Bass Note Strumming (Essential Technique)

Lesson #371 • Jun 20, 2021

Video lesson

Instructional PDF 1 page

Follow along with the print-friendly PDF! It includes all of my notes for this lesson, allowing you to follow along at your own pace. You're free to download, print, and share the PDF across your devices.

Thanks for being a Premium member of Song Notes! Your support makes these lessons possible.

Download PDF

Follow along with the print-friendly PDF!

It includes all of my notes for this lesson, allowing you to follow along at your own pace. You're free to download, print, and share the PDF across your devices.

To download the PDF, upgrade to premium or log in.

Editor’s notes

Hey friends! Quick strumming technique video today, where I’ll tackle one of the most essential strumming skills all guitarists should know: bass note strumming. That is, the ability to strum just the bass note (one string) of whatever chord you’re playing – which is usually followed by a full strum (all strings). This one technique can be used in so many ways, from alternating bass notes to the “boom chicka” Johnny Cash style, and more.

In this video, I’ll break this down and show you 5 different steps to progress through this technique:

  • Step 1: Bass Note → Full Strum (2:08)
  • Step 2: Thickest 2-3 Strings → Full Strum (4:11)
  • Step 3: Bringing in a Steady Tempo (5:26)
  • Step 4: Light Strums on the Thinnest Strings (9:17)
  • Step 5: Turning it into a Strumming Pattern (11:48)
  • Final Tips & Advice (13:55)

And of course, there’s a one-page PDF guide you can save and/or print to reference while (or after) you’re viewing my video.

Without doubt, there are dozens and dozens of video lessons I’ve made previously where I rely on this technique – and often I’ve given a 15 second crash course – but I figured it was time to give a deep dive once and for all. I hope you enjoy!

Other strumming videos I’ve made

If you’re interested in other technique videos where I tackle strumming-related topics, I have quite a few! Here’s the list… PDFs exist for most of these.

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

About Song Notes

Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »

Get Free Lessons Each Week!

Join the 20,000+ readers who get my new lessons dropped in their inbox each week. I teach a fun mix of songs, weekly riffs, practice ideas, and more!

Enjoy my lessons? Buy me a beer!

If this and my other lessons have proven helpful to you, please consider making a one-time donation to my tip jar. Contributions of any amount help make this project possible (including the many, many hours I put into it).

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!


Recent Lessons

Browse All Recent Lessons →

Browse All My Lessons

By lesson type

By technique

By musical genre

By decade

By musical key

By popular artist


← back to homepage