Chicken picking is a technique that promote a certain sound in country music, but it has found an important use in other styles as well. It involves the use of a guitar pick and the fingers of the picking hand to get several strings going. The fingers usually pluck certain strings very sharply, letting them snap, where upon soon after the fretting hand will dampen those strings to make the sound more staccato. This results in a sort of barn yard sound and appeal.

Chicken picking has now taken a newer form and is some times referred to as hybrid picking and is used in all sorts of styles of music, but rock virtuosos have taken a big liking to it. Hybrid picking doesn't necessarily have to have that snappy chicken picking sound. What's most important to certain guitarists is the use of fingers with a guitar pick, which allows them to create several layers, and reach notes or strings that are normally more difficult.

Strings skipping is the other solution, but this technique can be very challenging especially when crossing over a larger number of strings, plus it doesn't quite help you to get the sound of several layers going at once.

Chicken picking is just one simple technique that a guitar virtuoso will develop for themselves to learn and master guitar, and though it can be tricky, with a little practice, anyone who wants to learn guitar can use this technique to create some extraordinary sounds for guitar playing.