Easy Travis Picking Techniques - Guitar Lesson

Don Ross talks about fingerpicking patterns with a focus on Travis Picking in this lesson. He explains the pattern thoroughly and at a step-by-step pace so that it can be picked up by fingerstyle players of any level.

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[DonRossMusic]

OK folks. This video is 8 years old. I wasn't cutting my string ends much at the time. I tend to now. Hope everyone can let it go now. :-)

[johnvanepps]

Probably the best lesson I've ever watched - and I'm 60 years old. Don obviously has the 'chops', but doesn't try to impress beginners with his obvious talents. And frankly, this was pretty simple, even an old fart like me could follow along. I don't know if this is a style I'll ever embrace, but this was an awesome instruction video. Hands down - one of the best I've seen! Full of content and 'hands-on' lessons...

[dianamgallagher]

56 years old and starting to learn guitar. This video was awesome and I was making some music come out of my guitar! Thank you!

[DonRossMusic]

Thanks for the friendly comments, folks. Those of you who are obsessing with my curly string ends need another drink. ;-)

[WesternSwingGuitarGrooves]

My dad got an old guitar thrown in with a TV at a yard sale in 1963 and gave it to me. The action was painfully hgh. I was 15 years old. I listened to FM radio and was captured by the old honky-tonk sound of pianos and the old Delta blues artists on guitar. When passing the music room at our high school in Los Gatos, CA, I heard a guitar being finger picked and it was exactly what I was wanting to learn. It was a kid name Rusty Bruchet (sp?). I don't know whatever happened to him. But I went home and began imitating that style. He played with a thumb pick and two metal finger picks, so I assumed that was the way all old timers played. I found Jorma (Jerry Kaukonen) giving lessons at a local music store and paid for four. He would tape the lessons and I could go home and listen to them over and over. When I went back for another four lessons, he had move to San Francisco to form Jefferson Airplane. I later went on to play in a number of bands and switched to electric guitar. Now I don't own a playable acoustic, but have the itch to get back to the roots again. Thanks for posting this.

[BrianAz]

I realize this is an "old" video but as an old guy just picking up the guitar and learning this technique it is new an fresh! Of all the Travis picking videos I have seen so far, this one is the most comprehensive and well taught out there! Thank you soooo much!

[dopetipped]

I’ve been playing guitar for almost twenty years. I am sitting here speechless... speechless and for the first time ever, after years of trying to figure how to play fingerstyle I’ve finally GOT IT! and as soon as I connected if the sixth string, the floodgates opened. In the last twenty minutes I’ve been hammering on the sixth and fifth strings, sliding and playing songs I’ve been trying to play for years... I can’t thank you enough for this. You’re an amazing teacher sir. Can’t wait to watch all of your videos and toss coin into the Patreon and most importantly spread the word about your channel.

[YorkshireDave]

A genius at his craft who a) is willing and b) is able to teach others?? What a brilliant person

[krishnakaushik]

This is the best guitar tutorial I’ve ever seen. Felt like a real lesson 👏🏻

[chuckberning]

GREAT LESSON!! They don't get much more better than this. He knows how to teach.

[patbonny]

Best beginner fingerpicking vid yet, the complainers are those who have learned just enough to impress at a party and think they are pros, Thank you.

[JeffLearman]

This is an excellent lesson. I've played fingerstyle for decades, but never learned this pattern (I started on "The Lee Shore" and "Dust in the Wind" and don't play much country.) But this is probably the very best pattern to learn first and is very widely used in a wide variety of styles.
For folks who want to know what's next, to continue where this lesson ends (and to start to get an idea what Leo K meant), I suggest these steps:
1) Learn a compatible pattern for the 5 root position chord shapes: C, A, G, E, and D. (In C, you move your 3rd finger every 2 beats. You've seen E and G, and A is like C. D is like A but omit the ring finger.) Learn to shift between chords (learn songs!)
2) Play the pattern two ways: stressing the downbeats on your thumb, versus stressing the middle and ring finger to get a more syncopated sound. (Find other ways too!)
3) AFTER you've really mastered the above and can do it in your sleep, change the picking order from (strings) 6-3-4-2-6-3-4-1 to 6-2-4-3-6-2-4-1
4) Learn patterns that instead of alternating all strings, that play two notes at the same time, like 6+3-rest-4-2-6+3-rest-4-1. This is almost identical to the original pattern, but the 3rd string is struck at the same time as the root, with nothing played in its normal time slot. A very small change that makes a very nice difference in the result.
5) ... and here's where Leo's message comes through: at each step, pay attention to the resulting sound, and as you evolve with LOTs of practice, learn to think about the sound rather than your fingers. When you start to get this going, you'll find you can think about the sound you want and your fingers will adjust, and you won't really know which finger you're using to play each note, you'll just know you're playing each note you want, right when you want it. You'll be able to flow between similar patterns without thinking fingers, but rather, PLAYING THE MUSIC that's in your head. At least, within a set of related fingering patterns.
6) Learn a completely new pattern and start these steps all over again, like I'm doing today! I suggest Dust in the Wind, which has a simple underlying pattern but adds a few nice nuances. You can start with just the simple pattern and everyone will recognize the song, and add the nuances as you can.
Add enough new patterns and variations and bingo, you're Don or Leo! (OK, I skipped a few hundred steps there.)

[DG-mvzw]

Finally, a wonderfully clear, methodical and usable explanation of the principles of Travis picking. I've learned more from this one video than all the others that I've watched. Kudos to the teacher. So many guitarists are really technically proficient but simply can't teach....and can't teach simply! Much appreciated. Thanks 👍

[utahhypnosis]

I am a beginner at 49. Just started playing a month ago. Travis picking is the next thing I want to focus on. This is a fantastic video and didn’t make my eyes glass over. Thank you

[chrismorgan]

Hi Don. Can't believe I found you! I recorded a load of your music directly from a radio show in Vancouver back in the early 90s! I have since lived in Spain for 15 yrs and am now back in my native Manchester, UK. I have never forgotten that cassette I probably still have somewhere - I wrote "Don Ross fingerstyle guitar" on it! Thanks for this video, I am taking up guitar again after failing and giving up too many times in the past. Your great teaching style is going to be a huge benefit for me! Cheers!

[dennismcdonald]

I'm 75 and you are the best tutor I ever had. Thanks

[iankach]

Don Ross is far more than a guitar teacher, he's the only person to have won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship twice and has around 16 solo records(Passion Sessions being my fav). When you have that strong of a resume you would think how you like to string your guitar wouldn't be an issue.

[shllmr]

Finally... an ocean of videos... I happen across this lesson.

[donjuanjohn]

This is seriously the best description I've ever heard. Explained so easily. Thank you so very much.

[utahhypnosis]

I am a beginner and have been working on drilling this over two weeks. Fantastic! Thank you. Best instructional video I have found