Percussive Chord Playing in Bluegrass

In today's lesson, we'll be exploring a percussive approach to playing chords in a bluegrass band. The key focus will be on accentuating the backbeat.

Understanding the Backbeat

• If the music counts as 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, your playing will emphasize:
  • 1 and 2 and 3 and four
  • 1 and 2 and 3 and 4

To help you stay in time, you may want to lightly hit one of the low strings on "one."

Basic Percussive Technique

At its most pared-down version, you're just hitting the backbeat:

• 1 and 2 and
• 1 and 2 and
• 1 and 2 and
• 1 and 2.

This involves hitting a downstroke. You can make that chord very percussive to the point where it's hardly a note at all. Many contemporary bluegrass players employ this technique.

Exploring Different Sounds

• You can also create a sound that's more "ringy":
  • Notice that this is hardly percussive at all.
• The middle ground might be a blend of both techniques.

Achieving the Percussive Effect

To get the percussive sound, you need to control all the strings:

• Cutting off the sound involves:
  • Letting up on the strings without completely taking your fingers off.
  • Instead of pressing down, release the tension slightly to let the strings come up to their normal height, which kills the sound.

Enjoying Rhythm in Bluegrass

Playing rhythm in a bluegrass band is really fun! There are many different sounds you can explore. Your palate will define how percussive you want to be.

Different Chord Varieties

• You may want the chords to be:
  • A little more ringy
  • More percussive
  • Emphasize the downbeat

Another way to conceptualize this is "boom, chuck":

• boom, chuck, boom, chuck
• boom, chuck, boom, chuck
• Leave the boom off for variation.

Experimentation

These are elements you can experiment with during your practice. See what happens and discover what works best in the context of the music you're playing.