What are some good songs for beginning fingerstyle / travis picking style?

[James_E]

I've recently discovered how much I love styles like Doyle, Tommy E, Chet etc. and want to work towards it.  I am doing some exercises from "Getting into Travis Picking" book but I'd like some input on some tunes to start learning.  I'm working on Angelina by Tommy E. but it is really slow going (I'll keep at it though.)  I'd like some starter -> intermediate songs in the Doyle/Tommy E. style to start on.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Denis]

I'd like some starter -> intermediate songs in the Doyle/Tommy E. style to start on.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Not sure if they're Doyle/Tommy E. style but starter->intermediate would be songs like Simon and Garfunkel, the Boxer or Kansas, Dust in the Wind.  Both have the alternating bass

[flathead]

I have been a flat picker all of my life. But 2 weeks ago I started to try flat picking freight train ( elizabeth cotton ) and ended up learning to finger pick it. In the last week i have also figured out how to play cocaine (  von ronk, jackson brown, Rev. Gary Davis ) and candy man ( kind of like the way taj mahall plays it on the banjo ). all of these song ( at least for me ) were pretty simple to learn, and at least got my fingers.... and my mind going. It's like a whole new world opened up. good luck and stick with it

[drathbun]

Kansas' Dust In The Wind and Paul Simon's The Boxer are two basic Travis styles to start.

[Queequeg]

free download- Power Tab software. loop, repeat, slow down/speed up.You just play along as you watch it and learn it on your computer monitor.
You can download from here, plus 100s of tunes including an entire area devoted to Chet.
http://www.acousticpower.com/
Similar to tabledit, which is another great resource.
Here's the software download site: http://www.tabledit.com/tefview/download.shtml
and here are the associated tabledit tabs...
http://www.guitare33.com/tabledit/fingerstyle.htm

[Randy_R]

The first song I learned to finger pick is House of the Rising Sun.

hit the bass note of each chord withe the thumb then play the high three strings in this pattern 3-2-1-2-3

[James_E]

Thanks for the help everyone.  Some good ideas.  I've started with Dust in the Wind for now.  Seems well within my reach with my left hand and just pushing me a bit with my right hand to play it perfectly.

[Tycho]

"Freight Train" is one of those songs you just have to know if you're going to finger-pick.

[Sweb]

Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice, It's Alright. It works with Travis style once yiu get pretty handy with it.

[Tycho]

That was actually the very first song my teacher used when we started working on "systematic" Travis-picking as opposed to the haphazard approach I had used for 30 years.

[drathbun]

Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" is another easy Travis style song.

[Denis]

Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" is another easy Travis style song.

Got tab for that Doug?  Love that tune.

[LookingForLarri]

Got tab for that Doug?  Love that tune.

Not Doug, but this one is pretty good http://www.guitarmasta.net/f/fleetwood_mac/251711.html.   Scan Google and you will get many hits, look at a few until you see one that is in the format you like... Great Song !!  Have Fun     

[drathbun]

That tab looks like a good one.

[Denis]

Anopther one I like in the Travis style by Fleetwood Mac is Never Goin' Back Again.  That's not exactly beginner though.

[New Jersey Mike]

For Travis picking two great songs are "Julia" and "Dear Prudence" by John Lennon - both on the White Album. They are relatively easy to play and I'm sure lots of tabs out there on the net. By the way, Donovan always talks about how he taught Lennon Travis picking while they were both in India during the well known Marahisi days.

[drathbun]

By the way, Donovan always talks about how he taught Lennon Travis picking while they were both in India during the well known Marahisi days.

I don't think Paul sat in on that Donovan lesson because Paul's fingerstyle is unique to Paul McCartney... interesting though it is.