Wes Montgomery Style: Technique

The key technique in getting the Wes Montgomery sound is using the thumb to pick the strings. Montgomery's use of his thumb in place of a pick gave each note a fleshy, full tone that distinguished his sound as a player. In this lesson we'll talk about using the thumb to play octaves, single-note lines, chords, and Wes "power chords" so that you can see, hear and try this technique. I will also demonstrate that these ideas are playable with a pick because I know it is not easy for you pickers to simply drop a pick and use the thumb exclusively. However, it should be noted that Wes never used a pick and duplicating his sound means getting the thick, fleshy thumb sound.