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Strumming 2
Guitar
Strumming in Heavy Metal
Part 2 - Upstrokes and "power
strumming"
In the first metal strumming lesson,
we learned the essential downstrumming rhythms used in many of the
heavy metal subgenres. Now it's time to build on that foundation,
adding in upstrokes and building up our speed.
As with the first
part, there'll be drum tracks to jam along to and help get your timing.
Make sure you download them so you can use them wherever you're
practising.
Building
up your metal strumming speed
Obviously if you only rely on down
strumming you'll struggle at higher speeds, so it makes sense to add in
an upstroke and make your hand movements more economical.
In the following exercise, if our down strokes can be timed as "1 2 3
4", then we can effectively double
our timing by adding in an up stroke between each count - "1 and 2 and
3 and 4 and..."
Take
a look at the video below for an example of this. I'm simply strumming
a power chord using that constant down-up-down-up strumming...
Observe
the action. Most of the movement is in the wrist. Try and keep it
relaxed so you can brush over the strings without unnecessary
obstruction. Quick, sharp strokes.
Start slow and gradually build up your speed using a metronome.
This
basic 4/4 rhythm is our foundation. Once you're confident with
maintaining this constant up and down strumming pattern, it's time to
move on to more complex variations...
More
complex alternate metal strumming patterns
The
first "rule" is to ensure you can keep a constant down-up motion with
your strumming hand. As we'll see in a moment, it's important to keep
this motion constant even if you're not hitting the strings. It's all
about momentum.
Take a look at the pattern below. All we've done is skip a few strokes
(marked in red). On these skipped
strokes, the strings are not being strummed, but the
up/down action remains in place...
So
I'll repeat - keep your down and up strokes in the same constant 4/4
rhythm we used before, but by skipping some strokes we can create a
more interesting movement.
Try out your own riff using the above
pattern over the drum track below. Hear how the percussion complements
this type of strumming pattern. My example only stays around one power
chord, so I'm sure you can move around a bit and come up with something
more interesting!
Download the drum track
(right click and "save as")
Example
Here's a similar example, but this time we're missing some up strokes as well...
So
again, same constant down-up momentum, but it's the strokes where you
actually hit/don't hit the strings that form the pattern.
Download the drum track
Example
Other
metal strumming patterns
Let's
try something a little less... conventional. The below pattern still
uses a constant pattern of up and down strokes like before, but the
time signature is different. The gap between some of the
strokes has changed. Take a look and listen...
So
instead of a consistant gap between the up and down strums, we have a
"jump" on two strokes. Listen to the example over the drum track below
for a typical use of this pattern.
Download the drum track
Example
Below
is an exercise in what many guitarists refer to as "power strumming".
We're using exactly the same down-up alternate strokes as before, but
in quicker, staccato bursts. When played at high speed, under high
gain/distortion, this creates a "wall of sound". Great over blast
beats...
This pattern was popularised by hardcore punk, but
became a staple part of speed and thrash based metal. Take a listen
below for a typical example of how this
pattern is used over blast beats...
Download the drum track
Example
Obviously
I can't show you every possible strumming pattern, but please do
experiment with
the ideas we've looked at over the course of this series, using both
down and alternate strumming. You now have a good library of drum
tracks to practise over. I hope you've found these lessons helpful
and inspiring!
For a more comprehensive guitar to metal playing techniques, with HD video and pro tutors, I highly
recommend JamPlay.
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