Eighth Note Rhythm Patterns

Eighth Note Rhythm Patterns


So far we have used rhythms that follow a quarter note pulse. It is counted 1 2 3 4.
For example:

The quarter note becomes an eighth note when halved. The eighth note looks like this:

 In terms of time, a quarter note is the equivalent of two eighth notes:

 By halving the quarter note pulse we can make an eighth note pulse. It is counted as follows:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

F Major Chord

The F Major Chord

Exercise:

First I will play through the F major chord in a standard quarter note strum, then I will play the same chord but in an eighth note strum pattern

 F major chord in eighth note strum:

Exercise:
Play the following chord progression. Notice the chord changes between chords C and G.
These changes take place halfway through bars 2 and 4.

At first it will be hard to land that F chord and then change to C and G and back to F. Don’t worry, a little practice each day will improve your new skill.

The Chromatic Scale

The Chromatic Scale

The chromatic scale is based around the seven notes of the musical alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, F and G), however, it contains a few extra musical notes. In its entirety it runs as follows:

Some of the notes in the chromatic scale have two note names. These notes are called accidentals. They can either be sharp notes, in which case we we use the symbol #, or flat notes, in which case we use the symbol b.

The chromatic scale applies to your guitar in the same way as it does a piano: