Example 3


 Audio: Example 4

Sometimes you can get the melody note you need by simply lifting a finger up. In Example 5, fret the A chord as shown in the diagram and lift your third finger to get the B on the open second string. With a little practice, you’ll become comfortable with both reaching outside the chord and lifting a finger (or fingers) to get the melody notes you need.

 Audio: Example 5

In Example 6, we’ll be adding a scale in the melody to the alternating-bass pattern. Fret the G chord as shown in the diagram. You’ll need to move your second finger from its position to grab the A note in measure 1. In measure 2, let your middle finger return to its original position and use your free index finger to grab the C note. To grab the D notes in last two measures, move your fourth finger from its position on the first string (which will also allow you to play the open E string in measure 3).

 Audio: Example 6

Thumb Through the Changes

Songs rarely stay on one chord all the way through, so it’s a good idea to practice transitions between them. Examining and simplifying these changes can go a really long way toward tightening your playing. The following examples break down a few of the possible transitions, but remember that you can easily create simple exercises like this for any chord changes that are slowing you down.

Example 7 starts off like Example 6, with some added syncopation at the end of measure 1. The bass part walks up the degrees of the G scale in measure 2, breaking up the alternating-bass feel a bit for a smooth chord change to the C in measure 3. Notice that the bottom note of the bass part on the C chord moves between the fifth and sixth strings. Fret the C bass note with your third finger and keep it there until it’s time to fret the G bass note on the second beat.

 Audio: Example 7

Example 8 shows another bass walk-up from a D/F# chord to the G chord in measure 2. Use your index or middle finger to play the harmony notes that appear with each bass note. Try playing Examples 7 and 8 together for an eight-measure progression in the style of Dan Fogelberg. Watch out for the chord change as the C chord moves to the D/F#—the change occurs in just one beat (with no walk-up to ease the transition).

 Audio: Example 8

Example 9 brings us back to the key of E for a I–IV–V progression in the style of Merle Travis. Measure 2 features a walk-up from the E chord to the A7, where the lower bass note moves between A and E (not unlike the bass part underneath the C chord in Example 7). This bass pattern continues for the B7 chord and in measure 6 walks back down the scale from B to E. For a bluesier sound as you practice this exercise, try some subtle palm-muting on the bass strings.

 Audio: Example 9

You can use all these techniques to play my original tune "Thumbin' the Blues." In measure 1, your thumb plays the simple bass line from the first few examples, but the more complicated thumb pattern from the second half of Example 7 carries most of the piece. Measures 2, 4, 8, 10, and 15 all feature bass lines that walk up or down as they approach the chords that follow them. In measure 14, the C7 chord is simply the B7 moved one fret higher. As you play this piece, strive to keep a steady, relaxed beat, and don’t let your thumb overpower the melody.

"Thumbin' the Blues"

"Thumbin' the Blues, played slowly"