Description
This is the first of four simple patterns used for this technique. I learned this from Jesse McReynolds, after hearing him play this way on a mandolin. George Shuffler, Clarence White were great at crosspicking too. Tony Rice, David Grier, and many others still use this technique in their playing.
It's a down up up pattern, and it's all played with a pick. The pattern is then repeated, and you can add hammer ons, pull offs, slides, and a few other tricks to play the melody. Another tip for you is to hold the chord position, and maybe just move a finger as you will see in the last lesson.
I played this pattern four times, so you can get the hang of it. The number of times you play it really depends on the melody of the song you're playing. This will be covered a little later, and a few other things will be too.
The most important thing is to learn the patterns, and you'll also be switching between them eventually. Remember to keep it slow until you get comfortable with it, and the speed will come.
This one starts on the 4th string, and is the only pattern where you'll use all open strings. These open strings only work with a G major chord, but other chords can be used with this pattern.
In the next lesson we'll start the pattern on the 3rd string.
If you have any questions, comments, or would like to be added to my mailing list, feel free to post a message for me in my forum.
Lesson Info
