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Strumming Technique
Guitar Strumming TechniqueFirstly, if you need help on the basic/beginner guitar strumming technique, I suggest you first take the beginner strumming lesson. Otherwise, welcome to the next level! This lesson is all about putting the rhythm in rhythm guitar (I have no friends).
In the beginner lesson, we laid the foundations for our strumming technique. By building on that basic down-up strumming action, we can create more intricate and dynamic rhythms. However, for the most part, that fundamental action should not change, rather you'll be modifying it in various ways. As in the previous lesson, use the video, audio
and diagrams to get
your bearings, and use a metronome and the jam tracks
(throughout this lesson) to put what you've learned into context. Let's
begin! The "skipping a beat" guitar strumming techniqueThis particular technique will stay with you right through your guitar playing life, because it's the most essential modification of that basic down-up strumming pattern. Whereas before, we were simply hitting the strings on every beat/strum...  We can skip a beat to create a jump in the rhythm and give it a more interesting movement...
Watch the video clip below to see this action in... action! However, it doesn't have to be so constant. See below for a slightly different modification of that foundation down-up strumming...  So, fewer missed beats and a more dispersed rhythm (which in theory should make it more interesting!). Click to hear slow example >Let's try this strumming technique over a bass and drum backing track. Below is a jam track in the key of A major, which means you can play several A major chords (e.g. A major, A7, Amaj7 etc.). Chords are covered in a different section, so if you haven't been through the basic chord lessons yet, I recommened just using A7, using that rhythm from above...
The great thing about playing these types of patterns is that you naturally start to focus on your strumming attack, which is to do with how hard you hit the strings and also to do with muting (which we'll look at in a later lesson). The idea is to get rid of the constant drone and inject life into your strumming rhythms and chord playing. Let's try another example using the beat skipping technique...  Click to hear slow example > This type of rhythm has more "jump" to it, so there's instant energy there. As we now know the basic skipping technique, let's go straight to a backing track involving 3 chords - E minor, A minor 7 and B7 (see below).
Open B7  Hear example hear > Download/play the backing track > Strumming attack and string accuracyWhilst the above strumming technique is used commonly in rock and pop, there are more defined techniques that work more intricately with the bass and treble strings of the chords you're playing. These strumming patterns require far more string accuracy, as you'll be targeting specific strings in the chord on your down and up strokes. Let's start with a basic example using the bass and treble strings of our guitar. This rhythm uses down strums and is best counted out as - 1 2, 1 2, 1 2, 1 2 etc.It's simply a case of hitting the bass strings of the chord you're playing with the first down strum (1), and the treble strings with the second down strum (2). Take a listen... So remember, all down strums, but you're targeting the low and high strings in a specific beat. Think of it like how a drummer would hit the bass drum followed by the snare (treble) drum to create a beat. When the example above gets going, it has a very punchy energy because of the attack of the down strums.Let's now look at a more complex way of using this technique. First, let's get the basic strumming rhythm nailed:  In the example audio/video above you should be able to hear/see the separation of the bass, mid and treble strings in the open G major chord that's being played. We start with a down strum on the bass notes of the chord (low E, A strings), followed by a down strum in the mid section of the chord (A, D and G strings), and 3 strokes of the treble section (G, B and high e strings). The mid and treble strings may overlap, but that's not really an issue.
In the later lessons in this series, we'll expand on this strumming technique and see how it compliments different types of rhythm (especially funk inspired rhythms). Try using the above technique over the backing track below. This time, we're going to change between G major and a variation of the open C major chord (Cadd9 to be exact).
Listen to the example below to get your bearings first. As the jam track is a set speed (one that would be realistic for a song), you should start slow with a metronome first and gradually build up your speed. Click to hear example > Download/play the backing track >  Bottom line... Obviously I can't show you every possible strumming pattern there is, or we'd be here for weeks. Besides, I want you to experiment with the strumming techniques we've learned here and apply them to your own music. Keep an open mind, but also remember the foundation elements that help keep your timing and attack sharp.Enjoy! Go to Part 3 >
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