Strumming

Your strumming hand has the crucial role of providing the rhythm to your playing and setting the pace and feel of your chord progression. Contrast, for example the fast punk style rhythm guitar on Greenday's 'Basketcase' with Dylan's relaxed strumming on 'Blowing in the Wind'. Imagine if the same chord were played in both styles. It would sound so different that the vast majority of listeners would not even realise that the two different noises they were hearing were related.

The actual technique of strumming the strings on your guitar is quite easy. First of all make sure your strumming arm and wrist are relaxed and that you are holding the plectrum and guitar correctly. Now run the plectrum over all the strings in one continuous motion, pivoting your arm from the elbow. You do not need to hold the plectrum very firmly or press down hard on the strings: just let it run easily over them.

The Crucial Tip

Before we get into some strumming patterns I just want to start off by highlighting the one tip which will probably improve your rhythm playing the most: always try to keep your strumming hand swinging over the strings in time with the beat of the song, whether you strike the strings or not.

Remembering this simple tip will help you considerably in playing a good strumming pattern, especially if you are not yet at the stage where quick chord changes come easily. If it sometimes takes you a while to find the next chord, it is great if your strumming hand can maintain the rhythm of the music so that you can pick up the beat of the song again easily once you have got the chord fretted.

Click here to continue page 2 of this lesson >>

Previous lesson: Barre Chords
Next lesson: Three Part Major Key Harmony
Top^^