Ariana Grande - Focus - Guitar Cover

Focus

2015 3:31

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About Focus

At 92 BPM in F minor, "Focus" sits in a groove-heavy pocket that rewards a guitarist who can lock in tightly with the rhythm section rather than overplay. The chord movement is fairly compact, which means the real work is in getting your strumming pattern to feel natural and behind the beat, the way the track breathes. Clean tone with a little compression will serve you well here, letting the rhythmic feel come through without muddying the low end. Ariana Grande built this track around a punchy, funk-influenced arrangement, and on guitar that means short, muted chord stabs are more effective than open, ringing voicings. The Pop Rock feel calls for control and restraint over flash. If the muted stab pattern is giving you trouble, isolate just two or three bars in the Practice Toolbar and run it slowed down until your right hand is doing the work automatically.

• The track sits at 92 BPM in F minor, a key that sits comfortably in the middle of the guitar's range for both barre chord work and single-note lines.
• Short, percussive muted chord stabs are the key rhythmic technique, demanding precise right-hand palm muting and tight control of note length.
• Keeping a clean, compressed tone is important here so that rhythmic clarity drives the part rather than sustain or distortion.