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Essential strumming patterns for popular guitar playing. Also applicable to any strumming or plectrum instruments. E.g. Ukulele.

1. The Compound Six/Eight

This is two waltzes (from the beginner rhythms) ‘pasted’ together. Both of the waltz strumming patterns here have been compressed into the beat. The waltz now comprises one beat. Therefore two waltzes = Two beats. Consequently, I sometimes call this rhythm the 'Compound March'.

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00:01So, we need to look at our intermediate rhythms.
00:05So, before you start doing this, you must make sure that you're very, very comfortable
00:10with the fundamental or beginner rhythms.
00:13So, common time, march, waltz, syncopated, ballad, and swim.
00:19If you're not fully comfortable with those, these intermediate rhythms may be a little bit too difficult.
00:25But if you're comfortable with them, you should have no problems.
00:28So, let's go straight into it.
00:29I want to look at the compound time signature.
00:33So, that would be a 6-8 time signature.
00:37And in my intermediate folder, the song will be using, will be House of the Rising Sun.
00:44Now, this rhythm works by taking the waltz from the fundamental rhythms and timesing it by two.
00:51It's as simple as that.
00:53So, two waltzes pasted together like this.
01:01And that becomes a compound 6-8 rhythm.
01:05The only tricky thing to understand is where the beat falls.
01:09So, the waltz has now been compressed and is now the size of a beat.
01:13So, you have two beats in a bar, therefore, two waltzes make two beats in a bar.
01:19So, you can count it, one, two, three, four, five, six.
01:23Or, you can also just count it, if you're confident with it, just count it as two.
01:32So, I sometimes call this the compound march, or the double waltz, or the intermediate waltz, however you want to
01:40look at it.
01:41So, the song we'll be studying here will be House of the Rising Sun.
02:05And so on.
02:06So, there you have it, the compound 6-8 rhythm.
02:10Once again, just a remind, it's two waltzes in the bar making two beats.
02:17One.
02:19Simple as that.
02:21The compound 6-8.
02:22The compound 6-8.
02:23The compound 6-8.
02:23The compound 6-8.
02:23The compound 6-8.
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