Folk guitar

Folk is a song with an acoustic guitar: simple chords, a steady fingerpicking pattern and a voice the guitar never gets in the way of. Below are the chords, scale, techniques, a pattern and a melody you can hear and slow down.

1950s80–120 BPMG–Em–C–DTravis

What is folk

People have always sung folk songs to the guitar, but folk as a distinct movement took shape in the 1950s and 60s in the US and England. Performers brought old songs to the acoustic guitar and wrote their own, often about life and the world around them.

In folk the guitar replaces a whole band. The thumb plays the bass, the fingers pick the top strings, and one acoustic sounds like an accompaniment with bass and melody. Often there are no drums at all.

Signature chords

G, Em, C, D (I, vi, IV, V in G major) are the open chords everyone learns first. In folk they are fingerpicked, and a capo moves the same shapes into a key that suits the voice.

G – Em – C – D

Scale for soloing

The G major pentatonic suits the melodies. The melody on this page is played near the nut on open strings; C and A appear in it as passing notes where the chord asks for them.

Techniques

Travis picking

The thumb evenly alternates bass notes on every beat: thick string, middle string, another thick one, middle. Between the beats the fingers take the top strings. The key is a thumb that never falters. Listen to the pattern below.

Capo

Folk guitarists play with a capo all the time: the chord shapes stay the same, and the key moves higher and suits the voice better. The open strings keep ringing, which gives folk its bright sound.

Dsus4

The D, Dsus4, D move decorates a simple chord: the little finger goes onto the 3rd fret of the first string and comes off again. Tap Dsus4 to hear it.

Folk fingerpicking

Travis picking over four chords, one bar each. The thumb plays the bass on every beat, and the fingers answer between the beats. Start at 60%: get an even bass first, then add the top notes.

Folk-style melody

A simple song melody near the nut: B, C, D, G on top, then E with vibrato. In the second half a G to A hammer-on and a calm ending on A over the D chord.

The riff opens as a draft: change notes, tempo and tracks however you like.

Open in Riffonic

What to listen to

Listen to these songs and pay attention to what is described next to each one.

Bob Dylan - “Blowin’ in the Wind”. Simple strummed chords and a harmonica: folk where everything rests on the words.
Simon & Garfunkel - “The Boxer”. Fingerpicking with an alternating bass: a finger part that sounds like a whole band.
Kansas - “Dust in the Wind”. A fast acoustic fingerpicking pattern with open strings ringing over the chords.

Every riff and solo on this page is an original exercise in the style of the genre, not the notes of someone else’s song.

FAQ

How do I learn Travis picking?

First play only with the thumb, alternating the bass notes until it becomes automatic. Then add one finger note between the beats, then two, then the full pattern.

Do I need a capo?

Not necessarily, but it is very handy. With it you can sing in any key without relearning chords and keep the ring of the open strings.

What guitar is best for folk?

An acoustic with steel strings is best. On a classical guitar with nylon strings fingerpicking works too, but sounds softer and quieter.