Alternating Bass (Guitar Lesson)
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Alternating Bass
Steve uses the classic childrens song, "Paw Paw Patch" to demonstrate how an alternating bass line can be played within a fingerstyle arrangement.
Taught by Steve Eulberg in Fingerstyle Guitar seriesLength: 15:42Difficulty: 2.0 of 5
The Chord Progression
The chord progression consists of a simple C (I) to G7 (V7) vamp. A vamp is a short chord progression that repeats several times. However, additional melody notes are added to the basic structure of these chords throughout the tune.
Applying the Alternating Bass Pattern to C Major
The thumb always plays the bass line in an alternating bass pattern. The thumb carries out a specific job on each beat of the measure. An analysis of this thumb pattern is listed below.
Beat 1: Thumb plays the root note of the chord (C)
Beat 2: Thumb plays the third, or the chord is strummed
Beat 3: Thumb plays the fifth of the chord (G)
Beat 4: Thumb plays the third, or the chord is strummed
Practice this pattern along with the C major chord shape. You may find it useful to isolate the right-hand pattern with open strings. When the right hand pattern becomes second nature, add the left hand back in.
Applying the Alternating Bass Pattern to G7
Over this chord, Steve alternates between the root and fifth only. He does not usually include the third of the chord in the bass pattern when playing over G7. Follow the directions listed for C major when applying an alternating bass line to a G7 chord. The root and fifth of a G7 chord are G and D respectively.
Alternating Bass Exercise
Practice these bass lines within the context of a chord progression. Steve plays through this exercise at 02:10 in the lesson video.
Paw Paw Patch Pattern
A. Proper Right-Hand Fingering
Once you have mastered the simple alternating bass pattern played by the thumb, it's time to add accompaniment notes played by the remaining fingers. Remember the basic right hand rules of fingerstyle when adding these notes. The thumb plays all notes on the three bass strings. The first finger plays on the third string. All second string notes are played by the middle finger. The ring finger plucks all notes on the first string. You will learn when and why these rules can be broken in future lessons. For now though, do not deviate from these important right hand rules.
B. Adding Melody Notes
Melody notes can be added to the treble strings of each chord. Watch Steve at 08:30 in the lesson for a demonstration. At first, learn and practice the melody by itself. Once you have it memorized, add the alternating bass line back in.
Playing Through Paw Paw Patch
Once you have mastered these basic exercises, you are ready to take on "Paw Paw Patch."
Note: Notation and tablature to Steve's fingerstyle arrangement of "Paw Paw Patch" can be found
Pay careful attention to which string the melody is played on at all times. Remember that the melody of the song is sacred. It must clearly stand out from the bass line. For this reason, alternating bass lines are frequently palm muted. Playing with a thumb pick enables guitarists to palm mute bass notes within a fingerstyle arrangement. Chapter 3: (03:22) Final Thoughts Your thumb must be on auto-pilot in order for the other fingers to play a melody line at the same time. As you play through the song, sing through the melody in your head. This will help your fingers move to the right locations as they fret the melody line. Break the melody up into its individual phrases to learn the song in the most efficient manner possible.
After you have mastered the basic alternating bass line, begin to apply it to other songs that you have learned. For example, try to apply the bass concepts from this lesson to the chord progression in "Freight Train." Then, begin to incorporate the melody with the other fingers.
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Fingerstyle Guitar
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsFingerstyle guitar is the classic art of playing the guitar solely with the fingers. Fingerstyle playing opens up a whole new realm of possibilities on the guitar.
Lesson 1
Starting Fingerstyle
Steve introduces you to the world of fingerstyle guitar by teaching a few exercises and an orignal tune called "Porch Swingin'."
Length: 38:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Matteo Carcassi
Steve Eulberg teaches you to play Op. 60 (No. 1) composed by Matteo Carcassi.
Length: 42:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
House of the Rising Sun
Steve teaches a fingerstyle arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" by Animals.
Length: 29:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Freight Train
Steve covers some of the fingerstyle techniques created by Elizabeth, or "Libbis" Cotten.
Length: 24:00 Difficulty: 3.5 FREE
Planxton's Farewell Part 1
Steve Eulberg teaches you how to play his original piece "Planxton's Farewell." This is part 1 of a 2 part lesson.
Length: 34:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Planxton's Farewell Part 2
This is part 2 of the fingerstyle song "Planxton's Farewell." In this lesson Steve teaches you the second half of this beautiful tune.
Length: 22:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Drop D Tuning
Steve discusses drop D tuning and how it is used. He also teaches an original song in this tuning called "Neither Lion Nor Lamb."
Length: 30:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Porch Swingin' Part 2
Steve Eulberg teaches the second half of his beautiful fingerstyle piece, "Porch Swingin'."
Length: 30:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Five Foot Two (fingerstyle)
Steve teaches a fingerstyle version of the classic song "Five Foot Two."
Length: 29:54 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Operator Introduction
In this lesson Steve shows how to play the introduction of the classic Jim Croce song, "Operator," in a fingerstyle fashion.
Length: 22:21 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Operator Verse
Steve returns to the beautiful Jim Croce song, "Operator," in this fingerstyle guitar lesson. This time around he demonstrates the verse.
Length: 12:58 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Operator Chorus
Steve finishes up the Jim Croche song, "Operator." He covers the chorus and brings the entire song together.
Length: 9:55 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Alternating Bass
Steve uses the classic childrens song, "Paw Paw Patch" to demonstrate how an alternating bass line can be played within a fingerstyle arrangement.
Length: 15:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
We Wanted a King
Steve Eulberg teaches a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement of his original song, "We Wanted a King."
Length: 36:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Building the Thumb
Steve Eulberg guides you through a series of exercises meant to improve the dexterity and independence of the thumb.
Length: 12:52 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Mixing Up the Fingers
Steve Eulberg mixes up the fingers to create a dynamic fingerstyle exercise.
Length: 12:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Chopsticks
Steve Eulberg explains how to play the classic song "Chopsticks" using fingerstyle technique.
Length: 12:18 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Advanced Chopsticks
In this lesson, Steve Eulberg teaches an advanced version of "Chopsticks."
Length: 8:11 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Ode To Joy Part 1
Welcome to the first lesson in a 3 part series on the song "Ode To Joy". Steve has arranged a very unique fingerstyle lesson that starts from square one. This 3 part series can really help any beginner...
Length: 10:32 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Ode To Joy Part 2
In the midst of this three part lesson series, Steve continues his "Ode To Joy" song lesson by introducing a parallel movement. This will demonstrate a "skip a string" technique with the picking hand and...
Length: 7:25 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Ode To Joy Part 3
In his final lesson in the three part series of the song "Ode To Joy", Steve adds a few more additional fingerstyle techniques to the mix. By adding a harmony and a D string drone note, this will complete...
Length: 10:43 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Thumb Builder #1
In direct response to a common issue seen in his live Q&A, Steve crafted the following group of 9 lessons devoted to "thumb building". Learn all 6 variations of the exercise Steve teaches and practice...
Length: 16:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Thumb Builder #2
The second installment of Steve's Thumb Builder lessons continues to build your finger and thumb coordination with multiple pattern variations.
Length: 8:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Thumb Builder #3
Join Steve for the third installment in his Thumb Builder lessons. Keep pressing on and you should be finding that the mechanical movements are becoming more and more natural.
Length: 10:33 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Thumb Builder #4
It's time to challenge yourself by adding more fingers to the mix! Instead of just responding to the thumb with one finger, you'll be using different fingers on different strings.
Length: 8:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Thumb Builder #5
Things are getting a little more complicated and a little more challenging as Steve marches through some more thumb building exercises. Keep up the hard work and practice!
Length: 6:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Thumb Builder #6
Steve continues to build up muscle memory and coordination. In these exercises, the thumb is gonna start jumping around along with the fingers.
Length: 9:16 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Thumb Builder #7
Part 7 of Thumb Building Bootcamp! Good job for making it this far! Things keep getting more challenging, but you should definitely be noticing a marked improvement in your finger-thumb coordination...
Length: 8:03 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Thumb Builder #8
Steve introduces a handful of new patterns to keep on building up that thumb.
Length: 7:53 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Thumb Builder #9
Good work! You've made it to the final installment of thumb builder exercises. Learn some of the patterns that Steve commonly uses in his own playing.
Length: 6:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Walkin' Down the Trail
Sometimes we hear the word exercise and it just sounds like work... That probably won't be the case when you listen to the exercise Steve teaches in this lesson. It will take some work, but you'll walk...
Length: 19:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Frere Jacque Fugue
In this lesson, Steve takes the familiar Frere Jacque and teaches how to play it in a round on the guitar.
Length: 6:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore
Turn this classic folk tune into a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement.
Length: 13:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
About Steve Eulberg
View Full Biography
An Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Steve Eulberg weaves mountain and hammered dulcimers with a variety of unusual instruments to create thought-provoking, smile-inducing, toe-tapping acoustic experiences.
He has sung and composed for religious communities, union halls, picket lines, inter-faith retreats, mountain-top youth camps, as well as the more familiar venues: clubs, coffeehouses, bookstores, festivals, charity benefits and showcase concerts.
Born and raised in the German-heritage town of Pemberville, Ohio, Steve was exposed to a variety of music in his home. Early piano lessons were followed by trumpet in school band, and he became self-taught on ukelele and guitar and harmonica. Mandolin was added at Capital University where, while majoring in History, he studied Ear Training, Voice and took Arranging lessons from the Conservatory of Music.
While at college, he first heard hammered and mountain dulcimers, building his first mountain dulcimer just before his final year. Seminary training took him the west side of Denver where he built his first hammered dulcimer. With these instruments, he was able to give voice to the Scottish, English and Irish traditions to which he is also heir.
Following marriage in 1985 to Connie Winter-Eulberg he settled in Kansas City, Missouri. There he worked cross-culturally in a church of African-Americans, Latinos and European Americans, with music being a primary organizing tool. He moved with his family in 1997 to be nestled beside the Rocky Mountains in Fort Coillins, Colorado.
Founder of Owl Mountain Music, Inc. he teaches and performs extensively in Colorado and Wyoming with tours across the US and the UK. He delights in introducing the “sweet music†of dulcimers to people in diverse settings and in addition to his own recordings, has included dulcimers in a variety of session work for other musicians.
In 2000 he was commissioned to create a choral composition featuring dulcimers for the Rainbow Chorus in Fort Collins. It was recorded in the same year (BEGINNINGS). He is currently at work on a commissioned symphony that will feature hammered dulcimer and Australian didjeridu.
Eulberg passionately believes that music crosses cultural and language barriers because music builds community. Influenced by a variety of ethnic styles, his music weaves vital lyric with rap, rock, folk, gospel and blues. Audiences of all ages respond well to his presentation and to his warm sense of humor.
Steve is a member of Local 1000 (AFM), The Folk Alliance, BMI and BWAAG (Better World Artists and Activist's Guild).
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Hi Steve, on alternating C why dont-t you put your pinky on A sting and third on G instead moving the 3rd?
Hi Steve, I played some picking patterns (ie: travis picking) in college over 20 years ago and now started to get back into playing again thru JamPlay. I'm lovin your bluegrass style and songs. My goal is just to have fun playing and get family and friends to sing along. I'm learning the picking pattern but I'm having problems adding on the melody. Paw Paw is simpler but I'm still struggling with Freight Train. The Melody doesn't seem to fall into a picking pattern. I've slowed it down but still can't get it down smooth. Any suggestions? Thanks, Ron
Freight Train is so difficult! I always have problems with that song, it's also very difficult for me to get the rhythm established, all I can recommend for that one is to take your time and practice each little portion not for note until it sinks in. Steve will chime in soon I'm sure.
You're welcome! Play on.... Steve
Just the lesson I was looking for. I have the pattern down and have used it for years. But I wish to add melody to the pattern as well. Thank you for a great introduction.