Travis picking is a fingerpicking style where the thumb plays an alternating bass pattern, root and 5th, on the beat, while the fingers play the melody on the treble strings, on the offbeats. It is named after Merle Travis, and it is the foundation of country and folk fingerpicking.
What is Travis picking?
Travis picking is a fingerpicking style where the thumb plays an alternating bass pattern, root and 5th, on the beat, while the fingers play the melody on the treble strings, on the offbeats, and the two together make a full, rhythmic sound, with the bass and the melody played by one hand. It is named after Merle Travis, the country guitarist who popularised it, and it is the foundation of country and folk fingerpicking, because it gives the guitar a bass, a rhythm, and a melody, all at once. The thumb is the engine of Travis picking, because it plays a steady alternating bass, on every beat, while the fingers play the melody, on the offbeats, and the thumb never stops. The pattern is thumb, index, thumb, middle, or thumb, middle, thumb, index, depending on the chord, and the thumb alternates between the root and the 5th of the chord, giving the bass its movement. The fingers play the treble strings, the 3rd, 2nd and 1st, and they play the melody, the notes that sing, while the thumb plays the bass, the notes that ground. The C major guitar chord and the G major guitar chord are the chords most players first Travis pick, and the metronome keeps the beat steady.
How Travis picking works
Travis picking works by dividing the work between the thumb and the fingers: the thumb plays the bass, and the fingers play the melody, and the two are independent, so the thumb can play a steady rhythm while the fingers play a varied melody. The thumb plays on the beat, one, two, three, four, alternating between the root and the 5th of the chord: on beat one, the thumb plays the root, on beat two, the thumb plays the 5th, on beat three, the thumb plays the root, and on beat four, the thumb plays the 5th. The fingers play on the offbeats, the ands between the beats, and they play the treble strings, the 3rd, 2nd and 1st, in a pattern that follows the melody. The pattern is written as T, I, T, M, or T, M, T, I, where T is the thumb, I is the index finger, and M is the middle finger, and the pattern repeats, with the thumb on the beat and the fingers on the offbeats. The thumb must be steady, because it is the bass, and the fingers must be flexible, because they are the melody, and the two together make the Travis picking sound, which is full and rhythmic, with the bass driving and the melody singing. The D major guitar chord and the A major guitar chord are the chords the Travis picking is built on.
Worked example — Travis picking on C major. Hold a C major chord, and play the thumb on the 5th string, which is C, the root, on beat one, then the index finger on the 3rd string, which is G, on the and after beat one, then the thumb on the 4th string, which is G, the 5th, on beat two, then the middle finger on the 2nd string, which is B, on the and after beat two, and repeat. The thumb alternates between C and G, the root and the 5th, on the beats, and the fingers play G and B, on the offbeats, and the pattern is T, I, T, M, with the bass steady and the melody flowing. The I–V–vi–IV progression in C major is a good progression to practise Travis picking with, because it uses C major, G major, A minor and F major, and the thumb alternates between the root and the 5th on every chord.
How to practise Travis picking
Practise Travis picking slowly, learning the thumb pattern first, and then adding the fingers, so the bass is steady before the melody is added.
- Practise the thumb alone on a C major chord, alternating between the 5th string, C, and the 4th string, G, on the beats, one, two, three, four, until the bass is steady.
- Add the index finger on the offbeats, playing the 3rd string, G, on the and after each beat, so the pattern is thumb, index, thumb, index, and the bass and the melody work together.
- Add the middle finger, playing the 2nd string, B, on the and after beat two, so the pattern is thumb, index, thumb, middle, and the melody is fuller.
- Play the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major with Travis picking, changing chords on beat one of each bar.
- Practise with the metronome at 60 beats per minute, and increase the tempo by 5 beats per minute when the pattern is steady at the current tempo.
Common mistakes
- Learning the thumb and the fingers at the same time — Travis picking has two parts, the thumb and the fingers, and learning them together is too much, because the thumb must be steady and the fingers must be flexible. Learn the thumb first, until it is steady, and then add the fingers, one at a time.
- Letting the thumb follow the fingers — The thumb is the bass, and it must be steady, on the beat, while the fingers play the melody, on the offbeats. If the thumb follows the fingers, the bass will be uneven, and the rhythm will break. Keep the thumb steady, and let the fingers follow the melody.
- Playing the bass too loudly — The thumb plays the bass, and the bass should be steady but not loud, because the melody is the part that sings. If the thumb is too loud, it will drown the melody, and the Travis picking will sound like a bass, not like a song. Play the thumb softly, and the fingers a little louder.
Quick reference
This table shows the Travis picking pattern for one bar on C major, with the beat, the thumb, and the finger for each position, so you can see the thumb and the fingers working together. The thumb plays the bass on the beats, alternating between the root and the 5th, and the fingers play the melody on the offbeats.
| Beat | Thumb | Finger |
|---|---|---|
| Beat 1 | 5th string (C, root) | — |
| And after 1 | — | Index, 3rd string (G) |
| Beat 2 | 4th string (G, 5th) | — |
| And after 2 | — | Middle, 2nd string (B) |
| Beat 3 | 5th string (C, root) | — |
| And after 3 | — | Index, 3rd string (G) |
| Beat 4 | 4th string (G, 5th) | — |
| And after 4 | — | Middle, 2nd string (B) |
Use the table to practise Travis picking: play the thumb on the beats, alternating between the root and the 5th, and the fingers on the offbeats, and keep the thumb steady, so the bass drives the song. When you can play the table without looking, try the pattern on G major, and then on A minor, and the Travis picking will be yours.
Frequently asked questions
What is Travis picking?
Travis picking is a fingerpicking style where the thumb plays an alternating bass pattern, root and 5th, on the beat, while the fingers play the melody on the treble strings, on the offbeats. It is named after Merle Travis, and it is the foundation of country and folk fingerpicking.
Who was Merle Travis?
Merle Travis was an American country guitarist who popularised the alternating bass fingerpicking style, and the style is named after him. He played with a thumbpick and his fingers, and his style became the foundation of country and folk fingerpicking.
How is Travis picking different from regular fingerpicking?
Travis picking has a steady alternating bass, played by the thumb on every beat, while regular fingerpicking has a pattern that is the same on every chord, without the alternating bass. The alternating bass is what makes Travis picking sound full and rhythmic, with the bass driving the song.
Do I need a thumbpick for Travis picking?
No, but it helps, because a thumbpick gives the bass a clearer, brighter sound than the bare thumb, and it makes the thumb louder, so the bass is heard. Merle Travis used a thumbpick, and many Travis pickers do, but the bare thumb works too.
Can I Travis pick on any chord?
Yes. Travis picking works on any chord, major, minor, or seventh, because the thumb alternates between the root and the 5th of the chord, and the fingers play the treble strings, and the pattern is the same on every chord, with the notes changing to fit the chord.