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Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | I'm almost exclusively using my bare fingers for strumming and picking, no picks and only short nails. I feel that the bass notes often get a little to soft, so I recently got a set of thumb and finger picks. I've started with only thumb pick and try to mute the bass strings to get the right "thump" when Travis picking. I notice that I automatically mute the strings with the edge of the palm (behind my pinky), but believe that the "correct" technique is to use the heel of the thumb, not sure though, can't find any pics or description in my book on Travis picking that clearly shows this detail.
Are there any other Travis pickers here who can tell what's the correct muting technique? I think that I mute this way because I'm used to keep the different angle to the strings when playing without a thumb pick. Just thought I'd check this out before developing another bad habit. |
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Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | I do it the same way you do.
So does Tommy Emmanuel, only MUCH better-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45vrY1Q3S7I
I can't deal with finger picks, I may as well try to play with thimbles on my fingers. Thumb pick only for me. |
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November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | Thank you, Nils (is that name implying some Scandinavian ancestors by the way?)
Great little video lesson! Having played a little for nearly 30 years I still feel I learn from seeing how great players do the very basic stuff!
:cool:
Nice to know my instincts were right to, to me it feels a lot better to use this muting technique than to force my hand into the position needed to use the heel of my thumb. |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| Interesting isn't it that being a great player does not make you a great teacher? TE is like a lot of players who do what they do and don't really know how they do it - and when they try and explain it they are faltering, unclear and generally leave you more confused than when you started.
Teaching is a real talent - any subject or topic not just music - and if you haven't got it you haven't got it.
I couldn't believe how good Matt was as a teacher and how many little things I picked up in just the hour at the 2006 Tour, and I was even more impressed how he got across stuff that had taken me years to work out/find out.
If you want a guitar lesson go to Matt not Tommy. |
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November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | Originally posted by schroeder:
If you want a guitar lesson go to Matt not Tommy. Ok, thanks for the advice, but this specific clip on how to get the Travis/Atkins "Boom-Chuck" bass was right to the point of what I wanted to find out, and I can't see that Tommy E's explanation was unclear or bad in any way! |
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Posts: 4413
| It wasn't bad - but he didn't seem very comfortable doing the teaching. If you get the chance to go to one of Matt's workshops (he does come to Europe) take it. He does classes on the web as well - can't remember what the site is called but several people here use it and all the teachers are supposed to be good.
I don't know why I'm giving Matt all this free publicity - I normally charge a couple million for an endorsement.
Hope life is getting a little more normal for you. |
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Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | Schroeder, is this the website you're thinking of? |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| I don't think so - cwk2 is an investor in the one I was thinking of. I know jeffW did some lessons and so did several other people here. Someone will tell us when America wakes up, has a coffee and gets to work :p :) |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | WorkShopLive.Com |
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Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | Shroeder, what makes you think the coffee actually helps? Or that we work over here for that matter? :p
I use the heel part of my thumb, rotating my hand with the upper part towards the strings and striking down, but that's playing rhythm. I don't ever use finger pics at all, so I'm not sure how that changes things. |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by HobbyPicker:
Thank you, Nils (is that name implying some Scandinavian ancestors by the way?)
Great little video lesson! Having played a little for nearly 30 years I still feel I learn from seeing how great players do the very basic stuff!
:cool:
Nice to know my instincts were right to, to me it feels a lot better to use this muting technique than to force my hand into the position needed to use the heel of my thumb. Your welcome. I'm glad I could help. Adamasguy gave me that link 3 or 4 months ago when I was trying to learn to pick like that. I've watched about every clip TE has on YouTube. He has some really interesting ones about harmonics.
I do agree with schroeder, he's not really a great teacher, but he does get his point across eventually, & after all, he does it for free. I could have learned what I needed to know without him saying anything really. If I can *see* somebody play something enough times I can generally figure out how they do it.
"Never Sniff a Gift Fish" - Patrick McManus
Here's another clip that helped me a lot when I was trying to learn that style-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PkUW4M7xE0&NR=1
Since I learned to use a thumb pick I've been playing a LOT, I'm really enjoying being able to finally do this after 50 damned years of (mediocre) guitar playing. I still suck, but now I suck on a slightly higher level :)
Here's another clip that I learned from, & it's fun to watch -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGTIHSMYpR8&mode=related&search=
And yes, I'm half Swede. Named after my grandfather. Last name is Norling. My dad used to tell people we were Chinese when they'd ask how to spell Nor-Ling. I was always the only Chinese Swede in my class. The only Nils too.
I'm going to go look & see what Matt has on YouTube. |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Nils, I need to ride over there and visit you. How far central are you?
btw, McManus is one of my favorite authors.
"Once in a seventh-grade English class I stumbled into a nest of dangling participles." |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by Nils:
[QB] If I can *see* somebody play something enough times I can generally figure out how they do it.
Ah yes, the
Monkey see/Monkey do
school of music.
That's why all those young guitar players are standing in front of the stage at the club with their girlfriends dancing around their intert bodies. Staring at the lead player.
Not me!
I was looking at the Bass player! |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Nils, I need to ride over there and visit you. How far central are you?
btw, McManus is one of my favorite authors.
"Once in a seventh-grade English class I stumbled into a nest of dangling participles." I'm pretty central, I think Oregon could balance on Metolius. I'm just out of Madras, about 40 miles north of Bend, five miles from Lake Billy Chinook. Come on over. It might take a while for your eye's to adjust to the brightness :)
We have every book McManus ever wrote, although he may have a new one out. He is a very funny writer, I love his adventures with Retch Sweeny & Rancid Crabtree. We've managed to get them all signed over the years, although several of the signatures are on white labels that he sent us. I met him briefly in Bend at a "One Man Show & Book Signing".
Remember kiddies-
"Real ponies don't go oink!" - (young) Pat McManus |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Have you tried just letting a callous develop on your thumb instead of a pick?
As to muting, whatever works is OK in my book. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by an4340:
Have you tried just letting a callous develop on your thumb instead of a pick?
As to muting, whatever works is OK in my book. Yes, but I can't get the sound or precision I like. I usually find it easier to play cleanly with a thumb pick. Of course 'cleanly' is a relative term, maybe I should say 'less sloppily'. (Is sloppily a word?) |
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Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | If it wasn't...it is now :D |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Nils:
I'm pretty central, I think Oregon could balance on Metolius. I'm just out of Madras, about 40 miles north of Bend, five miles from Lake Billy Chinook. Come on over. It might take a while for your eye's to adjust to the brightness :) Ah, just over the hill, by Cove Palisades. Nice. |
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Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | "Ah, just over the hill, by Cove Palisades. Nice."
Bingo! |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | On songs that are at the speed of, or slower than, Ring of Fire, I prefer my finger tips. On songs that are at Chuck Berry speed or faster, a flat pick. In between, it just depends, if I flub a few notes while finger picking I just keep going and they think I meant to do it that way. |
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Bass string muting