Grateful Dead Music Forum

Can anyone explain to me how to play the rhythm for Bertha I only picked up guitar a year ago and have really been struggling with this.

It requires a quick switch from the G to the C and back to the G. Not sure exactly what your looking for but I usually strum the G about 3 times,hit the C real quick once and then go back to the G for a few strums. I find it easiest to play in the 3rd position. I tend Play the G as an E form barred at the 3rd fret and drop my pinky down quick for the c. Although i do like playing Bertha in open position too, (I usually do a combo of both positions). Let me know if this helps at all or is even close to what you were looking for.

Listen to the version on skull and roses. The intro goes on for a minute or so. Like Bo said play the g and c at the third position. In one bar it would go like this:
G G G G C
One and two Three and Four and

The first three beats you can accent the G in different ways. The C should always be on the last eight note of the measure or the and of the fourth beat. Hope this helps.

i play it like G__G__G_G_G_C_G__G_G. If that makes any sense of timing lol. Its the pattern he uses on the 2-3-78 DP18 version.

Doesn't work with Chief's rhythm, I don't think; that would be in doubletime.

Halve his tempo and it goes to the C on the 3 for a quarter note, back to G, then next bar to the C on the 1 and 3 for a quarter note.

Rinse, wash, repeat.

Not to complicate things for our neophyte but isn't it a Gsus4 vs C and the rhythm pattern more like:

G / | G / | Gsus4 G | G /

strumminsix wrote:Not to complicate things for our neophyte but isn't it a Gsus4 vs C and the rhythm pattern more like:

G / | G / | Gsus4 G | G /

Yeah I guess I use a Gsus4 instead of C. But check the rhythm on that DP18 if you have it...Jerry is doin much more than that.

strumminsix wrote:Not to complicate things for our neophyte but isn't it a Gsus4 vs C and the rhythm pattern more like:

G / | G / | Gsus4 G | G /

Technically, yes.. especially if you are playing it in the open position. This is even more pronounced on the Los Lobos cover version.

G Gsus4

1 3 3
2 0 1
3 0 0
4 0 0
5 2 3
6 3 3

If you are barreing at the third fret, you would (at least I do, with my ring finger that is playing the "A" shape of the barre) mute the E on the 2nd string when playing the "C":

1 3
2 X
3 5
4 5
5 3
6 X

And that's the exact rhythm I was talking about for the first bar in the progression, and it is what is repeated at the beginning before the verse starts, at which point it changes to the two-bar progression each time it comes back from the C. Second bar would be:

Gsus4 G | G / | Gsus4 G | G /

BlobWeird wrote:

strumminsix wrote:Not to complicate things for our neophyte but isn't it a Gsus4 vs C and the rhythm pattern more like:

G / | G / | Gsus4 G | G /

Yeah I guess I use a Gsus4 instead of C. But check the rhythm on that DP18 if you have it...Jerry is doin much more than that.

Yes he does but the OP is a new guitar player so I figure start on the correct basics first.

Chuckles wrote:

strumminsix wrote:Not to complicate things for our neophyte but isn't it a Gsus4 vs C and the rhythm pattern more like:

G / | G / | Gsus4 G | G /

Technically, yes.. especially if you are playing it in the open position.

Or the triad and you just plop down your pinky!

strumminsix wrote:Or the triad and you just plop down your pinky!

Oh, sure...

Go on bringing extraneous digits into it why dontcha?

Well shit, I guess I've been playing it wrong this whole time. Well don't that just figure. Oh well, sounds close enough for me.

Chuckles wrote:

strumminsix wrote:Or the triad and you just plop down your pinky!

Oh, sure...

Go on bringing extraneous digits into it why dontcha?

dont forget the next part, with same rhythm but its c to f. im sure some will argue it straight c but it changes to f and im real sure of that

GratefulPat wrote:dont forget the next part, with same rhythm but its c to f. im sure some will argue it straight c but it changes to f and im real sure of that

I'll occasionally catch a few notes on the f when playing the C. your right it does sound a bit more full to my ears. Gives it a bit more boogie.

Not to argue Pat but I dont hear the F.
When I do a Bob thing I might grab the F note while doing the C thing.
Its def. not the same as the 1st part G/ Gsus4 (which I call a C;its just a G bar chord pinky to the 5th fret C).
Also there is another thread that has a good take on the "Bam" accent thing by Pappy.
I've always heard the Skull and Roses album version in my head but the late 80's "bam" thing is cool to play (when I actually hit it that is !).