Chords for Acoustic Nation Lesson: Tommy Emmanuel Teaches His Picking Technique

[A] _ _ [E] _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
[E] I just want to [N] spend a minute to help you get started in thumb and finger style.
And the key to doing it well is having the thumb independent from the fingers.
So, when you're starting out, first of all get yourself a thumb pick, one that fits nice and that won't move around on your thumb.
_ _ _ _ Now, the thumb plays the bass and the kind of half of the rhythm part as well.
So you get this [C] sound.
_ [G] _ _
[C] _ [G] _ [C] _ Boom chick, boom chick, like that.
[G] _ _ [E] So you put your fingers down here and [G] leave them there.
Don't let your fingers do anything.
Start with the thumb first.
[A] So [Em] you spell out the chord like that.
[C] _ _ [G] C [F] up to F, _ [G] G, _ _ C.
_ [C] Like that.
[N] When you can do that and get a groove going with it, you'll feel that_
What will happen is [B] your fingers will want to come up and play the second note.
[C] They'll want to [G] go_
[C] _ [E] Because that's natural.
Everybody does that.
But what you've got to do is you've got to break that cycle.
So you've got to leave [C] your hands [G] down and get the thumb doing all that part [E] there.
[N] Now, step two.
You leave your pinky down _ and spell the [C] chords out with your three [E] fingers while [C] keeping the bass going.
[G] _ [C] So_
_ [G] _ _
[C] And_
Chord, _ _ chord, _ _
[F] chord, _ _ [G] chord.
_ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _
Okay?
Now, [N] when you can do that, that's a good thing.
So now if you want to get a little more technical, _ _ _ you can do arpeggios with your fingers.
Kind of spelling out the notes [C] like this. _ _ _ _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ [B] So I'll do that and mute [E] the bass now.
So [C] you get_
_ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [C] _ And so that technique of keeping the bass going and spelling out the things,
well then if you practice that enough, you'll then be able to have the ability to play a song.
So there are so many great songs to choose from.
I always teach Freight Train as the first song that people should learn.
And you've got to learn it bar by bar, very slowly.
So you work out the melody.
_ _ _ [D] _ [G] _ _
_ _ [Dm] _ _ _ [C] _ _
You see that?
[E] So then _ you've got to keep the bass [G] going now.
So [C] you get_ _ _ _
[Gm] _ [G] _ _ _ See that? _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
[Em] And you practice that up until it [C] sounds like music.
_ _ [D#m] _ [G] _ _ _ _ [D] _
[F] _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ [F#] _ [B] _
[C] _ _ [A] _ [G] [C] Then you can do a key [B] change if you want.
[E] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [G#] _
[F#m] _ _ [E] _ [B] _ [E] _ _ [A] _ _
[D#] _ _ [G#] _ _ [C#m] _ _ [A] _ _
[E] _ _ _ [F#m] _ [E] _ _ _ [G] _
[C] _ _ [Em] So [N] forth.
And you can make arrangements of it by using this technique.
So there's lots of songs to choose from.
Jed Atkins has so many good songs that you could learn.
And some of them written by Jerry Reid.
I recommend Baby's Coming Home.
That's a great song to learn.
And Chet's arrangement of Bye Bye Blackbird is really wonderful.
So there's a lot of songs to choose from.
And I wish you a lot of luck.
Go steady and be thorough about it.
And it'll all work.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _