ACOUSTIC JOURNEY
CHELSEA ROCHELLE
AS I HAVE mentioned in the previous columns, crosspicking techniques remind me of the three-fingered picking patterns usually heard on and associated with the banjo. In fact, I first learned this fingerpicking approach on the banjo (using fingerpicks) and then applied it to the guitar with flatpicking (plectrum) technique. The picking patterns are often based on three-note sequences, which are generally played in meters of 44 or 22 (also known as cut time). Playing three-note patterns in a rhythm of straight eighth notes in these meters creates inherent melodic syncopations, which is something that I love about bluegrass music.