Thumb Picking: Wes Montgomery Style | How To Play Jazz Guitar With Your Thumb | Jazz Guitar Lesson |

In this video, I quickly show you how to get that super warm jazz sound by picking the strings with your thumb. This is how Wes Montgomery famously played his guitar and his iconic octave riffs. Playing with your thumb produces a much different tone than a pick and it often makes your playing more soulful. Give it a try! And leave me a comment! Thanks for watching!
Do you want to learn some Wes Montgomery Licks that you can play with your thumb? Check out this lesson: guitarcollegel...
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[@BigFiveJack]

You made that quite clear Rich, thank you

[@bluenational]

.. also must use index and others to get there...i started guitar in second grade, i learned how to pick with my fingers. The pick was cumbersome. Now i bought a jazz guitar at 58....im very confident with this style its total mastery on the craft.

[@engelsspirit]

thanks from your video who answers to my interrogations, but we can see that the genial Wes was at the beginning of the new guitarist from today who play with all fingers , Wes stay the king of the thumb !, like Matteo Brancuso or Antoine Boyer , the last owns all the guitar techniques ! arrghh gooood day

[@armanilehmann6537]

Great video again, your L5 sure got that Wes sound! I also love to play with the thumb and managed years ago to learn the upstrokes too. You can get very good at that with a lot of practice, so much so that you almost can play as fast as with a pick. Of course it can get muddy sounding, and i always struggled with that when using the Thomastik strings. But with the chromes its much clearer when playing with the thumb. Interesting topic!

[@RichSeversonGuitar]

Wow! That is impressive! That is awesome you can do the upstrokes! That is so difficult but it sounds really good when you nail it. And yes.. The L5 likes the thumb! Thanks for watching!

[@shallyshal1]

You have my respect and admiration. I need to practice more. No excuses!!

[@liamjaeger]

Love this video. What is the name of the first tune you play? Thanks!

[@johnperiard9594]

Tear it Down on the album Bumpin'

[@marcod9626]

Play flamenco for 20 years then thumb no prob! Whats the name of the tune you jam on bout mid way?

[@kbkesq]

Great sound. Double time and uptempo pretty much impossible.

[@uhoh007]

It's...the upstroke....which is seldom mentioned, and alot more difficult than any flavor of down, no?

[@shallyshal1]

If you can’t do the upstroke ( and I can’t) you are very limited. It is like the hand position and pick technique that George Benson uses … it takes total commitment and a Lot of time and practice. If you want to master either technique you have to be All In….Shally

[@RichSeversonGuitar]

This could not be more true! It takes dedication... but the payoff is pretty spectacular!

[@tpeters9256]

has anyone tried making a pick from a human thumb yet? might patent this one

[@bladerunner6282]

the whole problem is the upstrokes...