Bass Note Rhythm Patterns in * Time
In lesson 4 you were introduced to bass note rhythm patterns in ^ time. When playing a progression in * time the following patterns are commonly used.
Pick the bass note of the chord on the first beat and strum the first three or four strings of the chord on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th beats. Play the following bass note rhythm pattern holding a G chord shape.
Bass Note Rhythm Pattern
The following turnaround progression also uses bass note rhythm pattern 1. Play the root note of the first beat of each bar.
A variation to this bass note rhythm pattern is to play the bass note on the first and third beats and strum on the second and fourth beats. Play the following bass note strum rhythm pattern, also holding a G chord shape. Play the root note of the chord on the first and third beats of the bar. Once you are comfortable with this, try using the pattern with the following progression.
Bass Note Rhythm Pattern
Use the same variation to play the following chord progression, which contains two chords in each bar. Remember to play the root note of each new chord as you come to it.
Fingerpicking Pattern 4b
This pattern is in * time and uses the same W grouping as the previous pattern. This pattern occurs once in one bar of * time using quarter notes. The thumb plays bass notes on beats 1 and 3. If there is only one chord in the bar, you can play the root note on the first beat and another note of the chord on the third beat. If there are two chords per bar, play the root of each chord you regardless of whether it occurs on the first or third beat of the bar. Try this pattern with the following progressions.
