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Repertoire · Advanced · 8 min

Alternating Bass Etude

Thumb on the bass, fingers on the melody, over C and G.

How to play it
  1. Your thumb plays every beat, alternating between two bass strings. Your fingers play the notes in between.
  2. Hold the C chord shape for bar 1 and G for bar 2 so notes can ring.
  3. Play single notes cleanly at first. The scorer follows the note sequence, one at a time.

What the coach checks: Pitch of each note in order. It hears one note at a time, not the ringing chord.

Goal80 BPM · 80% accuracy
Your bestNo result yet
Rating–

Tab player

Hear the line

eBGDAE12

Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.

100% is the goal tempo, 80 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal

Your practice room

Find each note

Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.

This checkpoint needs 80 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.

Exercise map · 16 targets
  1. 1. C3Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 5 · fret 3
  2. 2. E4Bar 1 · beat 1.5 · string 1 · fret 0
  3. 3. E3Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 4 · fret 2
  4. 4. C4Bar 1 · beat 2.5 · string 2 · fret 1
  5. 5. C3Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 5 · fret 3
  6. 6. D4Bar 1 · beat 3.5 · string 2 · fret 3
  7. 7. E3Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 4 · fret 2
  8. 8. C4Bar 1 · beat 4.5 · string 2 · fret 1
  9. 9. G2Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 3
  10. 10. D4Bar 2 · beat 1.5 · string 2 · fret 3
  11. 11. B2Bar 2 · beat 2 · string 5 · fret 2
  12. 12. B3Bar 2 · beat 2.5 · string 2 · fret 0
  13. 13. G2Bar 2 · beat 3 · string 6 · fret 3
  14. 14. D4Bar 2 · beat 3.5 · string 2 · fret 3
  15. 15. B2Bar 2 · beat 4 · string 5 · fret 2
  16. 16. G3Bar 2 · beat 4.5 · string 3 · fret 0

Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.

Target 1 of 16C3String 5 · fret 3

Play one note at a time.

Tune first. Audio stays on this device.

Why this drill

Alternating bass fingerstyle is a two-part texture played by one hand. Keeping the thumb perfectly steady while the fingers play a melody is a core independence skill in fingerstyle guitar.

Common mistakes

  1. The thumb follows the melody

    Fix: The thumb plays exactly on every beat: strings 5 and 4 over C, strings 6 and 5 over G. Run the thumb alone for a few passes before adding the fingers. If it still drifts, say "one, two, three, four" with the thumb strokes while the fingers play.

  2. Lifting the chord shape

    Fix: Keep the C shape down and add the pinky on string 2 fret 3 for D; lift the pinky and you are back on C at fret 1. Over G, the finger on string 2 fret 3 lifts for the open B and returns.

  3. Fingers and thumb crossing paths

    Fix: Give each string an owner: thumb on strings 6, 5 and 4, index on 3, middle on 2, ring on 1.

Tempo plan

100% is the goal tempo, 80 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.

  1. Learn 60 BPM · 75%Thumb alone first, then add the fingers one bar at a time.
  2. Build 66 BPM · 83%Play · full check follows the sixteen notes in order, thumb and finger alternating, so any hesitation shows up.
  3. Push 73 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
  4. Goal 80 BPM · 100%Two bars of steady thumb and clean melody, with the chord notes left ringing. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
  5. Stretch 88 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.

Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.

Make it music

Alternating bass is the engine of Travis picking, country blues and folk fingerstyle. Once the thumb runs on its own, any melody on the top strings can sit over it. Rest the side of the picking hand lightly on the bass strings so the thumb thumps while the melody rings above it.

Variation

Pinch the first beat of each bar, thumb and finger together. Then extend the piece to four bars: C, G, Am with the thumb on strings 5 and 4, and back to C.

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