And as you may know, I’m all about helping you use and develop those inner music skills that make playing music feel natural. What makes this pattern difficult, is that the long pause makes it tempting to stop moving your hand. That makes it a must-have pattern for any beginner guitar player to have in their bag of tricks. Merry Christ-mas to you and your family. Email me at just (at) StringKick.com! The next pattern has you play fewer strums, which might seem easier, but can be pretty tricky. They’re always on the ‘&’. Most importantly, you need to know how and when to move you strumming hand up and down (as explained in section 2). Have you ever struggled to find a strum pattern to fit a particular song? where your picking hand moves down) and upstrums (where your picking hand moves back up). Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Check out, PJ Harvey feat. The strum pattern that Colin will teach you in this very short lesson is compatible with an incredible number of songs, across all kinds of different genres. At the end of the lesson, Colin tosses in a bonus strumming pattern that is quite similar to the main one; together they give you some very good options if you’re learning a new song and you’re not quite sure what to start off with. Get the strum technique in your system, so it becomes automatic and you don’t have to think about how to move your strumming hand anymore. Hey, this is Just, the guy that runs StringKick! If you enjoyed it, check out Strumming Skills Bootcamp, which features 29 more songs like this. So how do you strum a guitar correctly? You’re playing downstrums on the beat (1, 2, 3, 4) and upstrums off the beat (on the &). A great way to check if you if you really ‘know’ the rhythm is to sing, hum, beatbox, tap or say it out loud. See if you can recognize it. So you'd count 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2, and then you repeat.). Take a look at this next strum pattern for example: See how this pattern has two upstrums that follow each other? This feels a little weird to play in the beginning, but it’s essential to be able to do. You’ll also learn to play with a straight or a swing feel. By doing this, you’ll no longer have to consciously think about when you need to move your strumming hand: it’s moving all the time. All the strum patterns we’ll be looking at in this section are in a 4/4 measure. To make strumming sound good, you want to tap into that innate sense of rhythm as well. Music always starts with a solid rhythm. The video starts with some 'say it before you play it' practice and that goes right into the song. All the strum patterns we’ll be looking at in this section are in a 4/4 measure. This song is also part of my course Strumming Skills Bootcamp, so I’ve added a chord scheme that highlights what chord you should play when you play the video. Thom Yorke - This Mess We're In, I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You - Imaginary Future and Kina Grannis, How to Play Bar Chords: Shapes, Technique, Exercises [Ultimate Guide], How to Read Chord Names and Symbols [Complete Guide], 15 Rockin' Power Chord Songs (with Ear Training Hints + Tabs). Here's another song example that's a bit faster: Let's practice this pattern with another one chord song from my course Strumming Skills Bootcamp. With the right technique and approach, strumming will be easier and sound infinitely better. I like that.) This site is where I share everything I’ve learned over the past 15+ years of teaching music. In other words: say it before you play it. But keep your hand moving at all times! Of course, I also want you to dive right in and start practicing. Now, for our final challenge! Here's an example of a song that uses this rhythm. Understand correct strum technique. You can find out more about the course here or simply get started with free sample course. You’ll learn the logic behind that in section 2. It’s why they say things like ‘just play what you feel’ or ‘I never think about strumming, I just do it’. Alright, let’s go! Lick of the Week 12: Traveling 3 Positions, The Most Popular Strum Pattern In The World. So before you even touch your guitar, you need to hear the rhythm you want to play in your head first. So grab your guitar and play along! Learn to listen to a strumming rhythm and play that rhythm by ear. This is a very common strum pattern. You need to think like a drummer: your main job is to keep up that groove. You might think you need to hit all the notes in the chord with every strum, but usually we hit just three or four strings. In short, that means that every measure consists of four beats. Last, I’ll tell you a bit about my course, Strumming Skills Bootcamp. 2. I made this next track for my course Strumming Skills Bootcamp. If you don't know the chords, you can also switch to a Capo version, so you can play it with some easier, open guitar chords. This allows you to forget about changing chords and focus completely on your strumming. Each pattern comes with a few song examples so you can hear how it’s used in ‘real' music. To hear this pattern in action, check out this song. Hope you managed to play along to this last tune! To learn effectively though, you need need to focus on one thing at a time. Lastly, we’ll work on developing your inner ear for strum patterns that allow you to play strum patterns by ear (step 3). Just check out these song examples: This next song is fun to play and the chords aren't very complicated. But don't forget: strumming a guitar is all about creating a solid rhythm. So if you want to check how to play the strumming pattern, just scroll up! I like to use as much ‘real’ music as possible, so each strum pattern comes with a few song examples. Required fields are marked. The constant motion also makes it much easier to keep time. … That makes it a must-have pattern for any beginner guitar player to have in their bag of tricks. Member Login | Shop | Contact Support | Privacy | Affiliates, __CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"62516":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default Palette","value":{"colors":{"62516":{"val":"var(--tcb-skin-color-18)","hsl":{"h":210,"s":0.79,"l":0.01}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__, {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}, How to find your way around the fretboard. I’ve also added the chord progressions for the songs so you can grab your guitar and start practicing right now. Hope that went well! In the fourth bar, they've sneakily removed two beats. Colin has an entire course packed full of guitar strumming patterns, if you’re interested in that you can learn more here. (If you don't know how to play an E7, you can also simply play an E chord.) (Funk guitarist Ross Bolton calls this a ‘drunken wrist’. That’s what all experienced musicians do. ‘Cause if you can’t do that, playing a solid strumming groove on guitar will be impossible. So far, you might've noticed two things: 1. Next, you’ll learn 7 popular strum patterns that I’ve put in order from easy to more challenging. (Note: If you want to play this song, listen closely! That’s the power of rhythm. This mini-course includes five lessons that will explain some of the basics of strumming and put in some (ear training) practice. I hope it has helped you understand how strumming works and given you some good practice as well. G Were you in the livin' room, chillin' watchin' television? This allows you to hear what each strum pattern sounds like in ‘real’ music. (Strumming starts at 0:18.). Strumming patterns involve strumming down and strumming up. I chose strumming patterns up until now where it feels very natural to do this. Again, it starts with some 'say it before you play it' practice and then moves on to a song that's played entirely with an E7 chord.