Travis Picking recommendations
 

I feel that I've hit sort of a rut...

Over the last few months I've begun to learn how to fingerpick, as mostly a self taught thing. I don't take lessons, and I don't really have a lot of contact with many acoustic guitar players, so I'm sort of just picking it up as I go by listening carefully to recorded songs and especially watching videos to get a better grasp on left hand technique.

But as I'm learning this, and the way I've learned every aspect of music that I've picked up over the last 7 years is I always pick a song with whatever technique I'm trying to acquire, and begin to learn that particular song piece by piece. I feel that it's a good way for someone who has no other frame of reference to get an idea whether what they're doing sounds like what they're trying to make it sound like.

The problem is that, recently, I've really begun to run out of ideas for songs I can play. This is not to say that I've run out of ideas for songs that I would "like" to play, because there are plenty of those. Unfortunately many are above my skill level at the moment/technical understanding at the moment, so I'm having a hell of a time trying to pick them apart. I'm looking for folk/country songs, but I' can't come up with any really good ideas as to what would fall into my skill level. And, honestly, if I learn one more John Prine song I think my girlfriend is going to get fed up and take away my guitar...

Help us out by listing the songs you can play. Maybe even an example or two of of pieces that are easy for you and ones that took quite some time to master. That will give others here a better idea of what to suggest.


jay

There are endless free tabs on the internet. Using PowerTabEditor or TablEdit or listening to an accompanying midi you can decide what you like.

For example

http://www.stevemcwilliam.co.uk/guitar/tab.htm

http://www.acousticpower.com/index.html

http://www.celticguitartalk.com/phpB...948e047b8f3688

http://www.elitetabs.com/index.asp

When I get stuck in a rut, I head to Youtube videos. I'll begin by watching guys I know, then end up discovering new tunes/artists. Hell, just type in "folk songs" and you'll have a bevy of material to start sifting through.

Also anything you strum you can flatpick/Travispick with a little arranging.

I flatpick the few covers I do and it makes it interesting to me. I never try to nail covers because they will never be as good as the original, so I pick them, add transition chords and totally abuse the original.....;)

Just your usual kind of beginner fingerpicking stuff

Blackbird, Here Comes the Sun, and Julia by the Beatles
Souvenirs, Sour Grapes, Hello in There and Sam Stone by John Prine
Dog Faced Boy by Phish

then a few other songs that aren't really "meant" to be fingerpicked, but I just sort of played around with and arranged. A few Tom Waits songs and the likes.

Angelo, check this travis picking tune out. It's a fairly easy travis picking tune by Steve Earle. Capoed on the 2nd or 3rd fret -- D, A, G chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVLrQ...eature=related

Do you play "Good bye my Bluebell"?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3e...e-bell-5_music

So you're looking for "easy" fingerpicking tunes? Welcome to my world. :)

RGD's Candy Man
DVR's Green Green Rocky Road
MJH's Stagger Lee (simple melody, but took me forever to nail it)
MJH's Spike Drivers Blues
Dylan's Don't Think Twice
Lots of Beatles tunes (look for fingerstyle arrangements)

Good selection of TABs here:
http://www.ericlugosch.com/tune_directory.html

Sounds like you need a teacher.

I've thought about that and would like to eventually, but their aren't really any guitar teachers in the area who focus on the styles I'm interested in. There is one teacher in particular who is a FANTASTIC electric player, but doesn't really do the styles I'd like to learn. Other than him there really are no other options. I live in a rural sort of area, and don't really have the time/money to travel for lessons on a weekly basis.

Samuel by AGF-er Denis Turbide
 

Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8P...rom=PL&index=9

Tab: http://www.acousticguitarworkshop.co...nisTurbide.pdf

There is a fair amount of excellent instructional material out there.
Mark Hanson's series is wonderful.
Starting with "The Art of Travis Picking"
http://www.accentonmusic.com/book_detail.asp?qID=5
going onto "The art of Solo Fingerstyle";
http://www.accentonmusic.com/book_detail.asp?qID=7

Even if you have Travis Picking fairly well down, I recommend starting with the first book.
It starts out with some basic exercises and ideas and expands smoothly to more challenging material.
Each section is followed by a song that incorporates what you have just learned...many of the songs are "real songs" that you will keep in your repertoir for years.
The second book carries on from there....great material.

For DVD material, my favorite for the alternating thumb style is that by John Miller.
Either his Mississippi John Hurt or Libby Cotton material will carry you far, and get some ideas of your own brewing inside your head.
His other material is also excellent, a bit more advanced.

http://guitarvideos.com/video/dvd/817dvd.htm

http://guitarvideos.com/video/00miller.htm

(As an aside, many folks will tell you that "real" Travis Picking style involves muting the bass strings with the fleshy part of your thumb. Something you could work on to add to your playing.)

Gotcha. In that case, I second the recommendation for the Mark Hanson book. After that, off to YouTube... so much good educational material out there.