Travis Picking Riffs: Two Pro-Sounding Fingerstyle Ideas You Can Use Today
by Simon Candy
Travis picking riffs have a reputation for sounding impressive but feeling intimidating.
Many guitarists hear those flowing/grooving bass lines and syncopated patterns and assume you need to be at an advanced level before you can even attempt them. The good news?
That’s not true.
In this lesson, I walk you through two Travis picking riffs that sound polished, musical, and professional, but are completely achievable if you already have some basic fingerpicking skills.
These ideas sit firmly in the Travis picking style you’ll recognise from players like Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel.
They’re flashy enough to turn heads, but simple enough to learn with the right approach.
Watch the video below to learn more:
1. A Classic Double-Stop Travis Picking Riff
The first idea is a classic Travis picking riff built around double-stops and a very common back-cycling dominant 7th progression:
This progression shows up constantly in blues, jazz, and roots-style fingerstyle guitar.
Here is the riff:
Rather than strumming full chords, the riff uses small chord fragments combined with a steady, thumb-driven bass.
A repeating pull-off to an open string adds a slightly edgy, bluesy flavour that resolves naturally when played in context.
Here is the riff applied to the back cycling dominant 7th progression from above:
In the video, I:
• Break it down over a single chord before moving through the progression
• Explain the rhythm, including how the riff starts on the upbeat
• Show how to anticipate chord changes so everything flows smoothly
I also talk briefly about thumb picks, why some Travis pickers use them, why you don’t have to, and how this riff works perfectly well with bare fingers.
The big takeaway: once you understand the shape and timing, this becomes a movable Travis picking idea you can use in countless progressions.
2. A Flashy Open-String Fingerstyle Guitar Riff
The second riff uses open strings ringing against fretted notes to create a bright, modern sound, the kind of fingerstyle guitar riff that often sounds far harder than it actually is:
You’ll hear this approach a lot in modern Travis picking–influenced playing, especially when connecting chords together smoothly.
In the video, I show you:
• A repeating fretting-hand shape that stays consistent across string sets
• A simple picking-hand pattern that makes the riff easier to learn
• How mild dissonance resolves naturally when the riff flows correctly
Because both hands follow predictable patterns, this riff becomes very manageable once you slow it down and practice carefully.
Here is a variation of the riff above outlining a B7 chord resolving to E7 — a sound you’ll hear constantly when you learn Travis picking in blues contexts.
This riff uses the same approach as the G7 riff above.
How to Use Travis Picking Riffs in Real Music
A big focus of this lesson isn’t just what to play, but how to actually use Travis picking riffs musically.
Here is our double stop riff and G7 riff combined over the back cycling dominant progression:
Here is the B7 riff integrated into an 8 Bar travis picking blues in the key of E:
The goal is to get you thinking creatively:
“Where else could this idea fit?”
That’s how fingerstyle guitar riffs stop being exercises and start becoming part of your real playing.
Other Lessons You Might Like
Explore these related lessons to continue building your guitar skills:
More Travis Picking Riffs for Acoustic Guitar
If you loved the Travis picking examples in this lesson, check out these additional riff ideas that expand your vocabulary and give you more musical phrases to use in songs and improvisations.
How to Master Travis Picking Bass Alternating Patterns
Strengthen your rhythmic foundation with a guide that focuses on nailing alternating bass patterns — the backbone of smooth, flowing Travis style fingerpicking.
Learn How to Add Melody to Travis Picking
Take your Travis patterns to the next level by learning how to layer memorable melodies over your bass lines, unlocking richer and more dynamic fingerstyle arrangements.
How to Create Unique Fingerstyle Riffs on Guitar
Discover creative strategies for crafting stand-out acoustic riffs using fingerpicking, perfect for developing your own signature sound and improvisational skills.