Ukulele for Guitar Players

Playing Hand Shapes

"The Claw"

"The Claw" is named for the pincer-like shape formed by your thumb and index finger. The technique is used for fingerpicking and for combining picking with strumming. Some of you may know this style as Travis picking, named after country guitarist Merle Travis.

In this technique, your thumb plucks downward on the Low G string while your index finger picks upward on the higher strings in time with the beat.

Illustrated here in a clip from Gentle on my Mind by Glen Campbell

This technique works well in arrangements that begin simply and gradually build to a fuller sound. The intro and first verse are often fully picked. As the arrangement builds, you begin adding downstrokes with your index finger, flicking across the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings to increase intensity.