Blues in E — alternating bass fingerstyle
The 12-bar blues grid in E played fingerstyle, with an alternating bass: instead of staying on each chord's root, the thumb shuttles between two bass strings — typically the root and the fifth — in steady eighth notes, while the other fingers pick the treble strings. This is the principle of "Travis picking", after Merle Travis, who popularised it in the 1940s on roots of Appalachian fingerpicking. The effect: an accompaniment that stands on its own, bass and harmony at once. Level 5 because the thumb has to hold a strict, independent tempo while attention is elsewhere.
Tips
Isolate the thumb's alternating bass alone, over the whole grid, until it runs without thinking — it must never slow down.
Add just one treble note per bar first, placed between two bass notes (so on an off-beat): that's already Travis picking.
Lightly mute the basses with the side of the palm: a bass that sings too much masks the melody above it.
Understanding this type of exercise
The walking thumb
Same fingerstyle principle, but the thumb alternates between two bass strings instead of staying on one: the accompaniment becomes a steady bass walk under the chords.
Practical tips and common mistakes
- The thumb has to run on its own, without thinking, before you add the fingers on top.
- The alternation keeps a steady rhythm even when the chord changes — it's what holds the whole piece together.
- Slow down until the thumb bass is genuinely independent of the treble strings.
Chord progression — E
Chords
The same exercise in other keys
Related sheets
- Blues in E — double-time shuffle (Level 6)
- Blues in G arpeggios — fast tempo (Level 6)
- Blues in D — full grid at fast tempo (Level 6)