Chet Atkins Fingerstyle, Interview with Rick Stickney, Mark Speer Signature Strat

Guitar Practice

Chet Atkins Fingerstyle Guitar

Chet Atkins had a smooth and unique way of playing guitar. He used a fingerpicking style where he played the melody, bass, and chords all at the same time, making it sound like more than one person was playing. His sound mixed country, jazz, and pop music, and his clear, clean tone became a big part of what’s known as the “Nashville Sound.” This style, often called the “Atkins style,” helped shape modern country music and influenced many guitarists around the world.

Let's take a look at an example of an Atkins-inspired finger-picking groove. This is tricky, and takes a while to learn - so take it slow. The alternating bass notes are played with your thumb, while the higher melody notes are played with your index, middle, and ring fingers.

Chet Atkins Style

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Interview with Rick Stickney

Rick Stickney is a seasoned guitarist specializing in Funk, R&B, and Soul, with over 5,000 performances worldwide - including performances for U.S. presidents, as well has having the opportunity to jam with artists like Marcus Miller and Joseph Williams. Influenced by a diverse range of artists such as George Benson, Marvin Gaye, and Led Zeppelin, Rick developed a unique guitar style that blends groove, feel, and musicality.

Rick runs Tasty Guitar, focusing on teaching intermediate and advanced players. His lessons—available on his website and platforms like TrueFire—stand out for their clarity and depth, making complex concepts accessible and practical. Praised by legends like Leo Nocentelli and Bootsy Collins, his offerings include video courses, live workshops, backing tracks, and private Zoom/Skype lessons, all designed to help guitarists improve both technically and musically.

🎸 Q & A

What's the best piece of advice you have for other guitar players?

It's really hard to narrow it down to just one thing... but using your ears is so, so important. Don't be reliant on TAB, learn as much as you can by ear.

I understand it can be frustrating at first, but be persistent, trust me, it pays off. And with the tech available today it makes it easy. You can slow things down, loop etc. Imagine back in the day people had to drop the needle over and over to pick up a lick!

Think about it, if you aren't using your ears how are you ever gonna train them?

What’s one technique, habit, or concept that helped you level up as a player?

Definitely practicing with a metronome. At some point ages ago I heard a recording of myself at a gig and was shocked at how often I was rushing. From that time forward I have always made a point to practice with a metronome, drum machine etc.. I often hear players with great chops, technical ability but not locked in the groove because of flawed timing. Become best friends with the metronome and you will sort out any timing issues you may have.

What gear (guitar/amp/pedals) are you using lately—and why?

I have never been a big collector of gear. Most of my students have more guitars and amps than I do haha.

But I have a couple guitars that I can't live without. A great 80's ESP 400 series tele. The neck on this guitar just fits my hands like no other guitar I've ever owned. And I picked up an Ibanez AM 200 semi-hollowbody back in '98. It's like Scofield's AS200 but smaller body, very comfortable, and surprisingly versatile.

For amps I use a Two Rock Studio Signature for most gigs, great with pedals. And for a grab and go I love the Magnatone Varsity Reverb for just pluggin' in and crankin' it.

What are the most effective ways you've found to market yourself or your band?

If people know me at all it's definitely from my YouTube channel. I think for longer lesson content kinda stuff like I do it's still the best platform. It is pretty tough to break through though. Youtube is so crowded in the guitar space these days so you really need to find a niche and put out good, consistent content... and hopefully with a little luck your audience will find you.

Are there any books, albums, or videos you recommend to other guitarists?

I never went to school for music, so on the theory side of things there was a lot of grey area for me with getting beyond the basics. The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine cleared a lot of things up for me, and its not just for jazzers.

What’s one lesson you wish you'd learned earlier as a guitarist?

For anyone really wanting a career as a guitarist it really helps to be in a music city. You have to go where the opportunities and best players are. If I was a young gun again, this would be the path that I would take.

What’s been your biggest challenge as a guitarist and musician?

Flying with guitars is always a crapshoot. I always try to carry on but you never know when are going to be asked to check a guitar. It would be awesome if there was a consistent, standard policy with the airlines but I won't hold my breath lol.

What’s next for you musically—any projects or goals you're working on?

Right now I'm mostly focused on growing my membership program at tastyguitar.com and helping guitarists improve their funk, r&b/soul and blues playing :)

Noteworthy

• Fender officially announced the limited edition Mark Speer Signature Stratocaster. The guitar features an ash body, a 7.25" radius with jumbo frets, a custom "C"-shaped maple neck, Dimarzio ProTrack neck and bridge pickups, and vintage voiced 70’s single coil pick up for the middle position. The made-in-Mexico guitar (Mark's personal guitar is also made-in-Mexico) retails for $1,499 USD. (Check out our feature on Mark in this newsletter issue)
• Speaking of Strats, Rick Beato had Paul Reed Smith on his YouTube channel to shoot out four Fender Stratocasters against the PRS Silver Sky SE guitar.
• Supro released a new amp called The Airwave. The 12AX7 tube driven preamp features a 3-band EQ, along with boost, drive, tremolo, and real spring reverb. Features a 6v6 class-A power section running into a 12" Celestion-made BD12 speaker.
• Gretsch announced new versions of their top-end Broadkaster models, with the Professional Collection Broadkaster LX and Broadkaster Jr. LX. They feature powerful Pro Twin Six™ humbucking pickups and a redesigned Channel Core™ center block. Available in Midnight Sapphire and Blackberry.

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