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Thread: Fastest thumb in the US -Merle Travis

  1. #1
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    Default Fastest thumb in the US -Merle Travis

    For those of you who know little or nothing about Merle Travis...join the club. I don't either, but the boy sure do know how ta play. Watch this
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtJhnExStaw

    Those of you who know of Travis maybe you can shed some light. He's quite the picker.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

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    That's why they call that style of playing "Travis Picking".

    Notice that he only uses his thumb and index finger.

    But other than that, I don't know anything about him.

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    Merle Travis had a huge influence on the "Nashville" sound, and wrote a number of hits. Here's a bio.
    Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)
    Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
    Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
    Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5


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    Spudman,

    That was a great find on Youtube. I've only known of Merle Travis from reading about Chet Atkins. It seems that they had a similar style although Chet Atkins took it a little further. It's really cool to see this video and notice the he only used two fingers of his right hand to pick with. That's a lot of sound that he is getting from only those two fingers.

    Thanks for sending this link.

    -- Jim
    Electrics: Hamer Newport, Fender Clapton Strat, Ibanez AF86, Line6 Variax 700
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    Dobro: Regal "Black Lightning Dobro"
    Mandolin: Morgan Monroe Mandolin
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    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandid=301718

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    The reason I even looked for him on youtube was because as I was learning to play guitar it was the thumb and forefinger that I was using on my picking hand too. A friend saw it and said "hey, that is the Merle Travis style of finger picking."

    I was thinking about that yesterday and just thought I would check the tube. Glad you liked it. He's pretty cool.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

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    Absolutely awesome! That stuff is so cool, yet so hard to master.
    The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
    Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.

  7. #7
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    Very cool.. was that guitar a Country Gentleman?
    I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009

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