Chet Atkins
The "Atkins Style" of playing is so infectious you just cant stop your foot from tapping
. It is very difficult for a guitarist to master.
He used a thumb pick around his thumb to pluck the low strings. The index, middle, and ring fingers played the syncopated chords, and melody all at the same time.
Merle Travis is the backbone influence behind Chet Atkins. When Chet first heard Merle Travis on the radio, Chet was knocked out.
Chet started to think like Merle Travis, and copy his style. Later in Chet's life he found out Merle played that sound with only the thumb and index finger.
There is one big factor to tell you how Merle Travis is very different than Chet Atkins.
Merle when he used his Thumb to hit the 6th and 4th strings alternating bass. He had a way of pushing down the 6th string and at the same time the finger would be pushing slightly the 5th string, but it was muted. He did the same for the 4th string bass note.
It is really hard to do. You wonder if Merle had chubby fingers, and how he could do that? He played guitars set up just like any body else with the same distance between each string.
His approach gave a very percussive sound. For each bass note he is actually playing two sounds at the same time. All mixed together you can hear the fretted note that sounded clean and pure, and the muted note on the string below. Merle Travis style is very percussive, and has a driving beat. I feels like a train going down the track.
Chet Atkins pioneered the Merle Travis technique. The more he played Chet decided to do a few things his own way. Chet used the thumb for bass just like Merle, but he used all his fingers, index, middle, and ring finger for chords and melody. Chet also experimented with Merle's bass lines and made his own variations of the bass lines.
Chet Atkins enjoyed playing the Bass notes fretted to hear the note. He enjoyed the accuracy of hearing the bass note without the muted note included like Merle did it.
I am sure thousand and more have written and talked all night about Merle Travis and Chet Atkins style. They both are gifted at learning songs with arrangements they stuck to.
Chet Atkins right hand man John Knowles wrote most of Chet's arrangements. John would go to see Chet and show him the frame work arrangement idea for the first draft of the new song they were working on. The very next day Chet would be calling up John Knowles on the phone saying "I got that down, I need some more"
Chet learned things so fast John was astonished, but it was no surprise to John really, he knew how Chet's mind worked. John Knowles admired Chet's flair and style and sensitivity. The happiness John shared with Chet as the song arrangement would grow was like magic.
The Chet Atkins and Merle Travis sound is the Nashville guitar sound known all around the world.
The level of young and the older guitar talent in Nashville is amazing. The young players really can catch your ears with that Chet Atkins style, and their own developing sound.The young Bluegrass players knock you out too.
The Nashville Kids are privately studying from great teachers.
The young guitar players really follow the Chet Atkins style starting at such a young age, and that didn't come from Internet lessons.
The young guitarists just cant get enough of learning the guitar. After they have had their weekly lesson they go to their teachers house after school and cut his lawn, do favours, and help out, hoping they can stay and get to watch their teacher play. They want to learn a few more licks, and tunes.
Nashville has a heritage. They respect the old Hymns and Americas traditional folk songs. The young jam with the elderly all their favourite songs. They truly have a history there.
Some of Chet Atkins quotes.
"Everything I've ever done was out of fear of being mediocre." Chet Atkins
"If you hear something you like, and you're halfway like the public, chances are they'l like it too." Chet Atkins
"Years from now, after I'm gone, someone will listen to what I've done and know I was here. They may not know or care who I was, but they'll hear my guitars speaking for me." Chet Atkins
By: Rick Washbrook August 29th, 2010 copyright Chet AtkinsBy: rick washbrook
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