Theory
The week's finish line. Today you complete a groove of alternating real notes and ghosts over a backing track, so that one guitar sounds like a drum kit.
Picture it: the even ghosts ("chick") are the hi-hat, and the occasional clear real note ("ta") is the snare. Lock those two together and, without any fancy chord changes, the guitar alone sounds like a whole rhythm section. Overlay a real drum track and the moment your "ta" stacks with the snare and your "chick" with the hi-hat, a spine-tingling groove appears.
To recap the week: a ghost note is a relaxed "chuck" (D1). Lay ghosts evenly and you get a hi-hat carpet (D2). Ration real notes on top and it becomes a groove (D3). Today you roll all three at once against a backing.
There's still only one small stab of a chord, yet it will already start to sound "funky." Next week you'll add accents, stabbing certain "ta"s harder to bring the groove alive further. If today, over the backing, you feel for the first time that "my guitar sounds like a drum," this week is a big success. In just two weeks you've stacked a left-hand drum onto the right-hand motor — you're coming along fast. It's still only one chord, yet you're already playing something that "sounds like funk."
See it
A finished groove of alternating real notes (snare) and ghosts (hi-hat). From the stab spot below, play both grooves via pressure on/off.
High-E stab (review). Same 2nd/3rd-string spot. Press for a real note (ta = snare), release for a ghost (chick = hi-hat).
Example 1 — ghost groove A (2 bars). "Ta" on the beat head and the off-beat, the rest "chick." The skeleton of the most basic funk groove.
▶ BPM 70. Over a backing track 4×+. Feel your "ta" line up with the snare.
Example 2 — ghost groove B (2 bars). A drum-like version with real notes mixed in more densely. "Ta" and "chick" alternate fast.
▶ BPM 70. Once easy, shift the "ta" spots into your own version. Check that the guitar sounds like a drum.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 60–70. Lightly review the ghost/real contrast from D1–D3. Check that pressure on/off sits in your hand.
10–20 min · Brain training (today's target = hearing it as a drum) Sing the pattern imagining "ta" as the snare and "chick" as the hi-hat. Picture the real notes landing on the snare spots (usually beats 2 and 4).
20–40 min · Real groove (Examples 1·2 / BPM 70) Repeat Example 1 (groove A) over a backing 4× → then Example 2 (groove B). The point is your "ta" locking with the snare and "chick" with the hi-hat.
40–50 min · Record & reflect (recommended) Record two passes of two bars with the backing and check: are ghosts clean "chucks" / do real notes lock with the snare / does the guitar sound like a drum?
Done when: you can hold a groove of alternating real notes and ghosts over a backing track so the guitar sounds like a drum. (Week 2 complete!)
- Real note off the snare. If "ta" misaligns with the backing snare (usually beats 2 and 4), the groove wobbles. Stack "ta" on the snare.
- Ghosts buried. A weak background "chick" kills the contrast. Keep it clear like a hi-hat.
- Packing it too full. You need negative space to sound like a drum. Don't fill everything; leave room to breathe.
- Practicing without a backing. The groove truly comes alive stacked with drums. Always match it over a track.