Hey there, in this video I'm gonna show you how to add base notes to your
strumming patterns. Let's do this. Hi there, I'm Tomas Michaud from Real Guitar
Success who will help you learn guitar and unleash the musician within. If you're
new here, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the bill so I can send
you some more guitar lessons and tips. Adding bass notes to your strumming is
an easy way to add some spice to your guitar playing, it's also a lot of fun.
Today I'm gonna show you three bass note patterns and how you can apply them to a
variety of chords and strums so let's go ahead and get started.
For this lesson, we're going to use three chords. We'll start off with a open G
chord. I'm making that chord with my third finger, my second finger and the
pinky. I've got the pinky on the third fret of the first string the high E and
my third finger covering the third fret of the sixth string, the low E. The fifth
string I have 2nd fret second finger. Then we're going to do the C chord
and we're gonna do a little movement with the C chord. First of all, make the
chord. Go ahead and just try this with me. Make your C chord right quick. Third
finger on the fifth string third fret. I've got my second finger on the second
fret fourth string. I'm skipping the third string, second string I've got first fret
first finger, got that? And we're gonna alternate little later on I'm gonna move this
third finger over to the sixth string so you just might wanna see what that feels
like over third fret
Go and come back in a minute and then the D chord. I'm using the first
finger on the second fret. My second finger on the second fret first string,
first fingers on 3rd string and the third finger in between on the second
string third fret. Okay, let's start with the G chord now.
We're gonna start first of all with a very simple bass note strum. We're gonna
add to that and a second version which is a little more complex and then the
third version with a few more spices to it, running bass line. So let's start
with the first version G. The bass note is gonna be on the sixth string and then you strum
the rest of the chord. Now for this exercise we're choosing the root note of
the core. What do I mean by root not? The root note is sort of one way to think
about is the name of the chords. For this G chord the root note is G. If it's a C
chord the root note is C. If you were to make a scale with the notes from that
chord let's say it would be a G scale. G note is the root, the first note so the root
note for the G chord G is on the sixth string third finger third fret. So for
now practice this, bass note and strum.
And we'll do that four times just base and strum. When you're hitting base
note, give it a good solid here so that this
pick comes to rest on the fifth string to go through it. You don't wanna ... too weak will be.
At the same time you don't wanna force side, let your hand drop just like rain
falling just drop down and then let it complete.
Let's go to that C chord now. We're gonna start with the fifth string third fret
for the root note that's a c-note right there
fifth string
four times then to the D chord. We're
gonna hit a D note. It's a fourth string open and then strum. Whoop, that carry away there.
So now, with those three chords we're gonna put them together. Practice them
separately just for a little bit. Get used to hitting the bass note without
fumbling. It takes a little bit sometime to hit that string dead-on then we're
gonna put it together and it'll sound like this - four times on the G, two
three, four - to the C
and then D and then the last time
G, will end on G.
There we go, first exercise. The second one to add a
little bit of complexity we're gonna what we'll call the alternate bass
note. In this case, we're gonna hit the root one and then we're going to go to
the fifth of the chord. The alternate bass note will be the fifth. What's the
fifth you say? Fifth of G is D and one way you can think about that it's to
count up five - G - A - right, we're going to musical alphabet, doesn't go to H. G - A - B - C
D. The musical alphabet keeps cycling from A to G so we're starting on G and
then we go to A B C D so the fifth of the G chord is D. That D note it's the open
E string right here, four string. So we're gonna hit the G note then the fourth string. G note and then the fourth string, yes.
So that makes one round of the G chord.
Now for the C chord, we're gonna do that same thing but we've got to find the
fifth of C, let's count up - C D E just follow backwards in your hands - C D E F G
and we're going to the G note so C and G. That G note is gonna be on the 6th
string 3rd fret. So it looks like this C note then shit the 3rd finger over lift
it up on the 6th string back to the 5th and 6th and I take a little practice. A little
polka sound there. Okay, the D chord now. We're gonna hit that D note and then
find the fifth of D that's D E F G A and we're gonna use the open A string, fifth
string so D then open, back to D and open A.
Now to put that all together, will start with the G chord and like
before practice them separately and then put them together. So G back to D
to C chord. This is a tricky one.
and to D.
Yeah, good and back to D.
Now for version number three we're gonna add to that. We're gonna add what we'll
call some base runs that's just notes between the chords to connect them a
little bit. So with the G chord, we're gonna hit the root, the fifth and then the root but rather than hitting the
fifth again we're gonna do a little base run. We're gonna go up the scale and end
on C.
So let me show you that run again. It goes G note, open A, second fret B and then you
make the C chord right when you get to the C note so I'm using my third finger
so I'm ready to play the C chord, again.
Now for C, I alternate back to C but then rather than do the last
alternate we're gonna do another run to D. Okay, from the C chord we're gonna go
open D note, E with 2nd finger and then open again backwards to play the D chord
that's the base note of the D chord, the root note. Alternate to A, D
and then the last one we're going back to G we're gonna start with the open E
second fret, F sharp and then make the G chord.
Now I'll show you how to put that all together. Start with the G, it
becomes the baseline,
now to D and back to G.
I've created a free download for you that has both the notes and the tabs
for this lesson. I'll put the link in the description down below. Thanks for
watching. Don't forget to subscribe and click the notification bell so you can
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