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Old 02-24-2019, 10:06 PM
Zammer Zammer is offline
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Default Travis pickers... some advice on staying focused

I’m about 10 practice hours into learning Just Breathe (Pearl Jam) which introduced me to Travis picking. I’m definitely pleased with my progress as I’m a novice finger picker and this song requires some fast picking and is really improving my fp skills and forcing me to be disciplined but... my discipline seems to keep hitting a wall

I am having a very hard time keeping my focus after the first verse or two (if I’m lucky). The picking pattern sounds smooth and nice and then all of a sudden I start to lose it and screw it up. Its discouraging as hell to practice for an hour and keep losing the focus on the picking pattern over and over after sounding great for a minute but needing to maintain it for 4.

Any tips or advice on getting over the hump with Travis picking and I’d imagine other finger picking styles would apply... but feeling this one is my Everest right now. Thanks all!

Zammer
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:13 PM
zmf zmf is offline
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I started off selecting about 8-10 bars of Travis picking to practice, and playing subconsciously for about 20-30 minutes while watching a ball game on TV.

It just has to be reduced to pure muscle memory. Takes time. Then at some point, it's just another arrow in the quiver, and you start to float over the fretboard.
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:27 PM
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TBman TBman is offline
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Play it slower. My ego gets in the way of learning something new all the time. I'll push my speed up prematurely because 4 out of 10 times I'll get it right, but playing slowly and correctly builds the muscle memory needed to play something at performance speed all the time. Even after about 15 years I'll still get ahead of myself so don't feel bad. Just take a deep breath, and set your mind to playing slowly and correctly and bring your speed up with a zero mistake threshold.
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:41 PM
Jaden Jaden is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TBman View Post
Play it slower. My ego gets in the way of learning something new all the time. I'll push my speed up prematurely because 4 out of 10 times I'll get it right, but playing slowly and correctly builds the muscle memory needed to play something at performance speed all the time. Even after about 15 years I'll still get ahead of myself so don't feel bad. Just take a deep breath, and set your mind to playing slowly and correctly and bring your speed up with a zero mistake threshold.
Good advice! I’m often not progressing as well due to impatience which can lead to practicing mistakes.
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:58 PM
JohnW63 JohnW63 is offline
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That is a pretty quick pattern to begin learning with ! You shouldn't worry too much, yet.

Often, "Freight Train " by Elizabeth Cotton. Tommy does it this way.


Followed by "Windy and Warm" made famous by Chet Atkins.


This much newer clip, again by Tommy is easier to hear.


So, if you really want to get that one down, maybe break it into 4 one minute sections and don't move on from 1 to 2 until you get do it error free.
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Old 02-24-2019, 11:07 PM
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nedray nedray is offline
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It's good to learn new skills--congrats on your progress. However, for the sake of accuracy, that is not Travis picking and in fact it doesn't resemble Merle Travis' style at all.

Travis had a very specific right-hand technique that involved muting the bass strings, hitting multiple strings with the thumb, and using only the thumb and index finger, among other quirks. It was a sort of primitive style he learned from the country players around the hills where he lived. If you're interested in pursuing it, his son, Thom Bresh, has devoted his career to playing and teaching Merle's music and this unique style of playing. He compares and contrasts it to the more modern and streamlined thumb and fingers style employed by Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed.

I know--you probably don't care at all, but if you want to get it right...
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Old 02-24-2019, 11:27 PM
mercy mercy is offline
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history is odd but thats the dope and there are names further back than Travis if you want to pursue it. For me I just like it. I use some of it in my American Fingerstyle approach.
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Old 02-25-2019, 05:13 AM
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srick srick is offline
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Zammer - I use a practice loop - maybe 30 sec in length, with the pattern that I want to practice. It's likely a loop that I have recorded from one of the many Travis picking\fingerpicking lessons that I have listened to\purchased.

Then, I slow it down. Way down. Maybe 40-60 bpm. As I play along, I try to get the timing just right. You'll know it because you'll hear the sounds of your guitar and the recording beat in unison.

Here's the crux of it: just listen really hard as you play and be in the moment. It's not easy to hold that focus, but fortunately, you're building up muscle memory and that will start taking over.

It has probably taken me 2+ years to get 'okay' at this style, so be patient and keep hacking away. it makes a great long-term goal.

best,

Rick
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Old 02-25-2019, 06:58 AM
bluesfreek bluesfreek is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nedray View Post
It's good to learn new skills--congrats on your progress. However, for the sake of accuracy, that is not Travis picking and in fact it doesn't resemble Merle Travis' style at all.

Travis had a very specific right-hand technique that involved muting the bass strings, hitting multiple strings with the thumb, and using only the thumb and index finger, among other quirks. It was a sort of primitive style he learned from the country players around the hills where he lived. If you're interested in pursuing it, his son, Thom Bresh, has devoted his career to playing and teaching Merle's music and this unique style of playing. He compares and contrasts it to the more modern and streamlined thumb and fingers style employed by Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed.

I know--you probably don't care at all, but if you want to get it right...
This is essentially correct in terms of Merle's right hand technique using just his thumb and index finger. I also play this way but I can also play using the thumb and three finger technique. I could be wrong but didn't Doc Watson also just use his thumb and index finger when fingerpicking?

As already been mentioned just take it slow at first when learning this style and work up to speed. Eventually you'll get there. If I can do it anyone can...
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Old 02-26-2019, 07:47 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nedray View Post
It's good to learn new skills--congrats on your progress. However, for the sake of accuracy, that is not Travis picking and in fact it doesn't resemble Merle Travis' style at all.

Travis had a very specific right-hand technique that involved muting the bass strings, hitting multiple strings with the thumb, and using only the thumb and index finger, among other quirks. It was a sort of primitive style he learned from the country players around the hills where he lived. If you're interested in pursuing it, his son, Thom Bresh, has devoted his career to playing and teaching Merle's music and this unique style of playing. He compares and contrasts it to the more modern and streamlined thumb and fingers style employed by Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed.

I know--you probably don't care at all, but if you want to get it right...
I tend to refer to this type of finger picking as "Travis picking" even though I know that your comments are correct, Nedray. Except that you have stated that this folk picking doesn't sound like Travis picking at all, and to me, it does sound like the same method, less the muted bass strings. The folk version of the Travis pick is quite a bit less percussive. I know that this style of picking is taken from Merle Travis's original style and then sort of folkified.

To address the OP's question, I don't know how to address the question of how to keep focus while playing. Practice certainly helps. Just getting your hand and fingers and brain into the groove over and over again eventually gets you to a place where it can be more automatic.

For myself, I am a singer, and something about singing helps me to somehow internally hold onto a beat and a tempo. My dad told me when I was younger that I seemed to automatically play the guitar better when I was singing. I wondered at the time, is that really true? But I think he may have been right.

The reason I bring this up is that maybe by singing with your playing of the "Travis" pick, maybe that might help you keep focus. Or maybe it will make it worse, who knows. For me, singing seems to help.

As an example, on my YouTube channel I did this medley of Gordon Lightfoot songs some time ago on my Guild 12-string using this folkified "Travis" pick. Someone on the AGF said that my fingerpicking almost sounded like a machine. At least, I think it does illustrate playing with that folkified "Travis" pick and staying on the beat reasonably closely. Remember though, that my being able to do this is after my using this picking pattern for well over 50 years. I would be the first to recognize that getting the coordination and timing down on this is no easy matter.



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