Chords for Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Lesson - Jake Stogdill

_ Howdy folks, Jake here.
I thought I'd take a second to talk about a very basic rhythm approach that I use for filling gaps
_ or holes in a song and that's
_ talking about like at the end of a vocal line _
let's say the the phrase finishes and then there's nothing for a measure or two
until the solo starts or until the next line of the song starts or whatever the case may be
_ What we're going to end up learning is a real good way to fill that space
So _
Let's [C#] talk about
the basics first
Assuming most of you probably know this much, but we'll talk about it anyway
So the chord we're going to be holding to play this is just a G chord.
It'll work for any chord.
We're going to do a G
_ _ And the way I get my G [G] chord is just like so so middle finger here ring finger here pinky here
_ _ _ I
Leave my index finger off
_ That keeps me freed up to do little things with it like maybe hammer on _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Or even [E] do that
[G] _ _ famous rest [A#] stroke G run or
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G#] Any combination of those [G] things? _ _
_ _ _ so anyway _
What we're going to do [G#] is start off with our [G] basic pattern, which is you're going to hit the big string
followed by a strum _
[D] Then hit the D string the open [G] D string _ _
Followed by a strum _ _ _ _ _ _ and that the count of that is just like this.
I'll play it just straight and simple like I
_ Explained it a second ago _
one two three four one two three four
Okay, [N] so the next thing we want to add to that is we'll put a eighth note
Which is counted as an and so we'll say one two and three four and so those eight notes will go after our two and four
_ _ counts and _
They're represented as up strokes
With my right hand, [G] so we'll have one two and three _ _
four and
_ And you want that to be smooth and seamless count it evenly like this
One two and three four and one two and three four and now in those hands
I'm only hitting the top.
I say top the high
_ Couple strings, I'm not dragging.
I'm not pulling my pick all the way back through up to my bass strings
It would be far too muddy and it wouldn't
Articulate in the correct way like we want it to to kind of cut through the mix and sound [G] syncopated
So we have one two and three four and [N] okay good.
The next thing we'll do is add an and after our _
Three is that right one two and three and four and yeah, that's it.
So same principle [G] applies
We're gonna go one two and three and four and
Okay
_ Now with [C] that we want to make sure our down-ups are right.
So we have down
down up down up down up [D] as far as our right hand a
Pattern goes and that's going [G] to sound like this _
one two and three and four and one two and three and four and one two and
three and four and one [N] I like to really accent the
_ and four one two and
Three and four and yeah, so and four
_ _ Is a good place to put a little more wrist into it
And what I mean by that is we'll turn our wrist inward and and add just a little more of a twisting
_ almost wet towel snap [G] motion
_ _ That would sound like this
One two and three and four and one two and three and four and one two and three and four and one two
And three and four and all right, so _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ that's kind of that [C] rhythm pattern everyone calls whipping it like a mule is [G]
kind of the
_ _ _ _ Kind of the impression you get from that one [N] so
Let's see the last thing
_ _ Let's take that same count one two and three and four and and let's instead of doing strums on the last half of the measure
We're going to simply do _ _ _ _
_ _ Single notes
So that would be like we'd start at the same [G] way one two and now for three and four and we're going to go
three and four and
_ one _ _
[E] Okay, so what I did there three is a downstroke on the D [D] string _ and is an upstroke [G] on the G _
Four is a downstroke [D] on the B string _ and [G] is an upstroke on the high E and that's going to sound like this one
two and three and four and one two and three and four and
_ Okay, you [N] can also do rest strokes there if it's not too terribly fast a rest stroke kind of has a neat effect
So instead of all the down ups we would go straight down through those first [D] three
_ _ which would be _ _
three and [G] four and like so so that would be _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ What's that like with the rest strokes if you want to do like a triple down up?
_ What does sound like up to speed? _
the other way _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] it just adds a nice little bit of rhythmic syncopation and
You can use that in a lot of places like oh
_ _ Shoot, let's say the last half of old home place on a chorus [D] there.
You're coming out of it _ _
_ _ [G] And why [B] did I leave? _
[C] Wow in a few and look for a [D] job in [G] the town _ _ _ _
So you just add that little bit extra [C#] push at the end _
Also coming out of it a good thing to talk about is to really [G] whip that last _
I think it's on a two following the the
specific lick we learned
_ Which would be here _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[F#] that two strum following the next measure really [G] whip that one up _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Anyway, hope [F#] that gives you something to play around with and you have fun with it
_ If you didn't it wasn't me it was all your imagination
_ _ Stay [G#] safe.
Thank you _ _