beginning to play like chet

Beginning To Play Like Chet


Part One

“The Right Hand”

Get Picky!!!!.... HintsPurchase 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” scaleChords 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 youa song and sing it. He could

draw you a cartoon, play youa great guitar solo, or fix your

watch”..........Chet Atkins

Right Hand PositioningAnchor the little finger on the pickguard or top

Advance the thumb a knuckles-length aheadof the fingers placing it on the 6th, 5th, or 4th string

This forces the fingers to pick from the mid-knucklestoward the palm

Place the index finger on the 3rd stringand the middle finger on the 2nd string

Do not yank, pull, drag, or flick the strings

“SCRATCH” the strings toward the palm keeping theright hand steady, using your nails or fingertips,

in the direction that that your fingers naturally move in.

Right Hand PositioningTo get the muted bass note sound like Chet’s

Rest your palm on the back of the bridge to wherejust a slight amount of the palm touches the

6th, 5th, and 4th strings

Don’t move you palm up too much or it will causethose alternating bass notes to be out of tune

and sound dead instead of slightly muted

With fingerstyle acoustic guitar solosthe bass notes are rarely muted

Right Hand Positioning

Your Ultimate Goal:

Minimal Hand Movement&

Clock Steady Timing

Basic Travis Picking Pattern4 Time Only

4

The thumb plays on the beatin 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 theBasic 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 the5 4 6 4 alternating bass thumb pattern.

Some chord configurations require 5454 only


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 PatternThe thumb plays - 4 3 5 3

And shifts the fingers down one stringto the 3rd and 2nd

Basic Alphabet D, D7, and Dm

and

Basic Alphabet F

Which requires the 4th string to rocks to the 5th stringto play the correct alternate bass note


Adding In The Fingers To The Alternating Bass

Example: Basic Alphabet A

5 4 6 4 Thumb 2 2 Fingers 3 T (m) (m) Fingers used (i)

1 2 3 4 Tempo count &


Example: Basic Alphabet E

6 4 5 4 Thumb 2 3 2 Fingers T (m) (i) (m) Fingers used

1 2 3 & 4 Tempo count


Example: Basic Alphabet D The pattern shifts down one string

4 3 5 3 Thumb 1 2 1 Fingers T (m) (i) (m) Fingers used

1 2 3 & 4 Tempo count

Double Roll

T 4 A* 4 Thumb 3 2 3 2 Fingers T (i) (m) (i) (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 2 T (m) (i) T

Double this to alternate the bassThe 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

654-543-432-321Tim-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)


Part Two

“The Left Hand”

Beginning To Play Like ChetLeft Hand Tips

Always wear a strap that totally supports the guitarand 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 KnowledgeChords 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 websiteand click at the bottom/right on

“Student Information” then “Student Items”

Chordal KnowledgeBasic 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 usedin 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 tonesin a melody

Diminished chords repeat themselvesevery three frets and are extremely useful

to fill in between base chords of a song

Check the Maizeone.com website more infoClick on the lower right-hand corner on


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 asubstitute for a 7th chord

Check the Maizeone.com website for more infoClick on the lower right-hand corner on


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

beginning to play like chet

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