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==PreReqs==
* [[1st and 2nd Strings - Intervals]]
* [[2nd and 3rd Strings]]
==Intervals==
The 4th, 5th, and 6th strings are all tuned in 4ths, like all pairs on adjacent strings, except for the 2nd and 3rd. All the interval shapes that worked between the 1st and 2nd strings will work between the 3rd and 4th, 4th and 5th, or 5th and 6th strings. Let's put this to action:
e-1--3--5-------------------------------------
Play that nice and slow. Now instead of simply moving up or down the fretboard (towards the bridge and nut respectively - in relation to the ascending and descending fret numbers), we can stay relatively close to a single position. Ultimately, music is not about learning scales. Real life melodies will usually be more "vertical " than "horizontal", and visualizing the intervals for a particular key will likely be easier to incorporate into playing around a certain position.
== Power Chords and Riffs ==
Remember those "power chords" we played on the 1st and 2nd strings which sounded familiar but a little wimpy? Let's try them on the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings:
There's something new in the tab above you may not have initially noticed. The double dots right after the bar that begins the first measure and before the final bar of the last measure. This indicates to repeat. When reading music, you ignore the initial "|:" and play until you hit the ":|". That means go back to the "|:" and repeat that part. Notice the "x3" above the tab. This means repeat 3 additional times (so 4 total). If there is no indication of how many times to repeat, it implies a single repeat.
== Rhythm ==What really nails this the above riff home is the rhythm. Notice the first block of power chords in each measure starts on the 1st beat, but every other set starts in between beats. This is quite difficult to get at first, especially when you are playing with a metronome. Your natural inclination is to hit the strings every or every other time you hear a click. Playing off the beat is called "off-time" or "off-beat". Also, the first beat of each measure is called the "down beat" and usually features the strongest accent of a rhythmic cycle. We clearly see that hear, more particularly in the first measure than the second. Beats that lead up to the down beat are called "up beats".
Note: "off-beat" has a couple different meanings. In 4/4, typically the 1st and 3rd beats carry the strongest accents and are called the "on beats". This makes the 2nd and 4th beats "off beats". Playing only or accenting the 2nd and 4th beats can also be called playing "off-time" such as in ska or raggae.