This is a very (relatively) simple lesson on “Travis Picking”, a style of playing guitar popularized by Country musician Merle Travis. Our example is a very repetitive pattern and not too much like a real Merle Travis guitar part but it will get you started with the concept.

Read more at Mark’s blog

One of the coolest ways to get the most out of writing and practicing chord progressions is to experiment with ‘Harmonic Rhythm’. The term ‘Harmonic Rhythm’ is used to describe the length or duration of each chord that is played in a progression. By experimenting with different types of harmonic rhythm, a single progression of chords can take on many different sounds. After many years of playing, I’ve found that many songs actually use the same combinations of chords, but by changing the harmonic rhythm or duration of each chord, many different variations can be created.