As the subtitle of this Fingerpicking Basics lesson for Ukulele implies, this lesson's focus is on the alternating thumb part of the style. Commonly called Travis Picking on guitar and Scrugg's Style for banjo. For guitar it’s an alternating bass note style with the thumb playing the lower, bass notes.
Subjects(s): Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced • Fingerpicking • Strums
Alternating Thumb Style, Building a Solid Foundation - The Basicson: Bluesky • facebook • twitter (X)
As the subtitle of this Fingerpicking Basics lesson for Ukulele implies, this lesson’s focus is on the alternating thumb part of the style. Commonly called Travis Picking on guitar and Scrugg's Style for banjo. For guitar it’s an alternating bass note style with the thumb playing the lower, bass notes. For ukulele, without any real bass notes, the thumb handles the lower two strings, four and three.
The alternating thumb fingerpicking style works in any tuning.
Guitar
Called "Travis Picking" on Banjo, the Alternating Thumbstyle techniques from this series of lessons and the Fingerpicking for Ukulele, Alternating Thumb Style can be applied to the guitar as well.
As the ukulele has only one set of four adjacent strings, the Guitar has three sets of four adjacent strings. This means the same principles are directly applicable to the guitar. And can be adapted to the guitar's adjacent string sets.
For Guitar the adjacent four strings sets are:
Banjo
Called Scruggs Style
on Banjo the Alternating Thumbstyle techniques from this series of lessons and the Fingerpicking for Ukulele, Alternating Thumb Style can be applied.
As the subtitle of this Fingerpicking Basics lesson for Ukulele implies, this lesson’s focus is on the alternating thumb part of the style. Commonly called Travis Picking on guitar and Scrugg's Style for banjo. For guitar it’s an alternating bass note style with the thumb playing the lower, bass notes. For ukulele, without any real bass notes, the thumb handles the lower two strings, four and three.
The alternating thumb fingerpicking style works in any tuning.
Guitar
Called "Travis Picking" on Banjo, the Alternating Thumbstyle techniques from this series of lessons and the Fingerpicking for Ukulele, Alternating Thumb Style can be applied to the guitar as well.
As the ukulele has only one set of four adjacent strings, the Guitar has three sets of four adjacent strings. This means the same principles are directly applicable to the guitar. And can be adapted to the guitar's adjacent string sets.
For Guitar the adjacent four strings sets are:
Banjo
Called Scruggs Style
on Banjo the Alternating Thumbstyle techniques from this series of lessons and the Fingerpicking for Ukulele, Alternating Thumb Style can be applied.
Related Lessons, Videos, Lesson Series, Songs, Books & Reference Charts, Resources & Assets, Workshops are below.
Alternating Thumb Style, Building a Solid Foundation - The Basics.
Alternating Thumb Style, Building a Solid Foundation - The Basics.
Fingerpicking for Ukulele - Alternating Thumb Style, 2nd Edition is an new expanded edition which focuses on the alternating thumb fingerpicking style through a series of graduated lessons-chapters incorporating your index and middle fingers with the alternating thumb.
Modular Phonetic Rhythm represents a significant advance in the teaching and application of rhythm. Eliminating many inefficient aspects of rhythm education, Modular Phonetic Rhythm streamlines the traditional educational approach, resulting in a reflexive reaction to rhythm.
return in your investment)—it is this— learning the
f*ckingnotes of your OWN instrument. Sorry for the tough talks—but it is sooooo true!
Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position is a lot easier than you might think. Book: Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer
An organized collection of daily practice and reference material for the contemporary ukulele player for developing the vocabulary and knowledge necessary for single note playing. Book: Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele
Checkout the Books & Reference Charts for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.
Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A
Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E
A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A) , A4