Mel Bay Merle Travis Guitar Style (Paperback)

~ Merle Travis (Author), Tommy Flint (Author) "If you are a beginner, I would advise using an electronic tuner for now, while your ears are developing..." (more)
Key Phrases: principal chords, oom pah, Tommy Flint, All Rights Reserved, Merle Travis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is a thorough study into the renowned "Travis Picking Guitar Style" done by Merle's kinfolk, Tommy Flint. Included are vintage photos, interesting annotations and some great Travis guitar solos. If you want to learn to Travis pick, this book will take you there and then some! In notation and tablature.

About the Author

Merle Travis was one of the greatest and most influential guitarists the world has ever known and is a very important figure in the history of American music. The name Merle Travis, his songs and guitar style (thumbstyle), are well known and emulated throughout much of the world. The "Travis style" can be heard from Finland to the British Isles and from France to South Africa. His music is timeless. It transcends generations, styles, and fads. It encompasses many types of music from hillbilly, western and folk to pop standards, jazz, Dixieland, boogie-woogie, Cajun, honky tonk and country. Travis was a prolific songwriter and his songs are still being recorded by many of today's young artists and brightest stars. "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette," written for Tex Williams, was the first million seller for the new (at the time) Capitol Records company. His "Sixteen Tons" which was recorded by "Tennessee" Ernie Ford was the first record to sell a million copies in thirty days. Merle was a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. He was an extremely creative musician, an inventor, a designer, an innovator, a trail blazer, ahead of his time in many ways. He was one of the first to use the electric guitar. He designed the first thin, solid body guitar with all the keys on one side, with P. A. Bigsby built for him. This was the forerunner of the Fender guitar. This famous Bigsby guitar is in the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum in Nashville, along side the well known Gibson Super 400 that has Travis' name inlaid in the fingerboard. Merle also designed the vibrato that Bigsby also built for him, which became the famous Bigsby vibrato. Travis' son, Thom Bresh, has this first Bigsby vibrato ever built. Merle was in at least thirty-six western movies with Charles Starett, Smiley Burnette, and various other actors. He performed in the award winning film From Here to Eternity with Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery cliff, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, and Ernest Borgnine. The name Merle Travis is in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Gibson Guitar Hall of Fame. His name and songs are in the Smithsonian Institution, where he performed several years ago. Merle Travis was many things -- guitarist, singer, songwriter, cartoonist, designer, composer, writer, raconteur and historian of sorts. Most of all, he was a wonderful human being, who gave hours, months, and years of happiness to many people. Tommy Flint is an outstanding guitarist who is known worldwide for his musical achievements. He is an internationally acclaimed author of guitar instructional books, CDs, and videos. Tommy and his band have accompanied many major artists in concert halls, recording studios, and package shows. Tommy has shared the stage with artists such as Chet Atkins, Cher, Ray Charles, Roger Miller, Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton and Glen Campbell. He and his band performed as an opening act for the late Elvis Presley. Tommy's resume includes performances at the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame, A Tribute to Merle Travis at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in Nashville and the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Tommy has conducted clinics and workshops across the U. S. and Europe. He is well known for his work with the Music Educators National Conference, the Merle Travis Guitar Festival at Northeastern State University at Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and other venues. He has participated in workshops with a number of nationally recognized guitarists including his cousin Merle Travis, Mel Bay, Thom Bresh, Bill Bay, John Knowles, Buster B. Jones, and Muriel Anderson. Tommy has written 40 instructional books (with companion recordings) published by Mel Bay Publications. Many of his books are used in the nation's leading music schools. He also writes for Fingerstyle Guitar magazine. Tommy is heavily scheduled playing concer

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (December 8, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078660266X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786602667
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #194,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great starter for Travis style, January 11, 2006

By	Mr. Chips (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a terrific introduction to learning to play the Travis style by a second cousin of Travis, and a person intimately familiar with the Muhlenberg county guitar tradition.

Flint will start you off with some basic Travis-style patterns and rolls, and then works into more difficult material. You will learn how to wrap your thumb around the neck, something I'd never tried before. Some of the lessons use snippets from Travis tunes that Flint has worked into new compositions; others, like Thom Bresh's "Barbeque Rag" or "Way down Yonder in New Orleans" are intact songs. Working with this book allowed me to develop far enough along to play several hours worth of tunes and perform solo Travis-style for several years.

The book comes with a CD and is written with notation and tab. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the rockabilly guitar novice, December 21, 2009

By	Michael L. Angelastro "Last Response" (SLC, UT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book does an excellent job at pacing you from exercise to exercise than into songs that play on what you've learned. Although the Travis picking style can be difficult to get your head around. I would suggest first taking some basic lessons from a guitar teacher comfortable with the Travis style, than get this book.