Video lesson
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Editorβs notes
Hey friends! Hereβs a lesson showing you how to fingerpick the intro to βHello In Thereβ by John Prine, as heard on his fantastic self-titled debut album from 1971. This tutorial will get deep into the travis picking technique that Prine uses in this song, which is defined by the right thumb playing alternating strings (bass notes) while the right index & middle fingers play the melody notes independently. This fingerstyle technique can be tricky to learn, but as with all my lessons β Iβll break things down step by step for you, guiding you along the way. And of course, my PDF chord sheet will give you the tabs, explanations, and diagrams youβll need to learn the necessary skills.
Hereβs the timestamps for this video, jump ahead if you know what youβre looking for:
- 0:00 Lesson overview
- 1:56 Capo 5th Fret & Chord Shapes
- 4:01 Chord progression & counting
- 5:25 Travis picking: right-thumb technique
- 9:33 Travis picking: adding the melody notes
- 15:44 Full intro playthrough with tab
- 17:12 Farewell & parting advice
And be sure to check out my other John Prine lessons if youβre a fan of his music!
- Clay Pigeons (full song lesson) - http://playsongnotes.com/lessons/294/
- My Old Kentucky Home, Goodnight - http://playsongnotes.com/lessons/238/
- Travis Picking basics (using Clay Pigeons) - http://playsongnotes.com/lessons/173/
Intro tab
See my PDF for the complete tab. Itβs also shown in my video.
Chord shapes needed
Hereβs the chords youβll need to play this intro riff. Before attempting the fingerstyle riff, be able to play these individually without any issues.
E ββ3ββ βββ0βββ βββ2βββ βββ2βββ βββ0βββ βββββββ
B ββ0ββ βββ1βββ βββ1βββ βββ3βββ βββ1βββ βββ3βββ
G ββ0ββ βββ2βββ βββ2βββ βββ4βββ βββ0βββ βββ2βββ
D ββ0ββ βββ2βββ βββ0βββ βββ0βββ βββ2βββ βββ0βββ
A βββββ βββ0βββ βββββββ βββββββ βββ3βββ βββ0βββ
E ββ3ββ βββββββ βββββββ βββββββ βββββββ βββ2βββ
G Am D7 Bm/D C D/F#
The right-hand thumbβs alternating string technique
After you know the chords, I recommend practicing with your right hand thumb only ββ so that you get comfortable alternating bass-note (strings) for each chord, as shown below. Youβll literally want to alternate the strings, using the patterns in the tabs I show here, over and over again, whenever youβre playing a given chord.
I find it helpful to master this thumb technique first, and even practice going through the progression (e.g., playing along with the song) with just the thumb. Then, when youβll feel like itβs under control, bring in the melody notes with your right index & middle fingers. If you try to do everything at once from the outset, in my experience, it makes it far more difficult to learn the song.
E βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ
B βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ
G βββββββββ βββββββββ βββ2βββ2β βββ4βββ4β βββ0βββ0β βββββββββ
D βββ0βββ0β βββ2βββ2β β0βββ0βββ β0βββ0βββ βββββββββ βββ0βββ0β
A βββββββββ β0βββ0βββ βββββββββ βββββββββ β3βββ3βββ βββββββββ
E β3βββ3βββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββ β2βββ2βββ
G Am D7 Bm/D C D/F#
Chord progression
Hereβs the chord progressions used in this song. Iβm including the chorus here, even though thatβs not part of this βintroβ lesson (the only difference is the inclusion of an F chord, e.g., 133211).
Intro & verse:
| G | Am | D7 | D7 |
| G | Am | D7 | D7 |
| Bm/D | Bm/D | C | C |
| G | G | D/F# | D/F# |
Chorus:
| F | F | G | G |
| F | F | G | G |
| Bm/D | Bm/D | C | C |
| G | G | D/F# | D/F# |
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