# Learn Guitar — Folk exercises

> Interactive page: [`exercises-folk.html`](exercises-folk.html) · Hub: [`exercises.md`](exercises.md) · Matching drills: [`drills-folk.md`](drills-folk.md)

Bass on the beat, strum or fingers on the offs. The bass should be a little louder than the strum — that contrast is the sound of the style. These are longer gym reps; the short wake-ups live on [Folk drills](drills-folk.md).

**Technique path:** [Drills](drills.md) · [Exercises](exercises.md) · this page.

**Sources (two-check):** Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1 (bass-strum, open-chord changes) · Berklee-style locking the picking hand to a click while chords change.

On the HTML page, Play becomes Stop on the same button. Tempo follows the metronome.

## Suggested order

1. Boom-chick on G
2. Alternating bass
3. Waltz 3/4
4. Travis seed
5. Boom under G–C–D
6. Folk pulse variants — same family, other chords

### Three tracks

- **Beginner** — boom-chick on G only. Capo off. Stay near 60.
- **Intermediate** — alternating bass. G–C–D under boom-chick. Waltz bass-chick-chick.
- **Advanced** — Travis seed on several chords. Then deepen on [Folk drills](drills-folk.md).

## Folk pulse

### Boom-chick on G

Beat 1 bass, 2 strum, 3 bass, 4 strum. Hold G.

```
    1     2     3     4
e|-------3-----------3--
B|-------0-----------0--
G|-------0-----------0--
D|-------0-----------0--
A|-------2-----------2--
E|-3-----------3--------
```

### Alternating bass on G

Beat 3 takes the open D (fifth) instead of the root.

```
E|-3-----------   root
D|---------0---   fifth on beat 3
```

### Waltz 3/4

Bass on 1 only; chick on 2 and 3.

```
    1     2     3
E|-3--------------
e|-------3-----3--
```

### Travis seed

Thumb on the bass; index and middle on the offs.

```
e|-----------------
B|--------0-----0--   m
G|-----0-----0-----   i
E|-3-------3-------   p
```

### Boom under G–C–D

One bar each with boom-chick running underneath.

```
G                 C                 D
e|-3---------------0-----------------2--
B|-0---------------1-----------------3--
G|-0---------------0-----------------2--
D|-0---------------2-----------------0--
A|-2---------------3-----------------x--
E|-3---------------x-----------------x--
```

Do not stop the right hand to make the chord change. Hands-together version: [Exercises · boom-chick through a change](exercises.md).

### Folk pulse variants

On the HTML page: chord (G / C / D / Em / Am) × pattern (boom-chick / alternating bass / waltz / Travis).

## Practice note

8–10 minutes. Two on boom-chick, four on G–C–D, two on Travis or waltz. Then [Folk drills](drills-folk.md) (capo, walk-downs, lok 6/8, first pieces).