View Full Version : Playing in 3/4
adda_as
Mar-13-2004, 7:10am
Im learning Chris Thile's; Song for a young Queen, and Im curious about what my pickstrokes should be like. The rhythm is 3/4 (I think), so how would I play.
Would down-up-down'down-up-down'down-up-down' etc.. be correct, or reversing pickstrokes every beat? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
LilCreekster
Mar-13-2004, 10:12am
I believe the dud,dud picking is for 6/8 time (jig time) I know that the arpeggios Chris does on that same dvd which are in 3/4 are played dud,udu Whether that's how 3/4 is supposed to be played, I actually don't know, I've not played anything in 3/4 time yet.
If you take a bar in 3/4 time with three quarter notes, according to the pick stroke theory they should all be played with a downstroke - all quarter notes are. So you would be playing DDD. Now if you have six eigth notes in the bar they will be played DUDUDU which leaves you on a downstroke for the start of the next bar. In other words there's no problem in 3/4 time.
6/8 is different because there's two stresses per bar - on the 1 and the 4 and you want to be on a downstroke on the 4. Don't think of 6/8 as just faster 3/4!
I'm pretty sure that Song for a Young Queen is in 6/8 time. Not postitve - I'd have to listen to it again.