Travis picking

noun

A guitar fingerpicking technique in which the thumb plays an alternating bassline while a syncopated melody line is played with the index and/or middle finger.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounTravis picking (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA guitar fingerpicking technique in which the thumb plays an alternating bassline while a syncopated melody line is played with the index and/or middle finger.

Origin

Named after US bluegrass and country musician Merle Travis who popularised the technique.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Travis picking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Travis%20picking

MLA

“Travis picking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Travis%20picking. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Travis picking,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Travis%20picking.

Source: Travis picking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.