Folk drills
Campfire, ballad, and lok hands. The whole style is one split: the thumb keeps a steady boom pulse, the fingers or pick answer on the off-beats. Get that split honest and most folk songs are already playable.
Technique path: Drills · Exercises · Folk exercises · this page
Why it matters even if folk is not your style: this is where you learn to change chords without stopping the right hand, and where the capo turns a handful of shapes into every key. Island strumming and fingerstyle both grow out of it. Where a drill is a shape or a picking pattern, TAB sits next to the explanation (A string on top). How to read it: Foundations · TAB.
One drill sounds at a time. Play becomes Stop on the same button. Loops follow the metronome in the practice bar — start near 60 and only move it when nothing rushes.
Suggested order
- Boom-chick — bass, strum, bass, strum on one chord.
- Alternating bass — root on 1, fifth on 3.
- G–C–D — the folk workhorse, one bar each.
- Am–F–C–G — same right hand, harder left hand.
- Capo drill — same shapes, new key.
- Thumb bass + brush — the fingerstyle seed.
- 3/4 waltz — bass, chick, chick.
- Lok pulse in 6/8 — the lilt behind a lot of Nepali folk.
- Boom-chicka and the Travis seed.
- G–Em–C–D, D–G–A, Am–C–D–F.
- Walk-down to Em, then lok with a change.
- First pieces — titles and play-along, no printed tunes.
Beginner
Boom-chick on G only. Then G–C–D, one bar each, downs. Capo stays off.
Intermediate
Alternating bass. Am–F–C–G. Capo 2 or 3, same shapes. Waltz bass-chick-chick.
Advanced
Travis seed. Walk-down to Em. Lok 6/8 with a change. Then a first piece — G–C–D or Resham Firiri shapes.
Boom and strum
Hold G and let the right hand do the work. The neck below lights the shape the loop is playing; click any intersection to hear a single note.
Boom notes live on C and/or G (whichever holds the root or fifth); the chick answers on E and/or A.
1 · Boom-chick
Beat 1: the chord root as a single thumb note (boom) — here open G (root of the G chord; higher than the C string on high-G). Beat 2: downstrum on E and A (chick). Beat 3: the same boom again. Beat 4: downstrum. Country, lok, and a lot of island campfire share this pulse.
1 2 3 4 A|-------2-----------2-- E|-------3-----------3-- C|-------2-----------2-- G|-0-----------0-------- root boom (not the low string)
2 · Alternating bass
Same pattern, but beat 3 takes the fifth instead of the root. In G that is the C string at fret 2 (D); in C the open G string; in D the open A (or G string fret 2); in Am the open E. The bass starts to walk instead of thud.
1 2 3 4 A|-------2-----------2-- E|-------3-----------3-- C|-------2-----2-----2-- G|-0-------------------- root, then 5th
3 · Bass only, then strum only
Split the drill. First pass: bass notes on 1 and 3, silence elsewhere. Second pass: strums on 2 and 4, no bass. Then put them back together. If the combined version rushes, one half is not steady yet.
bass only A|----------------- E|----------------- C|----------------- G|-0-----0--------- strum only A|-------2-----2-- E|-------3-----3-- C|-------2-----2-- G|-------0-----0--
Changes
The right hand must not pause while the left hand moves. Change on beat 1; if you are late, arrive on 1 with only the bass note fretted and let the strum catch up.
4 · G → C → D → G
One bar each with the boom-chick running underneath. Three chords, dozens of campfire songs. Say the next chord name out loud on beat 4.
G C D A|-2---------------3-----------------0-- E|-3---------------0-----------------2-- C|-2---------------0-----------------2-- G|-0---------------0-----------------2--
5 · Am → F → C → G
The minor-start version. F is the squeeze shape — if it is not clean yet, play the loop as Am–C–G and add F when both fretted notes ring (see Open chords). Listen to the model first; the bass notes are A, C (under F), C, G — roots on the C / G strings where they sit in open position.
Am F C G A|-0---------------0-----------------3-----------------2-- E|-0---------------1-----------------0-----------------3-- C|-0---------------0-----------------0-----------------2-- G|-2---------------2-----------------0-----------------0--
6 · Two-beat changes
Half a bar each: G, C, G, D. Twice the changes in the same time. This is the honest test — keep the boom-chick, do not slow down.
1 2 | 3 4
G C
1 2 | 3 4
G D boom-chick still running
Capo — same shapes, new key
The capo is a moveable nut. Clamp it just behind a fret, keep the shapes you already know, and the song comes out higher. Fret 2 turns G–C–D into A–D–E; fret 4 turns it into B–E–F♯. Nothing about your left hand changes.
7 · Capo drill
Play the same G–C–D boom-chick with the capo model at fret 2, then fret 4. The shape on the neck stays put; the pitch moves. Useful when a singer needs the song in another key — same idea as moving Sa in Singing.
same TAB as drill 4 capo 2 → sounds A–D–E capo 4 → sounds B–E–F♯
Thumb and lok
8 · Thumb bass + brush
Thumb plays a boom note on the beat (open G root here — role, not low pitch); the fingers brush E and A on the ands. Not full Travis picking and not classical pima — just the folk seed. Loop it on G, then hold Am and run the same right hand.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & A|----2-----2-----2-----2-- E|----3-----3-----3-----3-- brush C|------------------------- G|-0-----0-----0-----0----- p
9 · Waltz — 3/4
Bass, chick, chick. Three beats to the bar, the bass only on 1. The practice bar switches to 3/4 for you. Many older Nepali and Western folk songs sit here.
1 2 3 A|-------2-----2-- E|-------3-----3-- C|-------2-----2-- G|-0-------------- G
10 · Lok pulse — 6/8
Counted 1 2 3 · 4 5 6 with weight on 1 and 4. Bass on 1, brush down on 3, bass on 4, brush up on 6 — a lilt rather than a march. The same 3+3 grouping a madal player uses. Keep it light; folk lok is a shuffle, not a stomp.
1 2 3 · 4 5 6 A|--------2----------2-- E|--------3----------3-- brush C|---------------------- G|-0-----------0-------- bass
Past the seed
11 · Boom-chicka
Bass on 1 and 3; on 2 and 4 a down–up instead of a single down. The extra upstroke is the country / bluegrass lift. Keep the bass louder than both strums.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & A|----------2--0--------2--0-- E|----------3--0--------3--0-- C|----------2-----------2----- G|-0--------------0----------- p ↓ ↑
12 · Travis seed
Thumb still owns the bass. Index and middle pick one string each on the offs — not a brush. On G: p on open G (root), i on E, m on A. This is the folk door into pima, not the full method.
A|--------2-----2-- m E|-----3-----3----- i C|----------------- G|-0-------0------- p
13 · G → Em → C → D
I–vi–IV–V in G. Same boom-chick, a minor colour in the middle. The 50s / ballad loop on Play along.
G Em C D A|-2---------------2-----------------3-----------------0-- E|-3---------------3-----------------0-----------------2-- C|-2---------------4-----------------0-----------------2-- G|-0---------------0-----------------0-----------------2--
14 · D → G → A
I–IV–V in D. Three shapes you already have; the bass notes sit on C / G (D on C fret 2, open G, A on G fret 2). Capo-friendly for singers who live higher than G. Play-along twin: A–D–E is the same map one tone up.
D G A A|-0---------------2-----------------0-- E|-2---------------3-----------------0-- C|-2---------------2-----------------1-- G|-2---------------0-----------------2--
15 · Am → C → D → F
The slow 6/8 or 3/4 minor door (House of the Rising Sun is the famous title — we do not print the melody). Boom-chick still runs; F is the squeeze test. If F buzzes, hold Am–C–D and add F later.
Am C D F A|-0---------------3-----------------0-----------------0-- E|-0---------------0-----------------2-----------------1-- C|-0---------------0-----------------2-----------------0-- G|-2---------------0-----------------2-----------------2--
16 · Walk-down G to Em
Bass walks G → F♯ → E on the C string (lowest pitch): frets 7 → 6 → 4, then boom-chick on Em for a bar. The walk is the sentence; the Em is the full stop. Do not grab a full chord in the middle — one bass note is enough.
A|----------------- E|----------------- C|-7--6--4-------- G F# Em G|-----------------
17 · Dead-string chick
Bass rings; the chick is a left-hand mute (release the shape without lifting off the strings). The contrast makes the boom speak. Same G boom-chick, muted strums on E / A.
1 2 3 4 A|-------x-----------x-- E|-------x-----------x-- C|---------------------- G|-0-----------0-------- boom rings, chick is mute
18 · Lok 6/8 with a change
Same 1–2–3 · 4–5–6 pulse as drill 10, but the chord moves G → D each bar. Change on 1; keep the lilt. Play-along twin: Lok pulse.
bar 1 G bar 2 D A|-2-----------------0-- E|-3-----------------2-- C|-2-----------------2-- G|-0-----------------2-- same 6/8 right hand
First pieces
Folk “pieces” here are progressions you already drilled — not printed tunes. Public-domain songs you may sing; famous titles are a recognition aid only. Open the matching loop on Play along.
How to start
- Run the right-hand drill on one chord until it does not think.
- Add the progression at one bar each.
- Sing or hum the tune if you know it — we do not print it.
Beginner piece
G–C–D boom-chick. Amazing Grace, Oh Susanna, Resham Firiri (shapes only).
Intermediate piece
G–Em–C–D or Am–C–D–F. Waltz or 6/8 once the 4/4 is honest.
Advanced piece
Travis seed under G–C–D. Capo 2 or 3 for a singer. Lok 6/8 with a change.
Hawaiian doors
| Tune / recognition | Progression | Hear the harmony |
|---|---|---|
| Island vamp · many tourist-uke loops | C · G · Am · F | Island vamp · Island strum |
| Aloha ʻOe (public-domain — sing from memory) | F · C · G7 · C | Aloha turn |
| Somewhere Over the Rainbow (chords only) | C · G · Am · F | Island vamp |
Right hand: island D–DU–UDU, then try split or rolling. Sing while you strum: Play along · Sing.
Public-domain doors (sing them)
| Tune | Progression | Hear the harmony |
|---|---|---|
| Amazing Grace · Oh Susanna · This Land Is Your Land | G · C · D | Three-chord backbone · Ghar loop |
| Greensleeves (traditional) | Am · G · Em · Am colour | Am folk |
| Simple Gifts · many 3/4 hymns | G · C · D in 3/4 | Waltz |
Melody and lyrics stay in the public-domain songbook or your memory — not on this page.
Famous titles (chords only)
| Recognition | Progression | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door · many campfire ballads | G · D · Am · C | G–Am–D is the nearby map; run G–D–Am–C on the G–C–D drill |
| House of the Rising Sun | Am · C · D · F | Drill 15 on this page |
| Wagon Wheel / four-chord campfire | G · D · Em · C | Four-chord song |
| Stand By Me colour | G · Em · C · D | 50s / ballad |
Nepali / lok doors
| Title (recognition) | Progression | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Resham Firiri · many lok tunes | G · C · D | Ghar loop · Lok pulse |
| Sajha Pokhara colour · campfire Ghar | G · C · D · G | Ghar loop |
| Nepali pop once F is honest | Am · F · C · G | Am–F–C–G |
We do not print those melodies. The right hand is the piece until the tune is already in your ear.
Practice note
How long: 10–12 minutes. Two on boom-chick, four on a change loop, two on Travis or walk-down, then one first-piece progression.
Listen for: the bass note landing exactly on the click, and every strum having the same weight. The bass should be a little louder than the strum — that contrast is the sound of the style.
Common mistake: stopping the right hand to make the chord change. The silence is more noticeable than a fuzzy chord. Keep strumming even if only two strings are fretted on beat 1.