All of the basic chords have their bass note on the fourth, fifth, or sixth string. The bass note in this case is the lowest note in the chord that has the same name as the chord. This is commonly called the root. The root note in a C chord is C. In this case the C note is on the fifth string, third fret. Each bass note will be a part of the chord already so no alternate fingerings are required to play the bass note.
The bass note is the lowest note of the chord so it is also the same note as the lowest note that was strummed when you were learning the basic chords. Below is a chart showing what the bass note is for each of the basic chords. This also tells shows you how many strings are strummed for each chord. Since the A chord is a five string chord the bass note is the one on the fifth string. You can also refer to the chord chart for how many strings are played on any given chord.
| Chord | Bass Note String |
|---|---|
| A, Am, A7 | 5 |
| B7 | 5 |
| C, C7 | 5 |
| D, Dm, D7 | 4 |
| E, Em, E7 | 6 |
| F | 4 |
| G, G7 | 6 |
Each basic finger-picking lesson will be in this format. First you will see a finger-picking pattern. The first part of the pattern will always be the letter B. This stands for bass note. Because the various chords have different bass notes a generic string cannot be designated. The Bass note played (thus what bass string is plucked) depends on what chord is being held. So rather than saying 6, 5, or 4, the symbol B is used.
So when you see the letter B in the finger-picking patterns it is understood that you are to play either the sixth, fifth, or fourth string, depending on what the bass note is of the chord you are on. Other than the B standing for bass, all the other parts of the picking pattern are written out as eith 3, 2, or 1.
These are the strings. So a picking pattern B 3 2 1 means play the bass note, then the third string, then the second string, then the first string.
Picking patterns are often the same throughout the song. The basic picking patterns are all 1 measure in length and will be duplicated throughout the song.
|
B 3 2 1 Picking Pattern |
Always hold the full chord when picking B 3 2 1 B 3 2 1 is 1 measure in 4/4 time
|
Kumbaya |
 |
Kumbaya |
