Alternating-bass folk

What it’s for

Here you’re no longer strumming the chord on every beat. On 1, you play a single low note, the root of the chord. On 3, another low note, on a neighboring string. On 2 and 4, the chord, strummed down-up. The result: “boom, chicka, boom, chicka.” One guitar sounds like a bass and a rhythm part together.

It’s the sound of country and American folk, the one you hear in Johnny Cash’s songs, for example. It also works great on any upbeat singer-songwriter tune.

Which bass notes to play

The first bass note is always the root, the note the chord is named after. The second one is on a neighboring string:

• G: 6th string (3rd fret) on 1, then the open 4th string on 3;
• C: 5th string (3rd fret) on 1, then the 4th string (2nd fret) on 3;
• D: open 4th string on 1, then the open 5th string on 3.

Keep the full chord under your fingers: only your strumming hand picks the strings.

How to practice it, step by step

1. Muted strings first. Fretting hand flat across the strings. Hit one low string on 1, strum down-up on 2, another low string on 3, down-up on 4. On the “and” of 1 and of 3, your hand swings back up without touching.
2. On one chord. G. Aim for the 6th string, then the 4th, without looking. The strums only take the high strings.
3. With a chord change. G, then C: the bass moves to a new string with the chord. Think of the new chord’s root before you even fret it.
4. Up to tempo. G, C, D, G at 60, then work up to 100. Country moves fast.

Common mistakes

• Missing the bass string. Totally normal at first. Slow down, and aim with your forearm rather than your fingers.
• The bass gets buried. If the strum also hits the low strings, you can’t hear the alternation. Strum only the top three or four strings.
• Your hand stops after the bass note. The pendulum keeps going: your hand swings up silently on the “and” and comes back down for the strum.
• Upstrokes too loud. The “chicka” is light; the bass carries the groove.
• Wrong bass on C or D. A bass note on the wrong string sounds off. Check it slowly, one chord at a time.

You’ve got it when…

• you hit the right bass note on every chord without looking at your strumming hand;
• you can clearly hear “bass, strum, bass, strum”;
• you play G, C, D, G at 80 without hesitating on the bass notes.