'Travis picking'

[lovetheclassics]

Hi folks, new here as some of you know from previous posts. Been playing now for a couple of months. I am trying to learn 'Dear Prudence off the White Album. I learned 'Blackbird' about 6weeks ago and have become quite proficient at it after paying it a couple hundred times. Relativly easy I think once I got the finger picking/finger strumming down.

I am attempting to tackle 'Dear Prudence' which I have discovered is a little more complicated. I have been getting lessons from mattsguitarlessons.com in the UK. Of all the lessons I have watched online, IMO he plays and tutors the song Exactly how the artist recorded it, and he is inexpensive. Couple bucks a lesson. I digress

The term 'Travis picking' has been mentioned a couple times by others on this song. What exacly is that?

The pattern...5th and 1st plucked together, than 5th, than 4th, than 6th, than 2nd, than 4th. And repeated throughout song.

Other than Practice, practice, practice, is there any advice one can give on this? I am having trouble with the fret hand on some of the chords. Particuliarly the D chord while using pincky to grab 5th string. Some of the others too, I keep muting other strings. My nut is 1 11/16" My om-28v should be complete come Oct and I am hoping the wider nut rectifies some of this. Who knows, might be more difficult.

[M19]

Travis picking is just using the thumb in an alternating bass line pattern.

Here's the lesson I used to learn DP:

http://youtu.be/VpE-czgD8M8

http://youtu.be/Ukat8yJUuOo

Video quality not the best, but the "teaching" is pretty detailed and effective.

[lovetheclassics]

Virtualy the same as mattsguitarlessons. Except Matt takes more time showing each section and has you practice each piece before moving on.
Thanks