Travis picking: the alternating-thumb pattern
The thumb alternates between two bass strings on every beat, never stopping, while the fingers pick between the thumb's notes, through C, Am, G and back to C. Named after Merle Travis, this is the pattern behind folk and country fingerpicking: the thumb is the bass player and the fingers the guitarist. The hard part is keeping the thumb steady whatever the fingers do.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 90 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 90 bpm
- Starts at
- 54 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Let the thumb run on its own, on every beat; start with the thumb alone, then add the fingers.
The tab has two voices: stems down for the thumb, stems up for the fingers. The thumb plays on every beat, alternating between two bass strings: the A and D strings on C and Am, the low E and D on G. The middle finger plays the B string and the index the G string, each on an 'and' between the thumb's notes.
Each bar starts with a pinch, the thumb and the ring finger together, the ring on the high E. After that, middle and index take turns on the 'and's. Learn the thumb part alone first, until it runs without thought, then add the fingers one at a time.
On C the 3rd finger stays on the A string and the 2nd on the D string, so the thumb's notes are fretted the whole time. On G the 2nd finger holds the low E's 3rd fret.
Mistakes to watch for
- The thumb stopping or stumbling when a finger plays. It has to keep going whatever happens above it.
- The bass notes ringing into a blur. Rest the side of the picking hand lightly by the bridge to dampen the bass strings a little.
- Fingers landing on the beat with the thumb instead of between its notes. They belong on the 'and's, except for the pinch on 1.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 54
- 59
- 63
- 68
- 72
- 77
- 81
- 86
- 90
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 90 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Travis picking?
The goal is 90 bpm in eighth notes, which is 3 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 54 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Who was Merle Travis?
An American country guitarist of the 1940s and 50s whose thumb-and-finger style made one guitar sound like two. The style is named after him, though he learned it from other players in his part of Kentucky.
How long does Travis picking take to learn?
The thumb alone takes a few days to feel automatic; adding the fingers takes a few weeks. Practise slowly with the drums, keep the thumb steady and let the speed ramp do the rest.
More acoustic exercises
All 20 acoustic exercises · Strumming patterns · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises