Exercise 3

Forward to Tablature

We now have a basic rhythm pattern to play across Cooley’s Reel that works using a standard 4/4 strum pattern. We can also use the technique of Bass – Strum to emphasise the root bass notes of the chords and add variety to the 4/4 strum pattern. With this technique the Em chord is played using the bass note E on the 6th string and the D chord is played using the D bass note on the 4th string. Practice the following example and again pay particular attention to the turnaround across the split bar (Bar 8).

A Part x 1

The natural swing of the reel can be enhanced by doubling the bass line across the full bar. The bass note is emphasised twice across the full bar on the 1 and the 3 by substituting the down stroke on the 3 with the relevant bass note. In this example the Em chord is played using the bass note E on the 6th string with the second E bass note played an octave above on the D string 2nd fret. The D chord is played using the D bass note on the 4th string which is played twice across each bar on the 1 and the 3. Practice this exercise carefully as this style of playing requires greater accuracy on the bass line when phrasing across the chords. A helpful tip is to practice playing the bass note away from the guitar body instead of playing in a downward movement towards the adjacent guitar strings which should result in a clearer and more distinct tone on the bass note. This technique is especially useful when playing inversion chords using more that one bass note.

A Part x 1

Since the accompaniment for the B part of this tune is the same as the A part, we play through the above chord pattern four times, giving us two A parts and two B parts (a total of 32 bars i.e. 4 x 8 = 32). This completes a full round of the tune. It is customary to play each tune three times round.

Tablature