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Lesson 3 of 3

Sixteenths and accents

Sixteenth notes are four strums per beat: "1 e and a, 2 e and a". The arm moves down-up twice per beat, smaller and faster than before.

Two new sounds make sixteenths groove. An x is a dead strum, or "chuck": relax your fretting fingers so they touch the strings without pressing them down, and strum. You get a percussive click with no pitch. An empty column in the tab is silence: the hand still moves but misses the strings.

Exercise one, in E minor, strums the chord on beats 1 and 3 and chucks on 2 and 4, like a snare drum. On the D chord, mute and strum only the top four strings.

Exercise two groups the sixteenths 3-3-2 then 3-3-2, with the chord on the first of each group. Those chord strums are your accents, marked > above the tab; the chucks in between stay quiet.

Exercise three mixes chords, chucks and space in a funky pattern.

The most common mistake is letting the accents speed up. Keep the arm moving in a perfectly even down-up motion and let the fretting hand do the work by pressing and releasing. Start slow: 50 bpm sixteenths are already busy.

Exercises

Chords on 1 and 3, chucks on 2 and 4

50 → 90 bpm
  1. Bar 1
    1. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    2. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    3. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    5. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    6. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    7. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    8. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    9. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    10. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    11. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    12. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    13. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    14. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    15. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    16. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
  2. Bar 2
    1. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    2. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    3. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    4. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    5. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    6. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    7. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    8. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    9. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    10. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    11. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    12. D string, open + G string, fret 2 + B string, fret 3 + high E string, fret 2
    13. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    14. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    15. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    16. D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted

Clean 3 times in a row? Raise the tempo by 5 bpm.

3-3-2 accents

50 → 85 bpm
  1. Bar 1
    1. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open, accented
    2. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    3. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open, accented
    5. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    6. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    7. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open, accented
    8. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    9. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open, accented
    10. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    11. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    12. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open, accented
    13. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    14. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    15. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open, accented
    16. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
  2. Bar 2
    1. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3, accented
    2. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    3. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    4. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3, accented
    5. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    6. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    7. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3, accented
    8. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    9. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3, accented
    10. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    11. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    12. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3, accented
    13. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    14. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    15. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3, accented
    16. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted

Clean 3 times in a row? Raise the tempo by 5 bpm.

Sixteenths with space

50 → 80 bpm
  1. Bar 1
    1. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    2. rest
    3. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    4. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    5. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    6. rest
    7. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    8. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    9. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    10. rest
    11. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    12. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    13. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    14. rest
    15. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
    16. low E string, open + A string, fret 2 + D string, fret 2 + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, open
  2. Bar 2
    1. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    2. rest
    3. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    4. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    5. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    6. rest
    7. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    8. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    9. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    10. rest
    11. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    12. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    13. low E string, muted + A string, muted + D string, muted + G string, muted + B string, muted + high E string, muted
    14. rest
    15. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3
    16. low E string, fret 3 + A string, fret 2 + D string, open + G string, open + B string, open + high E string, fret 3

Clean 3 times in a row? Raise the tempo by 5 bpm.

Checkpoint

Move on when you can do all of these.

  • Backbeat chucks crisp and in time at 90 bpm
  • 3-3-2 accents clearly heard at 85 bpm
  • Sixteenths with space at 80 bpm, every gap silent
  • No speeding up across 4 loops of each exercise
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