Herein lays the FOUNDATION and cornerstone of all country music--all alone, totally calm and in control, Merle masters the bass line, the rythm, the vocals, and throws in two magnificent leads for 'good measure.' I can play Hendrix, Zepplin, Vaughan, Van-Halen, Johnson, James, etc., and even though country is not my style, as a guitarist, I have to recognize this guy is one of the all time GREATS. Total genius!!--
Yep, fastest thumb and index finger in the world. Certainly self taught and he can pick a lot faster than this fiercely up stroking the index finger. It's quite amazing. another that was like this was Toy Caldwell. one of the founders of the Marshall tucker band. Sadly it seemed he lived a cursed life. Tragedy after tragedy plagued he and his family. He could tear a guitar up with a bare thumb and no pick at all and finger pick with his own unique style and brand. One the best that left way to soon. when ever i have struggles in my life i think of what that man went through and then I laugh at myself and move along.
Dude . You are not only misinformed. But youre full of shit. You dont learn this shit from books boy. Grampa grandma. My brother would say 'pay attentipn'.
Wow.... first time ever hearing this and I just shed a tear. Something about his voice and playing is so sincere and laidback, at the same time skillful and full of soul
Man this dude is insane. Funny how metal brought me here and now I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to replicate this on my Ibanez 7 string haha. Merle Travis is the man, this is just mindblowingly good.
My family is from Muhlenberg Co, Ky, and Merle wanted to date my grandma. She called him a "pill-poppin' drunk" lol... but he was a genuinely nice guy. Once shoveled a load of coal for my great-great-grandma, who delivered mail with a horse-drawn cart. She always spoke well of him after that. RIP Merle Travis
***** Thanks, Merle factored heavily into my family's history. The story on my great great grandma, was that she was loading her OWN coal, and Merle and some guys were standing around, when Merle said "Are we mice, or are we men?" and promptly grabbed a shovel and loaded it for her. Cool cat, helluva guitarist, and a Kentucky legend.
Adolph Oliver Bush While I don't have that close of a connection to the Merle, I grew listening to my dad play that song. My dad was born in Hazard, KY… Harlan County… So the song means a lot to me. Charles Powell, RIP
Mark Powell Me and the wife spent the day in Harlan a couple weeks back. Unbelievable scenery, and amazing mountaintops. I know it is painted as a tragic place with meth problems and what not, and some of that is true, but such a beautiful area.
He taught us all how to make our guitars talk. He inspired Doc Watson to take to the stage. Doc named his son for Merle Travis. It all goes round and it comes back home. The circle will NOT be broken. If you have not heard "Folk Songs of The Hills", then waste no time in acquiring this record! You will not take it off your player for a long time. It was out of print for many years and I had to get by with my beat-up scratchy old copy, but the lacquers have been found and it has been transferred to digital and remastered well. It is a joy to behold -Like listening to it for the first time again. If he had made only this record -that would have been enough! But there is so much more...
Not sure if he inspired to "take to the stage" (that's certainly not what Doc says) but he was THE influence on Doc's fingerpicking approach, which Doc acknowledged and imitated perfectly in the right-hand technique... but not the left. In his famous intro to Deep River Blues on that double live album from the early 70s with Merle, Doc says he put the Delmore Bros's tune in the Travis style, which is obvious. Chet, who learned to play by copying Travis, said, "Without Merle Travis, I'd still be looking at the hind end of a mule". Travis influenced deeply MILLIONS of guitar pickers, either directly, or through his two most famous followers.
I watched these run as short fillers on B&W TV, Saturday mornings, in early 1950s. Never knew exactly when they might be shown, just had to watch, wait, and hope. I was ecstatic to learn they were available on RUclips.
There have been many renditions of this song. Some very good but none have that exciting rhythm and easy stroking of the strings that Merle had. His voice had that mountain ring to it. This is a unique piece of history and should be appreciated forever.
Any guitar player has heard of " Travis Picking "...But if you watch all the instruction videos they use 3 , 4 or 5 fingers on their right hand. Watch Travis and notice that no mater what song or how elaborate he only uses 2 fingers...index finger and thumb. Makes it even more impressive I think.
Good call, James. I'm not a finger picker, but I do try Travis picking now and then, and next time I'm going to use the two finger approach and see how fun and/or challenging it is.
+Fanis Filippas The alternating bass gives the drive and low accompaniment, but the fingers pick the melody. Might help to listen... That style, that most people call "finger picking" was called thumb picking in Mulenberg Co., Kentucky where Travis is from. Who, pray tell, called it... ahem... uh... Duo Fingers!?
I believe the two finger method sounds better, if that makes sense. Or maybe it's just that the practitioners do, not sure on that. Doc Watson, was of course another.
That's right! I remember watching that movie and in the scene where that guy is playing the trumpet mouthpiece. I see that unique headstock as the guitar player is strumming in the background. I jump up and say "Holy Crap, that's Merle Travis ... THAT'S MERLE TRAVIS!!!" Everyone in the room is going "Whose that ?" But I knew. Great moment.
Dingled: Merle's album FOLK SONGS OF THE HILLS recorded in 1946 has some of his seminal songs on it. I think it has been released as a c.d.--certainly as a c.d.
Paul Bissonnette haha that gives some clarity, thanks :) which wife? as a guitarist that pours over the films of his playing I’m always hoping for better shots of his hands
@@spacekarma4 it was a joke. I just thought the strangle nod was a bit much . There are plenty of vids showing Tommy Emmanuel playing that and he nails it and mentions Merle every time.
@@spacekarma4 I have been a Merle fan for decades. I struggle but continue to study and get it, but the brain and fingers don't want to be on the same page. I basically suck but enjoy playing . With the Advent of RUclips I have been exposed like many others , to so much great talent. Talent we would not know about more than likely if not for RUclips. And Billy strings and his band are incredible. So much out there. Be well
Anybody else feels sorry for the thumbs-down people I mean if you don't like country music music made by people who work for a living then don't listen to it although that's sad as well
@MrJellyrollBaker If I am not mistaken, that is his Martin D-28 with a bigsby neck. He played this guitar for many years including in the movie "From Here to Eternity".
Well....Mose Rager, Odell Martin, Kennedy Jones came before good ole Merle. I play with just a thumb and index finger like Merle though, for most of my Thumbpickin songs. LLKM! Long Live Kentucky Music!
Always thought Jimi Hendrix was sort of the pioneer of using the thumb over the top, hence ( Hendrix chords). Well I was wrong. Awesome playing, love some Merle!
The first finger picking tune i ever heard that sound blew me away i have been a finger picker ever since i heard this and this is where Chet Atkins got his style from.
I'm a picker myself and I was crazy with the likes of Chet Atkins, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhart, Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup or Les Paul... Merle Travis was just a name I never paid attention… Wrong, wrong, wrong, made a big mistake and feel ashamed for it… What a picker!... Sorry Mr Travis
found out something interesting about the late Les Paul, now someone correct me if i;m wrong, grew up on an old Les Paul Mary Ford 45 as a child. this year I read an article about him breaking his arm years ago, and the Dr wanted to set it straight, but the break was such, that if they had done that he would not be able to play guitar again, so he had them set the arm at an angle, so he could still play guitar. loved the sound of his old Les Paul. have heard several in person, and love the sound of them although my fav are the old Martin Guitars that cost oodles and doodles of money
It was this soundie that brought Travis to the attention of Fred Zimmerman at Columbia Studios, and resulted in Travis' being cast in the role of Private Sal Anderson in the Oscar-winning flick "From Here to Eternity".
No, that's Travis' Martin D28 that he took to Paul Bigsby in 1946. Bigsby sweated off the Martin neck and replaced it with one that was similar in radius to the neck on the custom Bigsby solid body electric that he had built earlier for Travis. Travis played the D28 for the rest of his life, most notably on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1971 album, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" In 2009, C.F. Martin issued a 100-copy run of this guitar, with Bigsby neck, calling it the D28M. Price: $7,999.00.
Yes, Chet heard him play on the radio in the 40s and then started his style, which was consisting of thumb and 3 fingers. He was fired from a lot of country band and radio show because he sounded to sophisticated. He was playing on the opera in the late 40s and became a member in 50. Both had their own style, I would give a fortune to play like either.
The great Merle Travis. Even the mighty Roy Clark, virtuoso of all instruments stringed, apparently never learned to Travis pick. Can't find any thumbpickin' by Roy Clark anywhere.
@chester777ful the right hand rolls are modifications of old time mountain banjo players....if you look at some of the "originals" of early country, a lot of them started out picking on a banjo with the thumb and first finger....examples: Lester Flatt, Maybelle Carter, Carter Stanley and Merle. Back in the hills, banjos were very popular because if you knew 3 chord and had a good right hand rhythm you could play about every song out there.....then along came Earl Scruggs and went wild :)
Thumbpick and ONE -- count 'em! -- finger plus palm-heel muting the bass strings. A simple formula that very few have mastered -- I had the first two down solidly, but never quite got the bass string muting right because it altered my right hand position too much for comfort and speed.
@billga2010 A little bit. Bigsby was an amazing guy. From motorcycles(racing and manufacture) to war machines to musical instruments I'd say he contributed far more than his share. A good friend of mine made a replica/tribute of the Merle Travis Bigsby which I made the pickup for and did the wiring(actually still trying to come up with a tone pot/capacitor combo to get the sound right).
Merle " Set the Stage " for the rest of us Fingerstyle guitarists........The only thing is, WE HAVE TO USE THREE FINGERS, & our Thumb--- and aren't capable of just using One finger & the Thumb. Rest in Peace With the LORD, Mr. Travis---you are the GodFather of Country Style FingerPickin.
ACHPKP Chet learned Travis style from a record but thought he was using his thumb and two fingers. So the Chet Atkins style was born. Chet always gave credit to Merle for influencing him and writing great songs.
@jak442 You sound like you know what you're talking about. I was quoting a Guitar Player Magazine article. "One of Travis' design inovations was having tall the tuning machines on the same side of the headstock ."
@jak442 From Bigsby websit > One day in late 1946, Merle and P.A. Bigsby were having lunch. Merle, an accomplished cartoonist, had sketched an idea for a new guitar on a Pasadena radio station’s program sheet and passed the drawing to Paul. “Can you make this, P.A.?” asked Merle. P.A. answered, “I can make anything.”And indeed he could! That drawing of the Solid Body electric guitar with all six tuning pegs on one side of the headstock was built the following year and played by Merle in public
+Mike Piercey He uses two fingers and his thumb and can play anything, any way you want it played. I am talking about, in my opinion, the greatest all around guitar player in the world. Mark Knopfler.
wish i could play those bass line with my thumb but alas baby hands lol Fred Sokolow( at Stephan Grossman's ) does a dang good job teaching the style though! wicked man! wicked!
Does anyone know what kind of pick he used? He makes it look so easy. It looks like a very small, sharp, short pick, mounted pretty high on the thumb... Never seen it before.. I love seeing merle play and sing, makes it sound even better 💙💙💙💙💙
It's a thumb pick, some type of vinyl or maybe turtle shell. I don't think they made plastic picks them. You can shave them or wear them down short. Some players learned as kids, their thumbs were small and the pick would go to the knuckle, when they grew they kept shoving them there because it felt natural. Not sure though.
Notice that Merle used only his thumb and forefinger (2 finger picking) where as people who were influenced by Merle's style like Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Scotty Moore Doc Watson and others used multiple fingers in addition to their thumb. (Chet Atkins first heard Travis on WLW in 1939 and was inspired to adapt his fingerpicking techniques)
he mentioned on a show i just watched that he was told if he gave his old guitar to the Hall Of Fame that the company would build him another guitar, and said it was the most expensive one the factory ever built
@billga2010 That's a bold statement and it's not true. P.A. Bigsby was re-necking martins with his signature head-stock long before he met Merle. Travis did commission P.A. to build the first solid body electric guitar however. He drew it on a napkin. Leo Fender borrowed the guitar for a few days, while it was in for the cut-away to be added, and within 6 months he was building Broadcasters. By all accounts, this ended their friendship.
This guy no longer lives but is going to teach guitar forever
Herein lays the FOUNDATION and cornerstone of all country music--all alone, totally calm and in control, Merle masters the bass line, the rythm, the vocals, and throws in two magnificent leads for 'good measure.' I can play Hendrix, Zepplin, Vaughan, Van-Halen, Johnson, James, etc., and even though country is not my style, as a guitarist, I have to recognize this guy is one of the all time GREATS. Total genius!!--
Yes sir, Jerry Reed and also Glen Campbell.
Yep, fastest thumb and index finger in the world. Certainly self taught and he can pick a lot faster than this fiercely up stroking the index finger. It's quite amazing. another that was like this was Toy Caldwell. one of the founders of the Marshall tucker band. Sadly it seemed he lived a cursed life. Tragedy after tragedy plagued he and his family. He could tear a guitar up with a bare thumb and no pick at all and finger pick with his own unique style and brand. One the best that left way to soon. when ever i have struggles in my life i think of what that man went through and then I laugh at myself and move along.
My eye!!!!!
Dude . You are not only misinformed. But youre full of shit. You dont learn this shit from books boy. Grampa grandma. My brother would say 'pay attentipn'.
Amen friend...His bio... 16 TONS...is quite the read and, if accurate, sets him on top of all comers...Quite the book and story...👍👊💪
Merle Travis plays that guitar like running a well oiled machine. pure perfection.
Wow.... first time ever hearing this and I just shed a tear. Something about his voice and playing is so sincere and laidback, at the same time skillful and full of soul
All with a thumb and one finger...Amazing!
Incredible! Anyway he's playing with a thumb's pick
This man is such an icon the style of picking he is doing is named after him: Travis picking!
man, this is THE guy who's influenced just about everyone after him. Awesome!
Man this dude is insane. Funny how metal brought me here and now I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to replicate this on my Ibanez 7 string haha. Merle Travis is the man, this is just mindblowingly good.
Good guitar players know greatness when they it buddy, regardless of genre.
My family is from Muhlenberg Co, Ky, and Merle wanted to date my grandma. She called him a "pill-poppin' drunk" lol... but he was a genuinely nice guy. Once shoveled a load of coal for my great-great-grandma, who delivered mail with a horse-drawn cart. She always spoke well of him after that. RIP Merle Travis
Adolph Oliver Bush What an awesome story!!!!!
*****
Thanks, Merle factored heavily into my family's history. The story on my great great grandma, was that she was loading her OWN coal, and Merle and some guys were standing around, when Merle said "Are we mice, or are we men?" and promptly grabbed a shovel and loaded it for her.
Cool cat, helluva guitarist, and a Kentucky legend.
Adolph Oliver Bush Good times :-)
Adolph Oliver Bush While I don't have that close of a connection to the Merle, I grew listening to my dad play that song. My dad was born in Hazard, KY… Harlan County… So the song means a lot to me. Charles Powell, RIP
Mark Powell
Me and the wife spent the day in Harlan a couple weeks back. Unbelievable scenery, and amazing mountaintops. I know it is painted as a tragic place with meth problems and what not, and some of that is true, but such a beautiful area.
He taught us all how to make our guitars talk. He inspired Doc Watson to take to the stage. Doc named his son for Merle Travis. It all goes round and it comes back home. The circle will NOT be broken.
If you have not heard "Folk Songs of The Hills", then waste no time in acquiring this record! You will not take it off your player for a long time. It was out of print for many years and I had to get by with my beat-up scratchy old copy, but the lacquers have been found and it has been transferred to digital and remastered well. It is a joy to behold -Like listening to it for the first time again. If he had made only this record -that would have been enough! But there is so much more...
Not sure if he inspired to "take to the stage" (that's certainly not what Doc says) but he was THE influence on Doc's fingerpicking approach, which Doc acknowledged and imitated perfectly in the right-hand technique... but not the left.
In his famous intro to Deep River Blues on that double live album from the early 70s with Merle, Doc says he put the Delmore Bros's tune in the Travis style, which is obvious.
Chet, who learned to play by copying Travis, said, "Without Merle Travis, I'd still be looking at the hind end of a mule". Travis influenced deeply MILLIONS of guitar pickers, either directly, or through his two most famous followers.
old country music is my favorite.
It's not old it's real.
@@Brenden_Simpson it looks like it's old because of the color.
I watched these run as short fillers on B&W TV, Saturday mornings, in early 1950s. Never knew exactly when they might be shown, just had to watch, wait, and hope. I was ecstatic to learn they were available on RUclips.
When my dad recorded with Decca in the 40's, him and Merle would fish together from the piers in California.
There have been many renditions of this song. Some very good but none have that exciting rhythm and easy stroking of the strings that Merle had. His voice had that mountain ring to it. This is a unique piece of history and should be appreciated forever.
Don K
Doc Watson does a superb version. In fact, he does a number of songs that Merle does.
He cannot play a bad song. What a musical treasure!
What a fantastic singer and picker! He certainly plays as good - or better - than the best guitar pickers today. Thanks for the video.
+Doc Marshall Hard call on the guys today. Tommy Emmanuel has no peers. Throm Bresh, Merle's son, is one of the greatest finger pickers I ever heard.
Any guitar player has heard of " Travis Picking "...But if you watch all the instruction videos they use 3 , 4 or 5 fingers on their right hand. Watch Travis and notice that no mater what song or how elaborate he only uses 2 fingers...index finger and thumb. Makes it even more impressive I think.
Good call, James. I'm not a finger picker, but I do try Travis picking now and then, and next time I'm going to use the two finger approach and see how fun and/or challenging it is.
+Fanis Filippas The alternating bass gives the drive and low accompaniment, but the fingers pick the melody. Might help to listen... That style, that most people call "finger picking" was called thumb picking in Mulenberg Co., Kentucky where Travis is from. Who, pray tell, called it... ahem... uh... Duo Fingers!?
Roland Doucet
Muhlenberg County is in Kentucky FYI.
+benkit49 I knew that... from songs especially... just slipped my mind. Thanks.
I believe the two finger method sounds better, if that makes sense. Or maybe it's just that the practitioners do, not sure on that. Doc Watson, was of course another.
Man, that guitar sounds so smooth, and good. This guy rocks!
it is so pretty sounding
That's right! I remember watching that movie and in the scene where that guy is playing the trumpet mouthpiece. I see that unique headstock as the guitar player is strumming in the background. I jump up and say "Holy Crap, that's Merle Travis ... THAT'S MERLE TRAVIS!!!" Everyone in the room is going "Whose that ?" But I knew. Great moment.
so laid back and so bad ass. nobody plays the guitar like that. even chet said he thought merle's style was more exciting than his.
reminds me of my daddy :) he always played this song when I was little :)
Dingled: Merle's album FOLK SONGS OF THE HILLS recorded in 1946 has some of his seminal songs on it. I think it has been released as a c.d.--certainly as a c.d.
i could strangle the guy filming who thought see merles charming face was paramount to seeing his hands : p love it
His wife filmed and produced.
Paul Bissonnette haha that gives some clarity, thanks :) which wife? as a guitarist that pours over the films of his playing I’m always hoping for better shots of his hands
@@spacekarma4 it was a joke. I just thought the strangle nod was a bit much . There are plenty of vids showing Tommy Emmanuel playing that and he nails it and mentions Merle every time.
Haha yeah in hindsight it was a tad much. It was born from me being frustrated years ago haha :p since then I’ve learned it no problem
@@spacekarma4 I have been a Merle fan for decades. I struggle but continue to study and get it, but the brain and fingers don't want to be on the same page. I basically suck but enjoy playing . With the Advent of RUclips I have been exposed like many others , to so much great talent. Talent we would not know about more than likely if not for RUclips. And Billy strings and his band are incredible. So much out there. Be well
Anybody else feels sorry for the thumbs-down people I mean if you don't like country music music made by people who work for a living then don't listen to it although that's sad as well
thank you for uploading this classic from"brother" Merle
@MrJellyrollBaker If I am not mistaken, that is his Martin D-28 with a bigsby neck. He played this guitar for many years including in the movie "From Here to Eternity".
No commercials, or ads !! Sweet bring on Travis !!
Well....Mose Rager, Odell Martin, Kennedy Jones came before good ole Merle. I play with just a thumb and index finger like Merle though, for most of my Thumbpickin songs. LLKM! Long Live Kentucky Music!
He is loving it! Thumb and forefinger! OMG that is incredible.
he wears a pick on his thumb like Ralph Stanley and Earl Scruggs.
Amazing guitar playing!
Always thought Jimi Hendrix was sort of the pioneer of using the thumb over the top, hence ( Hendrix chords). Well I was wrong. Awesome playing, love some Merle!
A lot of western swing players do it
@@steelblue1959 Not to mention jazz players.
Thanks travis youve become more immortal then you couldve ver imagined
nothin sweeter than a fine singer and picker from KY
The neo-western show Justified brought me here. His music wasn't played but was mentioned by two characters in the show and I looked him up.
ive been trying to learn this guys technique for 2 weeks now, most passing glances wont realize just how incredible this is.
The first finger picking tune i ever heard that sound blew me away i have been a finger picker ever since i heard this and this is where Chet Atkins got his style from.
I learned this song via Roscoe Holcomb then Ola Bella Reed. Now Merle Travis.
I thought I only knew this song from John Prine but I think my dad had this recording 50 years ago when I was 5.
Man that's just great. Thanks for posting this.
Amazing! What a fascinating charisma he has in this video!!!
I'm a picker myself and I was crazy with the likes of Chet Atkins, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhart, Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup or Les Paul... Merle Travis was just a name I never paid attention… Wrong, wrong, wrong, made a big mistake and feel ashamed for it… What a picker!... Sorry Mr Travis
found out something interesting about the late Les Paul, now someone correct me if i;m wrong, grew up on an old Les Paul Mary Ford 45 as a child. this year I read an article about him breaking his arm years ago, and the Dr wanted to set it straight, but the break was such, that if they had done that he would not be able to play guitar again, so he had them set the arm at an angle, so he could still play guitar. loved the sound of his old Les Paul. have heard several in person, and love the sound of them although my fav are the old Martin Guitars that cost oodles and doodles of money
Love this! I forgot how good he was💙
King Merle Travis ♥️👍🏻🤘🏻
Great song, thank you. Ed
Inspiring. What a legend.
Merle started it all....appreciate it for what it is ! He's the MAN!
Nah man..he stole it from the black players. Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Charlie Patton....
It was this soundie that brought Travis to the attention of Fred Zimmerman at Columbia Studios, and resulted in Travis' being cast in the role of Private Sal Anderson in the Oscar-winning flick "From Here to Eternity".
Thumb pick and one finger....and he tears it up. Great. Thanks for posting.
No, that's Travis' Martin D28 that he took to Paul Bigsby in 1946. Bigsby sweated off the Martin neck and replaced it with one that was similar in radius to the neck on the custom Bigsby solid body electric that he had built earlier for Travis.
Travis played the D28 for the rest of his life, most notably on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1971 album, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?"
In 2009, C.F. Martin issued a 100-copy run of this guitar, with Bigsby neck, calling it the D28M. Price: $7,999.00.
I am not sure if it was the recording but, I thought his guitar didn’t do his phenomenal talent justice.
I recorded with his 1st cousin Bear Travis. He a guitar picker like Merle
Before Chet Adkins there was a guy that started it all called Merle Travis.
Yes, Chet heard him play on the radio in the 40s and then started his style, which was consisting of thumb and 3 fingers. He was fired from a lot of country band and radio show because he sounded to sophisticated. He was playing on the opera in the late 40s and became a member in 50. Both had their own style, I would give a fortune to play like either.
How have I only just discovered this guy...
The great Merle Travis.
Even the mighty Roy Clark, virtuoso of all instruments stringed, apparently never learned to Travis pick.
Can't find any thumbpickin' by Roy Clark anywhere.
Being a banjo player, Roy obviously knew how to use a thumb pick. He could play Travis songs with a flat pick, so no need to play with a thumb pick.
@@plainolamerican Right. No doubt he could have done it, he just didn’t, for whatever reason.
Love this man....thanks for the video
@chester777ful the right hand rolls are modifications of old time mountain banjo players....if you look at some of the "originals" of early country, a lot of them started out picking on a banjo with the thumb and first finger....examples: Lester Flatt, Maybelle Carter, Carter Stanley and Merle. Back in the hills, banjos were very popular because if you knew 3 chord and had a good right hand rhythm you could play about every song out there.....then along came Earl Scruggs and went wild :)
I love the sound of old footage when that happens!
At last, an honest version of Travis Picking on RUclips. Thumb and forefinger only.
Thumbpick and ONE -- count 'em! -- finger plus palm-heel muting the bass strings. A simple formula that very few have mastered -- I had the first two down solidly, but never quite got the bass string muting right because it altered my right hand position too much for comfort and speed.
Merle and my grandfather were cousins too bad I never got to meet him.
Супер техника на гитаре❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💥❤🩹❤🩹❤🩹❤🩹❤🩹❤🩹❤🩹❤🩹
Beautiful stuff!
So many people have sang this song but I like his way better.
@billga2010 A little bit. Bigsby was an amazing guy. From motorcycles(racing and manufacture) to war machines to musical instruments I'd say he contributed far more than his share.
A good friend of mine made a replica/tribute of the Merle Travis Bigsby which I made the pickup for and did the wiring(actually still trying to come up with a tone pot/capacitor combo to get the sound right).
Merle " Set the Stage " for the rest of us Fingerstyle guitarists........The only thing is, WE HAVE TO USE THREE
FINGERS, & our Thumb--- and aren't capable of just using One finger & the Thumb.
Rest in Peace With the LORD, Mr. Travis---you are the GodFather of Country Style FingerPickin.
ACHPKP Chet learned Travis style from a record but thought he was using his thumb and two fingers. So the Chet Atkins style was born. Chet always gave credit to Merle for influencing him and writing great songs.
this is REAL music
I like the tremolo thing of the old tape!!!
Townes cover of this is so beautifully sad
This is great!!
teriffic version ! thank's much !
that's fantastic
I enjoy that sound.
@jak442 You sound like you know what you're talking about.
I was quoting a Guitar Player Magazine article. "One of Travis' design inovations was having tall the tuning machines on the same side of the headstock ."
Jolene I ain't bout to go straight...
I agree Gerald
Awesome.
one of the most talented yet overrated guitar players of all time, and he still had an amazing voice. it’s a shame merle isn’t more remembered today
I think you meant underrated.
@jak442 From Bigsby websit > One day in late 1946, Merle and P.A. Bigsby were having lunch. Merle, an accomplished cartoonist, had sketched an idea for a new guitar on a Pasadena radio station’s program sheet and passed the drawing to Paul. “Can you make this, P.A.?” asked Merle. P.A. answered, “I can make anything.”And indeed he could! That drawing of the Solid Body electric guitar with all six tuning pegs on one side of the headstock was built the following year and played by Merle in public
Good stuff I love this man's music. I pick the same way by just using 2 fingers, I think
Doc Watson picked the same way...Thanks for the video...
I used to pick, but it was too inefficient... now I just use a grasping technique on that 9 pound hammer. CM4L
Index and thumb... that's all.
Roland Doucet damn! hard to believe merle Travis and may others can play so good with just two fingers
+Seazer009 One of the greatest Peidmont blues players did also. Her name, Etta Baker.
+Mike Piercey He uses two fingers and his thumb and can play anything, any way you want it played. I am talking about, in my opinion, the greatest all around guitar player in the world. Mark Knopfler.
@MrJellyrollBaker Merle Travis invented '' in-line '' tuners on the guitar .
wish i could play those bass line with my thumb but alas baby hands lol Fred Sokolow( at Stephan Grossman's ) does a dang good job teaching the style though! wicked man! wicked!
You can still do it. Don't stop trying, you'll get it.
At first I tought the same, with practice, it became damn comfy, just gotta give it A LOT of time.
absolutely right
Magic!
Well, actually the guitar Thom plays in that video is the Martin/Bigsby reissue (he says "this is the new D28M" at 8:40).
@jimirsaysbuddy Very interesting! Thanks for the info. I never realized the Strat headstock was so derivative!
Piedmont picking style. He didn't invent it. But mastered it.
I believe he was from Western Kentucky!!!
Does anyone know what kind of pick he used? He makes it look so easy. It looks like a very small, sharp, short pick, mounted pretty high on the thumb... Never seen it before..
I love seeing merle play and sing, makes it sound even better 💙💙💙💙💙
It's a thumb pick, some type of vinyl or maybe turtle shell.
I don't think they made plastic picks them.
You can shave them or wear them down short. Some players learned as kids, their thumbs were small and the pick would go to the knuckle, when they grew they kept shoving them there because it felt natural.
Not sure though.
Notice that Merle used only his thumb and forefinger (2 finger picking) where as people who were influenced by Merle's style like Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Scotty Moore Doc Watson and others used multiple fingers in addition to their thumb. (Chet Atkins first heard Travis on WLW in 1939 and was inspired to adapt his fingerpicking techniques)
Doc Watson only used his thumb and forefinger as well
I'll bet that guitar is worth a ton of money. It was used in "From here to Eternity" in 1953.
he mentioned on a show i just watched that he was told if he gave his old guitar to the Hall Of Fame that the company would build him another guitar, and said it was the most expensive one the factory ever built
Faultless.
can I ask a dumb sounding question. I'm not a picker but wondered how they got those kind of guitars to sound so loud without amplification thanks
im swinging a 12 lb and all I can say is my shoulders are tired
w0w, awsome
Maybe him and John Prine are jamming right now.🥰
Sure was a nice looking dude.
Great tune, great playing! Tommy Emmanuel's version of this song is pure fire, check it out if you haven't already!
Good
@billga2010 That's a bold statement and it's not true. P.A. Bigsby was re-necking martins with his signature head-stock long before he met Merle. Travis did commission P.A. to build the first solid body electric guitar however. He drew it on a napkin. Leo Fender borrowed the guitar for a few days, while it was in for the cut-away to be added, and within 6 months he was building Broadcasters. By all accounts, this ended their friendship.
Damn how do I decide? Chet Atkins or Merle Travis. Both damn great pickers
Both different style. You don't have to choose, just love them both.
Just don't tell the other one.
who taught Merle how to Travis pick? How did he get the idea from?