Originally Posted by
Mark Gunter
You can keep time playing bass notes on a guitar using your bare thumb, or a thumbpick like Lester Flat did, or using a flat pick like most guitar players do. Thumbpicking is a technique, it's also called finger-picking, fingerstyle, Travis-picking, etc. but Kentucky Thumbpicking emphasizes a bass pattern played with the thumb akin to Piedmont style blues. That type of picking influenced early country and bluegrass a great deal. It originated in blues music, was developed by many people in blues and country music, like Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, Lester Flat, and others and has a lively following today in blues, folk, country and bluegrass music. Lester Flat had, I think, a profound influence on bluegrass, BUT thumbpicking is not necessary, and maybe not even desirable for many in bluegrass today, as sblock has pointed out.
IMO, if you know your way around the guitar, you can learn a lot just by watching, listening to and emulating players you admire - but it's always a good idea to pick up an instructional course or find a local teacher, if you're totally lost on where to begin.
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