Bass Note Picking

Lesson 4/130 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Rhythm Guitar Method

Bass Note Picking

Bass note picking involves a single bass note followed by strumming a chord. Bass notes are generally regarded as being notes on the fourth, fifth and sixth strings.

In this turnaround, the bass notes are played on the first and fourth beats of each bar, and the written chord is strummed on the second and third beats. Even when the single bass note is played, the full chord is held in preparation for the strums to follow; e.g., in the first bar hold a C chord for all four counts.

In the following example a bass note is picked on the first and third beats. This "pickstrum" method of playing is very common in "country flavoured" songs. You will notice that the bass notes alternate between 2 strings for each chord.

Trouble-Shooting

Fingers on their tips (this is particularly important in bass note picking styles).
Continual revision of all notes and chords (at least once a week you should go back through all the lessons).
Watch timing and tap your foot with the beat, for both chord and note work.
Finish chord progressions on a single strum of the opening chord (this will apply in most situations).

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Gary Turner and Brenton White

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- Chord Diagrams 3- Musical Terms 4- E Chord 5- Chords G And C 6- Turnaround Progression No.1 7- F Chord 8- Chords A7, D7 and E7* 9- Continuous Right Hand Movement 10- Alternating Chord 11- Blues in E 12- Note Summary: Open Position 13- The Time Signature 14- Chords A Minor and D Minor 15- Chords C Major 7 and F Major 7 16- Chords, A Major 7, D Major 7 and G Major 7 17- Chromatic Note Summary: First Position 18- B Minor Chord 19- Chords E6 and A6 20- Rock Chords 21- Suspended Chords: A Sus, D Sus and E Sus 22- The Hammer on 23- The Bar Chord 24- Progression in F 25- Bar Chord Progression 26- Root 6 Minor Bar 27- Two Bar Percussive Rhythm 28- Dominant 7th Bar Chord (Root 6) 29- Right Hand Deadening Technique 30- Staccato Strumming 31- Root 5 Bar Chord 32- Basic Patterns 33- Dampening Technique 34- Rock Chords 35- Root 5 Minor Bar Chord 36- Basic Turnaround Patterns 37- Right Hand Rhythm Technique 38- Left and Right Hand Rhythm 39- Dominant 7th Bar Chord - Root 5 40- Arpeggio Picking 41- Arpeggio Picking With Bass Note Runs 42- Minor 7th Chords 43- Major 6th Chords 44- Rock Rhythm 45- Time Signatures - Simple and Compound Time 46- Bar Chord Formations 47- Suspended Chords 48- Major Seventh Chords 49- Off Beat Rhythms 50- Ninth Chords 51- Augmented Chords 52- Diminished Chords 53- Root 6 Sixth Chords - Alternative Form 54- Dominant 7th Chord - Alternative 55- Sixteenth Note Rhythm 56- Tuning 57- Song List 58- Transposing 59- Groups 60- Minor Keys 61- GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS 62- Solid Body Electric 63- Right Arm Position 64- Trouble-Shooting 65- 12 Bar Blues 66- Tablature 67- Turnaround Progression No. 2 68- Alternative Chord Forms 69- Note And Rest Values 70- Bass Note Picking ( <span class="symbolA">^</span> Time ) 71- Bass Note Runs 72- Sixteenth Note Rhythm 73- Major 7 Progression 74- Progression in A 75- Triplet Rhythm 76- Blues in E 77- 12 Bar in A 78- G Major Scale 79- Hammer on Examples 80- The Percussive Strum (Bar Chords) 81- Key Signatures 82- Minor Bar Chord Progressions 83- Summary of Scales and Key Signatures 84- Rests in Music 85- Eighth Note Rests 86- 12 Bar in G 87- Chord Construction - Major 88- Reggae Rhythms 89- Arpeggio Variation 90- Chord Construction - Minor 91- Chord Construction Dominant 7th and Minor 7th Chords 92- Seventh Chords - Rock Form 93- Examples in Six Eight Time 94- Suspended Example 95- Chord Substitution 96- Root 6 Minor 6th 97- 12 Bar in D 98- Sixteenth Note Rhythm Variations 99- Tuning Hints 100- Sheet Music 101- The Capo 102- Chord Formula Chart 103- Other Books in The Progressive Series 104- Steel String Acoustic 105- Chord Progression 106- New Rhythm Patterns 107- Two Bar Rhythms 108- Bass Note Picking 109- The Chromatic Scale 110- Experiments in Bass Note Picking 111- Turnaround No. 1 in D 112- The Major Scale 113- Rock Chord Variation 114- The Pull Off 115- The Percussive Strum (Open Chords) 116- Section Two Summary 117- Jazz Blues in G 118- Section Three Summary 119- Electronic Tuner 120- Altered Chords 121- Seating 122- Pivot Finger 123- Rhythm Variations 124- Section One Summary 125- Extra Progressions 126- Extra Progressions 127- Scale Tone Chord 128- The Pick 129- Extra Progressions 130- Scale Tone Chord Extensions

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Bass Note Picking