“Thumb Etude” – Rock Class 101

Below is the lesson for “Thumb Etude” by Rock Class 101.

Helpful Tips

In our very first “Thumb Etude”, we will be combining interesting rhythms with a touch of Eastern music to create a unique sounding piece. There are a couple advantages to using only the thumb when performing.

1) It allows you to focus more on the left hand, which can be challenging in this tune as we are moving up and down the neck with different chord shapes.

2) Stylistically speaking, the thumb creates a timbre that is softer and warmer than traditional fingerpicking (using more than one finger).

The trickiest part of this song lies in the rhythm. Throughout the piece we have a swung eighth note feel. There are also many eighth note triplet licks. In the lesson video, we will go over how to feel “swung” eighth notes and count triplets.

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson


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