Before You Play Make Sure to Tune Your Pickin’ Stick. Please Visit Our How Do I Tune My Pickin’ Stick Page!
How to Play: Simply press down the melody string (usually the bottom string on a Pickin’ Stick) in between any fret location along the neck and strum all of the strings together. It’s that easy! This is the beauty of the diatonic scale. Every time you play all three strings together you will get a pleasing sound. Continue to move your finger, on the melody string, along the neck at different locations to pick out a melody while you strum. This will get you started playing your Pickin’ Stick.
Click on the folowing link to listen to an aduio clip of one of our Pickin’ Sticks being played with a bluegrass flare. Bluegrass Pickin’ Stick
Notes: The Fretboard Map below illustrates the different individual notes you can play by pressing down on the corresponding string in between the numbered frets. One is the top most fret on the neck of the Pickin’ Stick next to the tuning machines.
Chords: Once you feel comfortable with picking out individual notes on your Pickin’ Stick, you may want to try a few chords. A chord is played when all three strings are strummed together. Pickin’ Sticks are tuned to an Open G tuning. This means when struming all the strings together, without any of the strings being pressed down, the chord that was played is called Open G. Chord variations are created when you combine notes together and strum all three strings at the same time. Click on the following links to see illustrations of chord variations to try!