Travis Picking Patterns – Everything You Need To Know!

Travis Picking Patterns for Guitar

Travis Picking Patterns For Beginner to Intermediate

In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to travis pick on guitar, starting with the easiest fingerstyle pattern and building up from there. These exercises will help you gradually build the skills you need to play a ton of popular travis picking songs.

“Travis Picking Exercises” Worksheet + TAB pdf available on my Patreon page.

Click here

STEP 1: PLACING YOUR FINGERS

The lesson begins with finger placement: Your thumb goes on the 3 thicker strings. Index on G, middle on B, ring on high e.

STEP 2: WARMING UP

Next we warm up with a “thumb vs fingers” exercise and get used to moving our fingers. Whether you are travis picking on acoustic guitar, or electric, this exercise is very important to be comfortable with.

STEP 3: FOLLOW THE ROOTS

We “follow the roots” of each chord shape with your thumb. I also have a chart in my free eBook that’ll show you all this information.

STEP 4: ALTERNATING BASSLINES

Next we practice alternating between notes with our thumb (the travis picking begins!)

STEP 5: ADDING FINGER STROKES

After that, we can add some strokes with our fingers and… we’re travis picking! That’s all there is to it!

STEP 6: OFF-BEAT FINGER STROKES

We can take it a step further by adding some off-beat finger strokes. This is where the magic truly happens.

Travis Picking Songs on Guitar

  • Country Roads
  • Jolene
  • Dust In The Wind
  • Landslide
  • Let Her Go

Learn essential fingerpicking techniques and styles like travis picking, adding embellishments, reading TAB and more! Be able to play songs like: Landslide, Tears In Heaven, Blackbird, Unchained Melody, Dust In The Wind, Yesterday, Ain’t No Sunshine, Love Yourself, The Boxer, Fast Car, More Than Words and everything else fingerstyle!

Click Here To Learn More!