Operation Manual
4.4 Specific Techniques 33
4.4.5 Bass & Chords
In certain musical styles, such as country and bluegrass music, one often finds rhythm-guitar pat-
terns obtained by switching between the root or fifth played on the bass string and a strum on the
remaining strings. To obtain this effect, it is therefore important that the lowest string is note in-
cluded in the stroked part of the pattern. In order to reproduce this effect with Strum Session, one
must first use the bass or alternate bass key (E5 or F5) and hold it while playing one of the stroke
triggers. Indeed, when Strum Session detects that a stroke key is played while the bass or alternate
bass key is depressed, it removes this string from the strum.
Music engraving by LilyPond 2.10.33—www.lilypond.org
Figure 20: Bass and Chord.
4.4.6 Stationary Bend
In this technique, the guitarists plays two notes simultaneously and bends one of the two notes. It
is possible to obtain the effect with Strum Session by taking advantage of the fact that only the last
note played is bended.
When the Auto-Strum mode is switched on, one first plays the note which should not be bended
and then the second one. The bending effect is then obtained by moving the pitch wheel or using
the aftertouch. This will only work, however, for intervals larger than one tone because otherwise
Strum Session always automatically triggers a hammer-on or pull-off when intervals of one or two
semi-tones are played legato.
When the Auto-Strum mode is switched off, the two notes can be played at the same time on
the keyboard. The lowest is then triggered with the bass strumming key (E5) and the second note
with the arp 4 key (G5). The note to be bended is triggered last and the bending is activated either
using aftertouch or the pitch wheel.
4.4.7 Power Chords
Power chords are equivalent to playing a fifth interval. They are referred to as chords because they
can also be interpreted as a major chord played without the third. In Strum Session, power chords
are obtained by playing fifth intervals on the keyboard. When two notes are played simultane-
ously on the keyboard, Strum Session detects an interval and therefore plays the notes on different