Playing on the Backbeat

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Playing the chop chord on the “backbeat” is one of, if not, the most crucial elements of chopping in Bluegrass. A single note is played on the downbeats of 3 and 4, while the rest of the chord is played on beats 2 and 4. This helps give our ears and hands a reference for when to play the backbeat that follows.

When playing the 3 finger chop it is useful to let your thumb hang over. This stops the open G string from ringing.

There are two sections in the tab. The A section is for the 3 finger chop, and the B section is the 4 finger chop. But please take notice, it is the same notes we are playing, the fret numbers are no different. We are just leaving out notes of the 4 finger when playing the 3 or 2 finger chop.