Country Waltz in G — 3/4 Bass-Strum Pattern

The country waltz uses a simple but elegant "bass-strum-strum" pattern in 3/4 time: the thumb picks the root bass note on beat 1 while the fingers strum the chord on beats 2 and 3. This creates a loping, graceful feel that matches the three-beat sway of waltz dancing. Songs like "Rose Garden," "Make the World Go Away," and countless Hank Williams numbers use this pattern in the key of G. The technical challenge is bass note selection: on beat 1, the thumb should ideally play the root of the current chord. For G major, that's the low E string (3rd fret or open in some voicings). For C major, the A string (3rd fret). For D major, the D string open. Learning which string carries the bass note for each chord is a fundamental country guitar skill. The waltz feel is achieved by making beat 1 (bass) noticeably heavier than beats 2 and 3 (chord strums). The two chord strums should be light and even — like a "tick-tock." The bass note is the anchor; the chord strums are the ornament.