I'm gonna teach you a simple but extremely useful strumming pattern. Now
this pattern has been used throughout folk and acoustic rock style music even
more importantly I'm going to teach you some of the techniques that'll help your
strumming slow and have groove. I'm gonna divide the lesson into 4 steps. Now
each of these steps could be a strum and a useful strum in and of itself. Each of
the steps will also build on the one before. Let me give you a short
demonstration. Here's a basic down down, up, strum with none of the
techniques.
Now here's adding some of the techniques you're going to learn.
That second strum uses the exact same down down-up motion but the feel and the
sound is different. Can you hear the difference? Step number one, now this
entire strum is built on what we call 4/4 time. What's important about that is
it means that each strum pattern has 4 beats per pulses. In its simplest
form, it would sound like this 1 2 3 4.
For the first step, we're going to add something to make it a little more
interesting. Instead of hitting all the strings on
each strum, we're gonna alternate between hitting the low strings and the high
strings. So on beats 1 and 3 we'll hit the low strings and on beats 2 and
4 the high strings. Now when I say low and high, don't worry about how many
other strings you hit for now that would be a waste of time really. Go for like
the 6 maybe the sixth and fifth it doesn't really matter. Hit 1 string
fine 2 or even 3 or 4 but the sound of going low and high will make
the difference. Sing with the high. Don't worry if you hit 3 4 strings.
Generally 1 string is not going to work but anything more than one string will
be fine so listen for a minute. Low, high, low, high, low, high.
Now try that with me and we'll count 1 2 3 4 and then start over.
Ready, hit it 1 2 3 4. Low, high, low, high. I'm using a G chord. Now do it with me and we're gonna use a G
chord just keep the same sound. I'll count 1 2 3 4. Here we go
1 2 3 4 and that's low on 1 high 2, 3 is low and 4 is high.
Again 1 2 3 4.
Now step number 2, we're gonna add a little bit of motion to that. Instead of
just down we're gonna add a down up to beats 2. Now it'll be down, down up, down
down. But we're gonna keep those lows and highs so you'll start off with a low and
then 2 highs but down up on the high and then low, high. Try that with me. Ready,
start. Low, high high, low, high. Low, high high, low, high
If we count it is 1 2 and 3 4. We use AND to mean the second half of the beat.
Again, ready hit it. Low, high high, low, high, 1 2 and 3 4.
Okay now we're ready for step three. Now just to be clear step 2 could be a
good strum and matter of fact it's a strum I would use but we're gonna keep
adding to it. Now we're gonna add a down up to beats 3 and 4 so without
the high and low and it would be down down up, down, up, down, up
that's actually the first strum I show you but with the highs and lows it
sounds different. We're gonna do a low high high like we did on step 2. Then
low, high, low on the way down and high on the way up
and then 2 highs again so listen. Low, high high, low, high high.
Now it doesn't sound like much at that speed but you'll see as you pick it up.
Try it with me slow for now. You gotta get the motion. Ready, hit it - low, high, high, low, high, high again. Low, high high, low, high. One last
time and I'll count it this time. Go. Low, high, high, low, high, high half 1 2 and 3 and 4.
Now the down that motion of my hand does create a certain amount of motion but
going from low to high creates much more of that groove and flow. Now let's go on
to step 4, we're gonna add accents to that . There's going to be an accent on
beats 2 and 4. An accent is just hitting a little bit harder than the
other beat so an accent would be no accent, accent, no accent, accent and it's not
exaggerated like you know you don't break your strings. It's just a little
bit more push. It gives a whole another level of push to it and you'll see what
I mean. Let's start with the basic strum. Down, down, up, down, up, down, up. Now the accent down, down, up, down, up, down
that's 2 - 12 3 4, 1 2 3 4
So very slow try it with me. I'll count it out. Accent to 2 and 4 here we go. Ready, hit it. Down, down, up, down, up, down, 1 2 and 3 and 4
2 and 3 and 4 and 1 2 and 3 and 4.
Now we've got 3 elements to the strum. One is the motion of the hand where it is
going down or up. Then you've got whether you're hitting the low strings or the
high strings and again it's not one string but in that area of low and high.
And finally the accents. I'm gonna play those 2 strums again and listen to the
difference. Here's the basic - down, down, up, down, up, down
Now here's what the techniques we just learned.