Chords for Travis Picking In Spite of Ourselves
Tempo:
71.95 bpm
Chords used:
C
G
Em
F
E
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Okay, I'll try to make this quick, but first, John Prime is the best songwriter, period.
Travis Picking.
Left hand, C chord is fine, but you shouldn't make G's like this.
You've got to learn to turn the hand over.
Put the little fingers on the bass strings and that frees up your pinky and your first finger to play melody notes.
F chord, no bar.
Hold down the low F bass note and use the first three fingers [F] for that middle triad.
[N] Skip the A string.
This frees up the pinky and the first finger will also play melody notes.
Right hand, the secret is the pattern.
Look at the pairs of strings as the high and low, the A and the B, and the D and the E.
Outer, middle, inner pairs.
[E] The pattern is pinch the outer pairs, [G] pluck the inners, pluck the middle pair, pluck the inner pair again.
So, the pattern is to go outer, inner, middle, inner.
If we put it on our G chord, it sounds like this.
[C#] If we apply it to a different chord, C, this is generally the key you're going to be in.
Obviously, you can't play the bottom string.
You have to modify the [C] pattern a little bit.
[N] You're basically stroking the C note twice.
The thumb always plays the lower three strings.
You can decide which of these two fingers you want to use.
The two fingers you need for the upper three strings.
If I wanted to better apply that pattern to a C chord, I can start to learn to move my finger over here for the low bass note,
and start dropping back down with my thumb at the same time.
[C]
[E]
Likewise with the F chord, I [F] have to modify the pattern to avoid the A string, which I'm not going to play.
[C] Next thing is to incorporate the melody notes in a C position.
You're going to have the first finger on the 1.
Pinky can reach for the D, the G.
Open E is the 3.
You can reach for the first finger for the F.
And you can reach again with the pinky [G] for the high G.
You also get the open B string for the 7, so all you're missing is [D] the 6.
There's another position [Em] and pattern to play to get that 6, but this will get you started.
So, you start off with the modified pattern of outer, inner, middle, inner.
[C]
Then you add bass notes.
And then you start to get upper notes for a melody.
[Em] [C] [Em]
After that, start working on multiple attacks, [F#] or eighth [C] notes.
[G] [C] [G] [C] [Em]
[C] So, if you get those down, you can play fun John Prine songs.
[Em] [C] [Em] [C] [G] [F]
[Em] [C] [G]
[C] [G] [C]
Travis Picking.
Left hand, C chord is fine, but you shouldn't make G's like this.
You've got to learn to turn the hand over.
Put the little fingers on the bass strings and that frees up your pinky and your first finger to play melody notes.
F chord, no bar.
Hold down the low F bass note and use the first three fingers [F] for that middle triad.
[N] Skip the A string.
This frees up the pinky and the first finger will also play melody notes.
Right hand, the secret is the pattern.
Look at the pairs of strings as the high and low, the A and the B, and the D and the E.
Outer, middle, inner pairs.
[E] The pattern is pinch the outer pairs, [G] pluck the inners, pluck the middle pair, pluck the inner pair again.
So, the pattern is to go outer, inner, middle, inner.
If we put it on our G chord, it sounds like this.
[C#] If we apply it to a different chord, C, this is generally the key you're going to be in.
Obviously, you can't play the bottom string.
You have to modify the [C] pattern a little bit.
[N] You're basically stroking the C note twice.
The thumb always plays the lower three strings.
You can decide which of these two fingers you want to use.
The two fingers you need for the upper three strings.
If I wanted to better apply that pattern to a C chord, I can start to learn to move my finger over here for the low bass note,
and start dropping back down with my thumb at the same time.
[C]
[E]
Likewise with the F chord, I [F] have to modify the pattern to avoid the A string, which I'm not going to play.
[C] Next thing is to incorporate the melody notes in a C position.
You're going to have the first finger on the 1.
Pinky can reach for the D, the G.
Open E is the 3.
You can reach for the first finger for the F.
And you can reach again with the pinky [G] for the high G.
You also get the open B string for the 7, so all you're missing is [D] the 6.
There's another position [Em] and pattern to play to get that 6, but this will get you started.
So, you start off with the modified pattern of outer, inner, middle, inner.
[C]
Then you add bass notes.
And then you start to get upper notes for a melody.
[Em] [C] [Em]
After that, start working on multiple attacks, [F#] or eighth [C] notes.
[G] [C] [G] [C] [Em]
[C] So, if you get those down, you can play fun John Prine songs.
[Em] [C] [Em] [C] [G] [F]
[Em] [C] [G]
[C] [G] [C]
Key:
C
G
Em
F
E
C
G
Em
_ _ Okay, I'll try to make this quick, but first, John Prime is the best songwriter, period.
Travis Picking.
Left hand, C chord is fine, but you shouldn't make G's like this.
You've got to learn to turn the hand over.
Put the little fingers on the bass strings and that frees up your pinky and your first finger to play melody notes.
F chord, no bar.
Hold down the low F bass note and use the first three fingers [F] for that middle triad.
[N] Skip the A string.
This frees up the pinky and the first finger will also play melody notes.
Right hand, the secret is the pattern.
_ Look at the pairs of strings as the high and low, the A and the B, and the D and the E.
Outer, middle, inner pairs.
[E] The pattern is pinch the outer pairs, _ [G] pluck the inners, pluck the middle pair, pluck the inner pair again.
So, the pattern is to go outer, inner, middle, inner.
If we put it on our G chord, it sounds like this.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[C#] _ If we apply it to a different chord, C, this is generally the key you're going to be in.
_ Obviously, you can't play the bottom string.
You have to modify the [C] pattern a little bit.
_ _ _ _ [N] You're basically stroking the C note twice.
_ The thumb always plays the lower three strings.
You can decide which of these two fingers you want to use.
The two fingers you need for the upper three strings.
_ If I wanted to better apply that pattern to a C chord, I can start to learn to move my finger over here for the low bass note,
and start dropping back down with my thumb at the same time.
[C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
Likewise with the F chord, I [F] have to modify the pattern to avoid the A string, which I'm not going to play. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] Next thing is to incorporate the melody notes in a C position.
You're going to have the first finger on the 1.
Pinky can reach for the D, the G.
Open E is the 3.
You can reach for the first finger for the F.
And you can reach again with the pinky [G] for the high G.
You also get the open B string for the 7, so all you're missing is [D] the 6.
There's another position [Em] and pattern to play to get that 6, but this will get you started.
So, you start off with the modified pattern of outer, inner, middle, inner.
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _
Then you add bass notes. _ _ _ _
_ _ And then you start to get upper notes for a melody.
_ [Em] _ _ [C] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ After that, start working on multiple attacks, [F#] or eighth [C] notes. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ [C] _ [G] _ [C] _ [Em] _ _
[C] _ So, if you get those down, you can play fun John Prine songs.
[Em] _ [C] _ [Em] _ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ [F] _
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _
Travis Picking.
Left hand, C chord is fine, but you shouldn't make G's like this.
You've got to learn to turn the hand over.
Put the little fingers on the bass strings and that frees up your pinky and your first finger to play melody notes.
F chord, no bar.
Hold down the low F bass note and use the first three fingers [F] for that middle triad.
[N] Skip the A string.
This frees up the pinky and the first finger will also play melody notes.
Right hand, the secret is the pattern.
_ Look at the pairs of strings as the high and low, the A and the B, and the D and the E.
Outer, middle, inner pairs.
[E] The pattern is pinch the outer pairs, _ [G] pluck the inners, pluck the middle pair, pluck the inner pair again.
So, the pattern is to go outer, inner, middle, inner.
If we put it on our G chord, it sounds like this.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[C#] _ If we apply it to a different chord, C, this is generally the key you're going to be in.
_ Obviously, you can't play the bottom string.
You have to modify the [C] pattern a little bit.
_ _ _ _ [N] You're basically stroking the C note twice.
_ The thumb always plays the lower three strings.
You can decide which of these two fingers you want to use.
The two fingers you need for the upper three strings.
_ If I wanted to better apply that pattern to a C chord, I can start to learn to move my finger over here for the low bass note,
and start dropping back down with my thumb at the same time.
[C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
Likewise with the F chord, I [F] have to modify the pattern to avoid the A string, which I'm not going to play. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] Next thing is to incorporate the melody notes in a C position.
You're going to have the first finger on the 1.
Pinky can reach for the D, the G.
Open E is the 3.
You can reach for the first finger for the F.
And you can reach again with the pinky [G] for the high G.
You also get the open B string for the 7, so all you're missing is [D] the 6.
There's another position [Em] and pattern to play to get that 6, but this will get you started.
So, you start off with the modified pattern of outer, inner, middle, inner.
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _
Then you add bass notes. _ _ _ _
_ _ And then you start to get upper notes for a melody.
_ [Em] _ _ [C] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ After that, start working on multiple attacks, [F#] or eighth [C] notes. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ [C] _ [G] _ [C] _ [Em] _ _
[C] _ So, if you get those down, you can play fun John Prine songs.
[Em] _ [C] _ [Em] _ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ [F] _
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _