Newsletter – Strumming the Guitar: Techniques and Tips

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Did you know…?

One of the earliest guitars was made from a narrow piece of wood with only 1 single string. It’s origin dates back to ancient Egypt and Greece around 5,000 B.C. That’s a loooong time ago! How many songs do you think they could play on one string? Maybe we should try it sometime :0)

TOPIC OF THE DAY:

Strumming the Guitar

Okay. You know some chords and riffs. But what about strumming? It’s obvious that if you want to be able to play and sing some songs with your guitar, then you’ll have to know how to strum.

The first place to start is with a simple 4 beat rhythm. Hold a chord, such as C major, while you strum down and count to four. Each strum is worth one beat.

Easy Strum Pattern #1

Now try using an eighth beat rhythm pattern. All you do is strum down-up for each beat.

Easy Strum Pattern #2

As you strum down-up count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Strum down on the numbers, up on &’s

Keep the rhythm very even and fluid. There should be no pauses or breaks in between. You will end with an up strum.

The next step is to practice changing chords while keeping a steady four beat rhythm. An easy chord progression I use with my beginner students is:

||:C Em Am Em C:||

Go through the chord progression using pattern #1 first. Strum the complete pattern and count to four on each chord. Then try pattern #2. Keep practicing until you can change from one chord to the next without missing a beat.

Here’s the basic strum pattern I use for my original song On His Knees:

It’s counted like this:

1 & 2 &a 3 & 4 &a

*Strum down on all the eighth notes, down-up on the sixteenth notes.

You can listen to it by Clicking Here.

Here are the words and chords if you’d like to learn how to play it:

On His Knees

If you need more help on strumming and rhythm just follow the link below the next heading…

FOR MORE INSPIRATION:

Chord Progessions and Strumming Patterns for Guitar

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UNTIL NEXT TIME:

Thanks for subscribing to the ABC Learn Guitar Newsletter, offering free tips and ideas for guitar players and indie musicians. See you next month!

Musically yours,
Kathy Unruh

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Newsletter – Strumming the Guitar: Techniques and Tips

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