Guitar Rhythm Slashes and Chord Families

Vocabulary flashcards covering rhythm slashes, chord families (D, G, and C), and basic guitar techniques based on the lecture notes.

Rhythm Slashes

Slash marks ($/$) that instruct a musician on how to play a specific chord rhythmically without using standard note pitches.

Road map

A simplified musical guide used to convey notation intent without the complexity of reading or writing standard musical notation.

Left hand

The hand used to determine which chord is played and where musicians build calluses through repetitive practice.

sim.

A notation that is an abbreviation for the Italian word $simile$.

Simile

An instruction to continue playing in the same manner, such as maintaining a constant downward and upward strumming pattern.

Down strum

A technique where the musician strikes the lower strings of the instrument first.

Up strum

A technique where the musician strums the strings in an upward motion.

D-family

A chord family or level consisting of the basic chords $D$, $Em$, $G$, and $A$.

G-family

A chord family consisting of the chords $G$, $Am$, $C$, $D$, and $Em$.

C-family

A chord family made up of the basic chords $C$, $Dm$, $Em$, $F$, $G$, and $Am$.

Tie

A small curved line connecting two notes that instructs the player to let the chord ring without strumming the second note.

Chord progression

A sequence of chords, such as $G-family$ chords, played repeatedly to help a musician practice switching between different chord shapes.

Kapalan

Calluses that form on the left hand as a result of consistent practice in switching and holding chords.

Right hand

The hand used for strumming, which remains idle during the second part of a tied note while the chord rings.

Standard musical notation

A formal system of writing music that can be impractical or overly complex for conveying simple rhythmic ideas.

Rhythm

The timing aspect of music that is communicated through slashes rather than the various pitch-based lines of a musical staff.

Dm and F

The two specific chords needed to complete the $C-family$ group once a student already knows $C$, $Em$, $G$, and $Am$.

Am and C

Chords within the $G-family$ that a student can learn after mastering the introductory $A$ and $D$ families.

E chord with four slashes

A specific notation meaning the musician must perform a strumming action exactly $4$ times on the $E$ chord.

Strumming patterns

Repeated downward and upward movements, such as $down, down-up, down, down$, used by beginners to play rhythmically.