Learning the Bo Diddley Strum

Learning the Bo Diddley Strum…

NOTE: Clave patterns are in four (4). However the Bo Diddly strum is felt in 2, cut-time and often written as if it is in 2 using a combination of sixteenth and eight notes. This is the same issue with musicians nor realizing that Cut Time is NOT 2/4. I find the pattern written in 4 to be far easier to notate, remember, read, perform, and teach then in 2.

The most common Cuban clave is the son clave and it is written in 2/4.

There is a very subtle variation between the Bo Diddley pattern and the Bossa Nova pattern.

Famous Songs with the Bo Diddley Beat

In addition to Bo Diddley's namesake song, Bo Diddley, here are a few others songs that use the Bo Diddley beat or variations.

• Not Fade away – THE ROLLING STONES
• Magic Bus – THE WHO
• (Marie’s the Name) His Latest Flame – ELVIS PRESLEY
• Willie and the Hand JIve – THE JOHNNY OTIS SHOW
• Shame, Shame, Shame – SHIRLEY & COMPANY
• She's The One – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
• I Want Candy – BOW WOW WOW
• Mr. Brownstone – GUNS N’ ROSES
• Faith – GEORGE MICHAEL
• Desire – U2

A Note Regarding Learning Strums and Rhythm

Many people fall into the trap of mixing up play by ear with learning by ear. Learning by ear is a hit and miss, hunt and peck proposition with more misses than hits.

The goal is to play and perform with the inner ear in control - that is “Playing by Ear”. Learning is better suited with a system and plan of attack.

I've seen it way too many times with my own private students. They insist on trying to learn a specific strumming pattern by their intrinsic stroke directional pattern — the down and up pattern. For only the basic, simplest of strums this might work at times. But, it falls apart for really learning rhythm, which is directly linked to strumming. It is helpful when training the strumming hand to place to emphasis on the downbeats or pulse of music with a down stoke.

Cutting to the Chase — You CAN learn any rhythmic pattern by it's standard music notation and the counting pattern used to recreate the sound of the pattern. What this does is allows you a method to accurately reproduce any pattern on demand — no need to resort to hearing it first. You hear it first with you inner ear and you hands are trained enough to reproduce it on demand. Eyes -> Ear -> Hands.