Beginning To Play Like Chet
Beginning To Play Like Chet
Part One
“The Right Hand”
Get Picky!!!!.... Hints
Purchase thumbpicks that are small enough to fit tightly and
very close to the tip of your thumb, just covering the nail
This enables speed and accuracy due to less motion of the
thumb versus when it is shoved up close to the knuckle
If you have problems maintaining your nails,
seek out a nail tech at a salon that will put “Gel Nails”
on the four fingers of your right hand
Gel nails are feather-light, hard as a rock, and very durable
I recommend the Golden Gate GP-12 style thumbpicks
The Big Thing!!!
Gain as much chordal knowledge as you can!
With chords solos and all finger-style style material,
the more chordal knowledge you have, the better
you can express yourself musically by coloring your
arrangements and creating interesting movement
A Melody Line is simply a “jumbled up” scale
Chords are “specific notes” of the scale
Thus, they co-exist on the fretboard and are
found together right under your fingertips!!
Check the Maizeone.com website under
“Student Information” / “Student Items”
for many of the categories of chords you will need.
These links are found at the bottom/right of the webpages
Merle Travis
“Merle Travis can write you
a song and sing it. He could
draw you a cartoon, play you
a great guitar solo, or fix your
watch”..........
Chet Atkins
Right Hand Positioning
Anchor the little finger on the pickguard or top
Advance the thumb a knuckles-length ahead
of the fingers placing it on the 6th, 5th, or 4th string
This forces the fingers to pick from the mid-knuckles
toward the palm
Place the index finger on the 3rd string
and the middle finger on the 2nd string
Do not yank, pull, drag, or flick the strings
“SCRATCH” the strings toward the palm keeping the
right hand steady, using your nails or fingertips,
in the direction that that your fingers naturally move in.
Right Hand Positioning
To get the muted bass note sound like Chet’s
Rest your palm on the back of the bridge to where
just a slight amount of the palm touches the
6th, 5th, and 4th strings
Don’t move you palm up too much or it will cause
those alternating bass notes to be out of tune
and sound dead instead of slightly muted
With fingerstyle acoustic guitar solos
the bass notes are rarely muted
Right Hand Positioning
Your Ultimate Goal:
Minimal Hand Movement
&
Clock Steady Timing
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
4 Time Only
4
The thumb plays on the beat
in an alternating bass note fashion
starting with either the
6th, 5th, or 4th strings
The starting string is determined by the
chord being played.
The thumb pattern begins with the root/bass note of that chord
and then alternates to the string below.
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
The thumb plays - 5 4 6 4
for the
Basic Alphabet A, A7, Am, whose root is the 5th string
Basic Alphabet B7, C, and C7 which requires you to rock the
5th string bass note finger to the 6th string above it to play the
correct alternate bass note.
Bb Chromatic System chords also use the
5 4 6 4 alternating bass thumb pattern.
Some chord configurations require 5454 only
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
The thumb plays - 6 4 5 4
for the
Basic Alphabet E, E7, Em, G, and G7
and
F Chromatic System chord system
Some chord configurations require 6464 only
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
The thumb plays - 4 3 5 3
And shifts the fingers down one string
to the 3rd and 2nd
Basic Alphabet D, D7, and Dm
and
Basic Alphabet F
Which requires the 4th string to rocks to the 5th string
to play the correct alternate bass note
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
Adding In The Fingers To The Alternating Bass
Example: Basic Alphabet A
5 4 6
2
4
2
Thumb
Fingers
3
T (m)
(m) Fingers used
(i)
1
2 3
4
&
Tempo count
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
Example: Basic Alphabet E
6 4 5
2
3
T (m) (i)
4 Thumb
2 Fingers
(m) Fingers used
1 2 3 &
4
Tempo count
Basic Travis Picking Pattern
Example: Basic Alphabet D
The pattern shifts down one string
4 3 5
1
2
T (m)
3
1
Thumb
Fingers
(i) (m) Fingers used
1 2 3 &
4
Tempo count
Double Roll
T
3
T (i)
4
A*
2
(m)
4
3
(i)
Thumb
2 Fingers
(m) Fingers Used
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Count
Drop down a string for chords with 4th string roots
A* = Alternate bass note for the chord type
Gallup
T
4
2-3
1 &-uh
T (m) (i)
2
T
Double this to alternate the bass
The fingered strings can vary for variety
Intro Roll
T 3 2
T 3 1
(i) (m)
(i) (m)
This roll has a “triplet” feel to it
Arpeggio
654-543-432-321
Tim-Tim-Tim-Tim
Lightly accent the thumb notes
No separation in the timing at all
These are “triplets”
1&-uh2&-uh3&uh4&-uh
(Tim = Thumb, Index, and Middle fingers on the right hand)
Beginning To Play Like Chet
Beginning To Play Like Chet
Part Two
“The Left Hand”
Beginning To Play Like Chet
Left Hand Tips
Always wear a strap that totally supports the guitar
and gives you “hands-free” playing ability


Keep neck pointed upwards at about a 45° angle

Keep your thumb on the middle to lower half of the neck

Use you fingertips and don't “flat-finger”

Keep your left arm totally free
This is a general track to run on that provides power and ease of playing.
There are variables.
Chordal Knowledge
Chords are the basis of your musical speech
Your level of musical expression is determined by your chordal
knowledge
Memorize these chord systems as quickly as you can
It is best to learn chords by category
rather than by use in songs
Go to the Maizeone.com website
and click at the bottom/right on
“Student Information” then “Student Items”
Chordal Knowledge
Basic Alphabet Of Chords or “Open Chords”
Basic Chromatic Chord Systems (F, Bb, and C7)
Chromatic Jazz Chords
Compound Chords – 9ths, 11ths, & 13ths
Diminished (°) and Augmented (+) Chords
Embellished Chords – b9,#9,b5
Chordal theory knowledge also allows you to “invent”
chords that you might need to enhance
your personal arrangements
Listen to and watch other guitarists for ideas
Chet's Frequently Used Chords
There are some common chord types used
in Chet's arrangements
Let's look at a couple of them and from
where the are derived
Great For An Intro! Roll On!!
Move this chord up 2 frets and it become a great E7 roll
Versatile 7th Chord
The E7 has a 6464 bass pattern
The D7 has a 5454 bass pattern
These are the first and third chords of
“Cannonball Rag”
Chet uses variations of the E7 extensively in many songs
Diminished Capacities
Chet used diminished chords
( dim or ○ )
to harmonize notes that were passing tones
in a melody
Diminished chords repeat themselves
every three frets and are extremely useful
to fill in between base chords of a song
Check the Maizeone.com website more info
Click on the lower right-hand corner on
“Student Information” then “Student Items”
Augmented Chords
( aug or + )
Chet used these to end a phrase as it was moving to
the next phrase such as from the Verse to the Chorus
 
G/G+ to C

The augmented chord works well as a
substitute for a 7th chord
Check the Maizeone.com website for more info
Click on the lower right-hand corner on
“Student Information” then “Student Items”
Good Luck!!!
I hope this material will help you to enter the world of
finger-style guitar and the incredible music legacy
that Chet Atkins and Merle Travis have left us.
…. Dr. Pat Corn