Beginner Guitar Lesson 4

Compare Tracy Chapman with Bob Marley!

Let’s spend guitar lesson number 4 looking at similarities between the first two songs; Talking About A Revolution and Redemption Song.

Both song are in the same key (key of G) and have an almost identical strumming pattern.

You may not have realized this because of the difference in tempo but they both use the same trick!

Talking About A Revolution strumming pattern

Talking About A Revolution’ strumming pattern is built on 8th notes, the middle of the bar is disguised by using a tie, see below.

Talking About A Revolution strumming pattern

As the tie happens on beat 2+ we get the feeling of a push. This is accentuated by the fact that the chord changes at the same point so the feeling is enhanced and gives us a pulse that focus on beat 1, 2+ and 4.

Try clapping this rhythm along with the recording to feel the pulse, clap the beats in bold below.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

This mean that we create a natural groove through grouping the bar. Don’t let the change of chord fool you, it’s the rhythm that makes it groove, not the chord change in itself.

The proof for this is in Redemption Songs rhythm guitar part; it does not change chord over a similar rhythm, see below.

Redemption Song Rhythm

Apart from the first beat, which in Redemption Song only has a quarter note, the two patterns are identical.

Clap along to the recording and see how the pulse is the same:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Also try playing Redemption Song without the tie in the middle of the bar, pretty different feel right!

Strumming pattern exercises

To learn more about strumming patterns and to improve your timing, start working through all exercises found in beginner and intermediate guitar.

The amount of time you set aside per day for this will determine how long it will take you to get through it.

I would recommend at least 10 minutes per day, play to a metronome and keep track of your BPM results using the Work Book.

You might find that your ability to strum a guitar in time will improve very quickly.

These exercises are not there for you to practice forever, being self-eliminating you will most likely only play these for a few weeks before you can stop practicing them.

Combine this with practicing the Etudes found in Rhythm Guitar (a part of The Spy Tunes Method) for each song and you should soon be strumming away with ease.

Keep up the Capo

To make things a bit more interesting, keep using a capo to find new inversions for Redemption Song, just like you did in Beginner Guitar Lesson 2.

The placement of the capo will appear on the same fret as in Talking About A Revolution since we are in the same key.

For example, at fret 5 you will play D, G and A during the chorus.

Can you work out what the other chords will be as well?

Next up is Beginner Guitar Lesson 5.

Happy playing!

Dan (your guitar guru)