Fun And Easy With Two Strings

Today's article explains how to generate cool rhythm sounds by using two strings but playing only one of those strings open the entire time.

Let us use the notes of a D major scale for this example. The notes of this scale are D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#. Play these notes on the G (third) string of the guitar, starting with the open G. Then play:

• A at the second fret;
• B at the fourth fret;
• C# at the sixth fret;
• D at the seventh fret;
• E at the ninth fret;
• F# at the eleventh fret; and
• G at the twelfth fret, which brings us back to our octave of the G string.

Now, combine playing the open D (fourth) string and the various notes of the D major scale on the G string as noted above, but in any order. As you keep strumming the two 

Next, you can try alternately playing between the two strings. This means that you will not strum through both strings simultaneously as you did in the example above. Instead, play the notes of the D major scale on the G string as before, but go back and forth playing between the open D string and G strings. You will notice that the D string continues to ring, but the picking hand will keep alternating between the G and D strings.

With these two different techniques, you can apply whichever you choose and use it with chord changes. For example, you can play chords in the same key and then sneak these techniques between the chord changes. Alternatively, you might try adding them towards the end of the time you typically play one particular chord.

Drone notes/pedal points can be a great way to add variety to your playing, whether injecting them in between chord changes or using them as a standalone rhythm part.

Remember always to have fun with your guitar, and I’ll see you next time…

If you are looking to learn another excellent rhythm guitar skill, you can check out my FREE lesson on how to weave lead guitar melody lines to your rhythm guitar playing here: https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro.

Have you ever heard extra notes played between chords and wondered, "Why do THESE notes sound good?" or, "How can I do that?".

Most guitar players struggle to find the right notes to play between chords to make their songs sound better.

The fact is, it's easy to do once you learn how. And the result is your guitar playing sounds much more complex than it is...

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About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.