Chicken Pickin

[Jorge]

Can anyone explain exactly how to play chicken pickin?

[Soupbone]

Listen to the solos on Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line by Waylon and Come Stains On The Pillow by D.A.C.

That's chicken pickin its its purest form.

If you want to know how to play what I call "hot country guitar", go buy Brent Mason or Ray Flacke's instructional video.

[Paul in Colorado]

Or James Burton's Hot Licks Video.

[RichardWitt]

Originally Posted by Soupbone

Listen to the solos on Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line by Waylon and Come Stains On The Pillow by D.A.C.

That's chicken pickin its its purest form.

If you want to know how to play what I call "hot country guitar", go buy Brent Mason or Ray Flacke's instructional video.

Man! Soupbone, that is by far my favourite D.A.C. song. I love everything about that song. The solos in that song rock! But I never realised that is chicken pickin'? Chicken pickin' or not, it's damn fine guitar work!

[Jorge]

What I mean is that I haven't grasp the whole idea.. As far as I understood it's playing with both a pick and fingers but I saw a video with john 5 that was labeled "chicken pickin" And I can play that song.. It's called god I have forgot.
But you only play that song with a pick so now im confused.

So is it just a playing style like "playing really fast lines in a "countrish" kind of way or what?

[CountryShawn]

I've got some some instruction on chicken picking up on my website here:

http://69.10.150.150/Site/Guitar%20Licks.html

It will give you the foundation of how it works.

Shawn

[Leon Grizzard]

I'll join in Joerge's confusion. I always associated the term "chicken pickin'" with playing a muted note before a plucked note, either muting the open string, then playing a fretted note, or plucking the fretted note while muting it, then playing it unmuted, like at the end of Don't Rock the Jukebox. It seems like the term now means, or includes, plucked notes that are popped or snapped. What's the real definition?

[CountryShawn]

I believe the term was originated by the "chicken-claw" like formation and claw-like movement of the right picking hand.

Have a look at your right hand when you do this, and you'll see.

Shawn

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by CountryShawn

I believe the term was originated by the "chicken-claw" like formation and claw-like movement of the right picking hand.

I always thought it came from the stutter-pop sound produced by the technique – it sounds like a chicken clucking. ;-)

As to how the term is used, I think maybe it's been broadened over the last decade or so by folks who are relatively new to country playing. Personally, I've only ever used it to refer to the actual mute-then-snap stuff. (For a great example, have a listen to Bill Kirchen's brilliant "Poultry in Motion." ) But I see it used more and more these daze to refer to any sort of country(ish) playing. – CS

[Home Grown Tele]

Try this for some non-country music chicken pickin:

http://www.rhinoceros-group.com/chickenpick.mp3

Or this:

http://www.rhinoceros-group.com/sounds/rhinoceros/you're_my_girl.mp3 To really hear what is going on put your balance control all the way to the left channel. This is what Ole Fuzzy is talking about when he mentions the "old" stereo mixing! Both guitar parts can be seperated by moving the balance.

BTW this was recorded in 1968 as an "off the floor" recording (ie:NO overdubs) and is a perfect example of funk chicken pickin!

[Chris S.]

Hey, cool links (and site), thanks! :-) I've been a Rhinoceros fan since high school... CS

[getbent]

I always thought it was sonic too. Methodology didn't matter as long as you got that chicken cackle "Buh Gawk" thing going on. Gotta love the Wikipedia definition!
it is pretty much what I thought... which means I'm suspicious of it being right.

Ironically, the example site has a bunch of hot playing that I wouldn't necessarily call chicken pickin'... I prefer the way it is presented in Terry Downs' video and I'm willing to change my mind based on shawn's view... I think the term has broadened to include just hot pickin' all the way to 'take off' guitar...

[Home Grown Tele]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

Hey, cool links (and site), thanks! :-) I've been a Rhinoceros fan since high school... CS

Try this one:http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/dannyweis-07.m3u What a tone Danny has!!

[Home Grown Tele]

Unfortunately, that site doesn't have a ton of the material recorded by Rhinoceros. There is a cut on their second album "Satin Chickens" called "Chicken" that is probably a much better example of their style of chicken pickin. The whole purpose of the tune is to sound as much like a chicken as possible.

Again, I consider this an example of funk style chicken pickin and as such it not a real example of what country players consider chicken pickin.

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by Home Grown Tele

Try this one: http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/dannyweis-07.m3u What a tone Danny has!!

YEOW! Outrageous! Man, that is sssssmmmokin!! You know, people are always talking about the "Robben Ford tone," as on cuts like "Talk to Your Daughter," but to my ear, this is every bit as hot. Man, GREAT playing! Thx again, CS :-)

[Home Grown Tele]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

YEOW! Outrageous! Man, that is sssssmmmokin!! You know, people are always talking about the "Robben Ford tone," as on cuts like "Talk to Your Daughter," but to my ear, this is every bit as hot. Man, GREAT playing! Thx again, CS :-)

Yeah I have been trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to cop his tone since I was 19 years old. He is IMHO one of the most underrated and unheard of killer players of all time! He has journeyman credits that so many people would give their life to have and still languishes in relative obscurity in Canada. I will just NEVER understand the music business!!

[ShortBuSX]

When I hear the term "chicken pickin" I think of this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V85V5aDEeSk

[JayFreddy]

Mitch Merrett on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oT245PpsQk

[CountryShawn]

Mitch Merrit is a great picker. He tours with Aaron Pritchett up here in Canada.

Another absolutely phenomenal fellow canadian picker is Paul Chapman.
He's right up there with Mason.

Check him out at:

http://www.chappy.cc

Go to the downloads section, and listen to Uncle Daddy. Really tasty stuff.

Shawn

[h_berder]

Take a look at here;
http://www.freeguitarvideos.com/LJ2/LJ2T05a.html

[bagpipe]

Originally Posted by CountryShawn

Another absolutely phenomenal fellow canadian picker is Paul Chapman.
He's right up there with Mason.

Check him out at:

http://www.chappy.cc

Has anyone tried the instructional DVD which he has on his website? It looks interesting but I'd like to hear from someone who has actually purchased it.

[CountryShawn]

Originally Posted by bagpipe

Has anyone tried the instructional DVD which he has on his website? It looks interesting but I'd like to hear from someone who has actually purchased it.

Yeah, I've got it. I bought it mostly to check it out and support another fellow canuck picker.

It's loaded with a lot of really great licks, although I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner player, or even intermediate player for a lot of it. I think it's more directly useful for an advanced player.
Not to say a beginner wouldn't get anything out of it, but it's clearly not for beginners.

Shawn

[Larry F]

My favorite chicken pickin' piece is Les Paul's "Chicken Reel" from the late 40s/early50s.

[h_berder]

A very good picking site which helps...
Has a lot of interesting licks.
http://69.10.150.150/Site/Guitar%20Licks.html

[teledude66]

On Greg Koch's DVD he actually shows two playing styles Hybrid as has been explained here (which I consider chicken picken too) but also another style that he designated as chicken pickin, where you use the pick for the note but immediatley mute it with your middle finger.

[davidge1]

As far as I'm concerned, the quintesential chickin pickin' lead is on Buck Ownens' "Open Up Your Heart". James Burton's solo on that song defines chicken pickin'. Also the album Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin' by James Burton and Ralph Mooney features a lot of that style. Chicken pickin' is basically just James Burton's style of playing.

I've heard the term used to describe the sound that some players make when they pop the string so that that it hits the fretboard, but that's incorrect. Chicken pickin' is when you make muted sounds in between the notes that sound like a chicken clucking.

[Jorge]

I just got this DVD

http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Pickin.../dp/0634025287