Tips For Perfecting The Art Of Chicken Pickin'
by Ava Bailey
If you're someone who is passionate about learning how to play country music on your guitar, one particular subset of this genre that may interest you is chicken pickin'. This term describes guitar music that conventionally has a fast rhythm, and many different players have popularized this style. Finding a guitar teacher who can play this style of music and who is adept at teaching it will be critical. Chicken pickin' is not an easy style of guitar music to master, particularly because of the speed at which you play. Lots of lessons, lots of practice, and keeping the following tips in mind will help you to succeed.
Use A Single-Coil Pickup
Although chicken pickin' is often done on acoustic guitars, this style of music can also be played on an electric guitar. Depending on how many electric guitars you own and what type of electronics they have, it's ideal if you can choose an instrument that has a single-coil pickup when you want to play this type of music. Single-coil pickups give you the trademark twang that you're looking for when you want to chicken pick. Even if you're able to get the fingerings and pickings figured out, your playing won't necessarily sound correct if you were to play it on a guitar with humbucker pickups. If you only have one guitar and it has humbuckers, check to see if the instrument is set up for coil-tapping — an adjustment that essentially allows you to have your humbuckers mimic single coils.
Let The Strings Snap
In many different types of guitar music, you're trying to pluck the strings smoothly and gently. This isn't an approach that you want to take when you're trying to master chicken pickin'. One of the trademarks of this genre is strings that snap after you pluck them, creating a sharp, staccato-like sound. While you don't want to snap every single string as you play it, don't be afraid to pick or pluck the strings aggressively and allow them to snap back to the fingerboard of the instrument.
Try Hybrid Picking
There are few types of guitar music that are better suited for learning how to hybrid pick than chicken pickin'. Hybrid picking involves the simultaneous use of your pick and your fingers, rather than strictly using one approach or the other. It's not something that is necessarily easy to learn, but as you get a little more comfortable with hybrid picking, you'll appreciate how it will allow you to play your favorite chicken pickin' rhythms faster.
For more information on acoustic guitar lessons, contact a company in your area like Guitar Works, Ltd.
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