Topic: Flatpicking the blues-Help!

[smilnJackB]

Hello Weenies,

   I am in my late 50s and my finger picking fingers are arthritic and do not want to finger pick.  I want to  improve my guitar and blues playing and it will have to be with a flat pick.  Can anyone suggest some instruction for me?

    I am not a blue grasser, but I see books on flatpicking bluegrass.  I wonder if learning that would transfer to blues....

   Here's where I am now.  I first position chord pretty well.  I moslty play in G, but some in C, D and E.   I can single note melody pick by ear pretty well but have no clue how or when to 'pick' multiple strings.   Where do I go from here?
   
      Jack

   

[Fifthtry]

I am not a blue grasser, but I see books on flatpicking bluegrass.  I wonder if learning that would transfer to blues....

I can't tell whether you've flatpicked before.  If not, then step #1 would be to get comfortable with the pick and for that purpose flatpicking bluegrass, or any other genre, might be an OK intro physically.  But I think musically it would not since the sounds/notes/scales used in blues and BG are not the same, and the rhythm playing is very different.

Here's a link to a DVD lesson on flatpicking blues http://www.flatpick.com/blues/.  I have not seen this personally (at least not yet!), so I cannot vouch for this lesson.  However, the people who put this out (Flatpicking magazine) I can vouch for -- I have ordered other lessons and I subscribe to Flatpicking magazine and am very satisified with the quality of both.

Hope that helps.  John

[smilnJackB]

Thanks John.  I will give that lesson a try first chance I can.  What I probably should do is take lessons for the first time in my life!  Jack

[Pan]

Hi Jack

A listening suggestion comes to mind; an early flatpicking CB artist which I really like is Bobby Leecan, he plays very tasty bass runs to connect chords. Document has Bobby Leecan & Robert Cooksey complete recordings in two volumes. I have volume two and I like it very much.

Cheers

Pan

Edited to add: John Miller has done a great job figuring out the keys and positions to these recordings, check out this thread: http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=108&topic=2780.0

[uncle bud]

Perhaps our own Cheapfeet will chime in here. He manages to do some excellent country blues playing with a flatpick. His tunes posted on the Back Porch may provide some inspiration.

Not blues or bluegrass per se, more old-time with elements of each, but you may want to check out Norman Blake, who has lessons on Homespun. He's a master. I can't vouch for the lessons as I haven't partaken.

[smilnJackB]

Thanks folks,
   I have heard and enjoyed Cheepfeet's songs.  I may not be able to tell if I am hearing flatpicking or finger picking.  And  just going for the sound in my head is good advice.  Once in a while I can do that, but too often I can not.
   I start lessons tomorrow night.  The teacher is mostly a bluegrasser and mostly a Scruggs style banjo man, but he plays anything with strings at a higher level than I do.  It's worth a try. 
   Jack

[Rivers]

Was listening to Charlie Pickett's Down The Highway today from the Sleepy John Estes and Friends JSP box set. I may be crazy but I'm sure he's using a flatpick. Whatever, he's an excellent player with great tone, and totally new to me so I'm going to track down more of his stuff. Any recommendations?

While searching I just tagged a bunch of flatpicking topics BTW

[deltaslim]

May I suggest Big Bill Broonzy's version of John Henry and How You Want It Done for your flatpicking studies?  They're 2 of my favorite flatpicked blues -- very rhythmic and chugs along like freight trains, these two!