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Alternating & Monotonic Bass

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We have come a long way but if you have been working on the material in the preceding chapters you are ready to get into what is probably the heart and soul of folk guitar; alternating bass.

The bass strum that we worked on in the last chapter was an example of monotonic, or repetitive bass.

Monotonic bass is a single bass note played throughout the song. Monotonic bass is a useful technique to know. Blues guitar players have used it in amazingly effective ways, but it does have the drawback sometimes of not pushing the music or creating a sense of drive.

That's where alternating bass comes into play. In alternating bass you are playing two or more different bass notes in each measure. The effect is just too cool to put into words.

Everything in terms of our right hand position is still the same. The pattern starts off exactly like the strum we used for "Roving Gambler." You strike the fifth string with your thumb on "one" and strum down with your thumb on "two." The pattern changes slightly when you strike the sixth string on "three" and strum down with your thumb on "four."

It's not hard, but keeping track of where you are in the measure can be confusing at first. You are going to have to practice this pattern quite a bit until you get comfortable enough with it that it's almost instinctive.

Try running the example tabbed out below a few times and then work at keeping it smooth through some chord changes. Run from G to C and on down to D. See if you can keep the picking pattern together without getting lost.

alternating bass tab

As in the basic bass strum the first note we are playing (G) is the root of the G scale. The second bass string (D) is the fifth note of the G scale. The rule of thumb for alternating bass is always "root-five". The cool thing about open G tuning is that when you play a barre chord the open "root-five" pattern stays the same.

alternating badd- D to G tab

This isn't the only alternating bass picking pattern but it illustrates the basic concept pretty well. We will look at some variations of this idea along with how and why the "root-five" idea works. We will also take an in-depth look at scales and chord progressions in upcoming chapters. Right now let's have some fun and put the basic alternating bass strum to work while we play some songs!

"Going Down That Road Feeling Bad"
4/4 Time Key of G

Going Down The Road Feeling Bad tab

I'm going where the water tastes like wine.
I'm going where the water tastes like wine
I'm going where the water tastes like wine Lord Lord
And I ain't gonna be treated this a way.

I'm going where the weather suits my clothes, etc.

They fed me on cornbread and beans, etc.

Your Two dollar shoes hurt my feet, etc.

Takes a ten dollar shoe to fit my feet, etc.

I'm traveling down this long dusty road, etc.

I'm down in the jail on me knees, etc.

"The Red River Valley "
4/4 Time Key of G

Red River Valley alternating bass tab

Come and sit by my side, if you love me,
Do not hasten to bid me adieu,
Just remember the Red River Valley,
And the cowboy who loved you so true.

I've been thinking a long time, my darling,
Of the sweet words you never would say,
Now, alas, must my fond hopes all vanish?
For they say you are going away.

Do you think of the valley you're leaving?
Oh how lonely and dreary it will be.
Do you think of the kind hearts you're breaking?
And the pain you are causing to me?

They will bury me where you have wandered,
Near the hills where the daffodils grow,
When you're gone from the red river valley,
For I can't live without you I know.

"Rosewood Casket"
4/4 Time Key of G

Rosewood Casket tab

There's a little rosewood casket
Sitting on a marble stand
And a packet of love letters
Written in my true love's hand

Come and read them to me, sister
come and sit beside my bed
lay your head upon my pillow
for tomorrow I'll be dead

When I'm dead and in my coffin
and my shroud's around me bound
and my narrow grave is ready
in some lonesome churchyard ground

B chord in G tuning The next two songs feature a new chord, the B chord. It's easy.

All you have to do is barre the fourth fret, one fret above your C chord.

Railroad Bill
4/4 Time Key of G

Railroad Bill tab

Railroad Bill was a mighty mean man
he shot the midnight lantern out the breakman's hand
And it's ride old Railroad Bill

Going up a mountain going out west
38 special sticking out my vest
And it's ride old Railroad Bill

I've got a 38 special on a 45 frame
How can I miss when I've got dead aim?
And it's ride old Railroad Bill

Buy me a pistol long as my arm
So I can kill everybody who's done me harm
And it's ride old Railroad Bill

Railroad Bill too my wife
Said if I didn't like he would take my life
And it's ride old Railroad Bill

Darling, Oh Darling do you think I'm a fool?
Why would I leave you before the weather gets cool
And it's ride old Railroad Bill

"Careless Love"
4/4 Time Key of G

careless love tab

I love my momma and poppa too (3x)
But I'd leave them both to go with you

Oh what will my momma say (3x)
When she learns that I have gone astray

When I wore my apron low (3x)
You'd walk to me through rain and snow

Now my apron strings won't pin (3x)
You pass my door and don't come in

You might get by my garden gate (3x)
But you won't get by my 38

If you listen to the alternating bass pattern you might notice that the thumb-brush and the bass strum feel sort of static while alternating bass feels like it's moving. The back and forth notes of the bass create the feeling that the song is being pushed along. It also creates a "foot-tapping" rhythm.

Alternating bass is great, but like any technique there are times when it is not going to fit the song or, perhaps I should say, it is not going to fit how you feel a song should be played at a given moment.

With that in mind don't completely forget the picking patterns that led up to alternating bass. You are going to run into situations where you will need to draw on another picking pattern, or break up the rhythm of an existing pattern into something new. In other words, alternating bass is more of a spice than a main course.

Flatpicks

As you get more and more comfortable strumming with your thumb you might want to try using a flatpick.

A flatpick, as the name implies, is a "flat pick" that you use to strum chords and pick out individual notes. You may run into old timers who refer to flatpicks as "plectrums."

Flatpicks come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. In fact, some of the more modern flatpicks are not even flat! Today you can buy sculpted picks shaped out of bone or other materials in addition to the standard thin plastic pick. The best way to figure out what to use in terms of size, shape, weight and materials is to visit your local music shop and buy a whole bunch of picks. Everybody likes to use something different. For example, my father likes the teardrop shaped Fender thin tortoiseshell picks and my favorite pick is a super-heavy hard plastic generic pick that a publishing company was handing out as business cards.

holding a flatpickHold the flatpick between your thumb and index finger. In the beginning it's usually a good idea to keep your hand position the same as when you are playing the thumb brush strum with your anchor fingers resting on the top of the guitar. Make sure that the pick is not hitting the strings at an angle and don't let the pick flop around.

Other than that, the rest is pretty much up to you. You will have to experiment a little bit on your own to adjust your technique in terms of how to hold the pick to suit yourself. It's pretty intuitive, so go with your gut.

Do you have to use a flatpick? No, but I do think you should give it a try. With only one or two exceptions the rhythm patterns covered in this book can be played either with your fingers or a flatpick. It's a good idea to try both techniques just to help you get a better idea of what you may want to focus on down the road.

Start with four quarter note strums to each measure. Once you get comfortable with that try the bass strum and then the alternating bass strum. Up to this point we are only strumming down across the strings. Don't start strumming up and down just yet. We will get into upstrokes later on in the book.

Don't be afraid to play some songs with your fingers and other songs with the flatpick. In the long run it's a case of six of one, a half dozen of the other because in both cases the technique in question is simply a way to manipulate rhythm.

That's kind of cool when you think about it.

As we continue through the book experiment with the picking styles. As we address the 3/4 time strum in the next chapter be sure to try it with a flatpick.

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