Chord & FretFrevo · Guitar
Frevo / carnival march (thumb on every beat)
Sound summary
For the guitar, Frevo uses a bass-and-chord figure, in 2/4 straight (even subdivisions): the thumb plays the bass (B) and the chord (A) answers right after. It sounds like this: B — — A B — A — B A — — B — — —.
How to count it
The meter is 2/4: 2 beats per bar, counted in sixteenth-notes (four per beat). Say the beats: 1 e & a, 2 e & a. Foot on the beat, follow the grid above — each cell is one subdivision.
The rhythm grid
B = bass (thumb) · A = chord block (i-m-a together, no sweep) · — = rest
The thumb bass and the i-m-a block follow the two-voice violão notation (Silva & Madeira 2021).
How to play it
Right hand
Split the right hand in two: the thumb drops the bass (B) on the pulse, then the chord (A) fills in — fingers or a down-stroke. The chord (A) is a finger block (i-m-a), not a sweep: the thumb never plays the bass strings along with it. On the rests, let the thumb and fingers settle on their next strings — ready, without cutting the sound early.
Left hand
The left hand gives the harmony: hold the whole shape clean from start to finish, leaving the right hand to the rhythm. Make the change on the last beat, the hand already heading to the next chord.
Example in D
Over a D chord, the bass (B) is the note A on the low string — the chord’s lowest note. Play that bass on the pulse and let the whole D answer right after. Hear the example and follow the diagram.
Common mistakes
- Gluing bass and chord to the same instant. The B has to come first and the A answer — if they land together, the bass-chord bounce vanishes.
- Running the subdivisions. The faster the pattern, the easier to push ahead — lock the tempo on the metronome before speeding up.
- Stopping the arm on the rests. The hand never stops — it keeps swinging in the air and only touches the strings on the next hit. That’s what holds the time.
Guided practice
- Bass alone. Play only the B hits (thumb), very slowly, feeling each one land in time.
- Isolate the chord. Drop the bass and play only the A hits, feeling where they answer.
- Add the two voices. Bass then chord, always in that order, slow, until it plays itself.
- Take it up on the metronome. Start slow, keep the pattern clean, and add a few BPM at a time.
You’ve got the theory; now the time has to enter the body. Play along with the audio, follow the count and raise the metronome bit by bit until the bass and the chord sit apart in time — Chord & Fret runs that drill with an adjustable tempo.
Open the trainer →Variations & related patterns
With the strum steady, take it to actual Frevo progressions: rhythm, chord changes and voice-leading in one exercise. That’s the Progressions by Rhythm feature in Chord & Fret.
See the genre’s progressions →The page explains; the real practice — repeating, timing on the metronome, listening, applying to progressions and reviewing — is in Chord & Fret. Save this pattern in your study to pick it up later, play offline and watch your progress.
Continue in Chord & Fret →