In this lesson, I will be focusing on the techniques and approaches of three early country artists: Merle Travis, Lester Flatt, and Hank Williams. While these players sat firmly within the country and bluegrass genres – Flatt, as one half of the legendary Flatt & Scruggs guitar and banjo duo; Travis, a country megastar after whom Travis picking was named; and Williams, a troubled songwriting genius who died just before his 30th birthday – today’s Americana artists blur all of these stylistic boundaries. Today, Americana incorporates techniques from bluegrass, country, folk, blues and more to create its unique sound.
In its earliest form, Americana means Appalachian mountain music, which then develops into a number of different styles from bluegrass to American folk, the latter giving voice to artists like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, who brought the nascent sound of Americana to a much wider audience. It also encompasses elements of country, blues, and Louisiana cajun music, which makes Americana a catch-all for several different styles and therefore meaning things to different people. As you’ll see from this study, each artist had a unique approach to the guitar which inspired many generations to come.
In this Travis picking example, the melody moves while the bass plays a root/octave pattern. Travis used his thumb and first finger for plucking everything, but most guitarists use second and third fingers for the third, second, and first strings. Chet Atkins r.