TRAVIS PICKING ESSENTIALS
​Must-Know Melody Concepts, Explained!

▶️ Click to watch video lesson​

In this new video I give a proper explanation of melody, which is one of the three pillars of music alongside rhythm & harmony. If it’s something you can hum or sing or whistle… it’s a melody!

I begin by demonstrating a handful of example melodies from common tunes you surely know. Next, I explain a few helpful insights into how melody works in actual songs.

From there, I showcase several different ways the same melody might be played on a single guitar: with bass notes, with strummed chords, with alternating bass notes (Travis-style), or vocally while the guitar plays bass & filler notes.

Print-Friendly Tabs & Bonus Videos Available!

As usual, I have you covered with print-friendly guide to follow along with every example I play in my lesson. I also have many bonus videos, each of which shows me playing through each of these example sequences:

You can find all these items on my lesson webpage »​

Coming Soon to Travis Picking Essentials

I've mapped out the remaining videos in the Melody module of this course, which are listed below. I'll no doubt add to these with additional lessons to fill any gaps. If any of these are of interest, reply to this email and let me know which you'd like to see sooner than later!

Melody Examples in Travis Picking

• A handful of examples of melody in popular Travis Picking tunes, to teach you to recognize melodies in existing arrangements — whether they’re distinct or implied.

Where Melody Notes Come From

• Melodies almost always come from the scale of whatever key you’re in. I’ll teach you how to see these notes on the fretboard, and demonstrate how a single scale can yield countless recognizable melodies.

Moving Melodies to Different Keys

• Any melody can be played in any musical key. I’ll demonstrate this, and point to some of the trade-offs you’ll find when playing in one key vs. another — which is an important consideration in the world of Travis Picking.

Melody “Sweet Spot” While Travis Picking

• An overview of the most common keys that Travis Picking songs are played in, on account of those melody notes being the easiest to access while playing alternating bass & filler notes.

Melody and Single Bass Notes

• A lesson teaching you to ease your way into alternating bass notes, by first focusing on single bass notes for each chord. This lets you learn a tricky melody first, while adding in bass notes slowly & at your own pace.

Melody and Alternating Bass Notes

• Following up on the previous lesson, I’ll teach you how to transition from single bass notes to the alternating thumb approach. Plenty of practical tips included along the way.

Melody and Filler Notes

• I’ll show you how to take melody and alternating bass, then add in filler notes into the gaps. This allows you to fill things out, and even bring in your own sense of improvisation based on your skill level.

Abandoning Melody While Singing

• A look at how many real-world popular songs work, where melody notes are played during instrumental sections (e.g. an intro or solo) but replaced by filler notes when vocals begin.

Melody as the Highest Note

• A must-know concept about how to make melody notes stand out, by ensuring they’re the highest-in-pitch notes played in any given melodic phrase. An important technique to be aware of even outside the world of Travis Picking!

My Other Travis Picking Essentials Lessons

If you haven't seen, I've got several lessons for this course already available to view! Check them out here »​

I hope you all enjoy, and have a great weekend wherever you are! Until next week ✌️

David

Browse all my lessons at songnotes.net​