Strumming is the heartbeat of guitar playing. It’s how you bring chords to life and create the rhythmic foundation for countless songs. When you truly connect with your innate sense of rhythm, strumming the guitar becomes less of a mechanical exercise and more of a natural expression.
Experienced guitarists often talk about strumming as something intuitive, something you “feel” rather than “think” about. They might say, “Just play what you feel,” or “I don’t think about strumming, I just do it.” But remember, even the most seasoned players were once beginners, grappling with the complexities of strumming patterns. It’s a skill that becomes second nature with practice.
Learning to strum is similar to riding a bike. Initially, it requires concentration and coordination. But with consistent practice, it clicks, and suddenly, it feels effortless and enjoyable. The key is to tap into your natural sense of rhythm and channel it into your guitar strumming.
So, how can you harness your inherent rhythm to master guitar strumming patterns? Let’s break down a step-by-step approach to learning new strumming rhythms effectively.
Before we dive in, here’s a quick insight into the fundamentals of rhythm. This is a concept explored in detail in our comprehensive Strumming Skills Bootcamp course, which is available to all StringKick All Access Members!
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Let’s take a simple yet fundamental strumming pattern as our starting point: strumming on each beat. This means a consistent down strum on every count. But how do you internalize this rhythm so it flows naturally through your playing?
Here’s a three-step plan to effectively learn and implement any new strumming pattern:
Step 1: Say the Rhythm Before You Strum
Strumming patterns are built upon a combination of downstrokes and upstrokes. While mastering the mechanics of down and up strums is important, many guitarists get overly focused on the hand movements and lose sight of the essential rhythmic feel. This disconnect hinders the development of a natural, rhythmic strumming style.
You can’t effectively play a rhythm without first hearing it in your mind’s ear. Before you even pick up your guitar, and before we delve into the specifics of downstrums and upstrums, the goal is to internalize the rhythm. You need to be able to audibly imagine the strumming pattern in your head. You should be able to “hear” it internally.
A powerful way to verify if you truly “know” the rhythm is to vocalize it. Sing it, hum it, beatbox it, tap it out, or say it aloud using rhythmic syllables. In essence: say it before you play it. If you can confidently vocalize the rhythm, you’re much better equipped to translate it into a solid strumming groove on your guitar.
To illustrate this, consider our simple “strum on each beat” pattern. Try tapping your foot or clapping your hands in even beats while saying “Down, Down, Down, Down” repeatedly. This helps you feel and hear the rhythm before attempting to play it on the guitar.
Step 2: Practice the Strumming Pattern on a Single Chord
Once the strumming rhythm is firmly planted in your mind, it’s time to bring it to your guitar. When learning any new skill, focused practice is key. To effectively learn a new strumming pattern, isolate it from other complexities. Avoid simultaneously grappling with chord changes while trying to master the strumming.
Instead, dedicate your practice to playing the strumming rhythm on just one chord. This concentrated approach allows you to fully dedicate your attention to the strumming technique itself. Choose a comfortable chord like G, C, or D major. Strum that chord repeatedly, focusing solely on executing the rhythm accurately and consistently.
To guide you, here’s a short “one-chord song” example, played entirely using a G chord. This exercise, taken from our Strumming Skills Bootcamp, is designed to help you solidify the strumming pattern in isolation. Grab your guitar, form a G chord, and play along, concentrating purely on the rhythm.
Step 3: Apply the Strumming Pattern to a Real Song
After you’ve gained comfort and consistency playing the strumming pattern on a single chord, the next exciting step is to integrate it into a real musical context – a song! The new challenge here is maintaining the established strumming pattern while smoothly transitioning between different chords within a song.
The song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” by Lee Hazlewood is a fantastic example that utilizes our straightforward “strum on each beat” pattern. It also incorporates chord changes, providing the perfect practice scenario. Try playing along with the song. As the video plays, the correct chords will illuminate, guiding you through the progression in real-time.
(A quick tip: The chord progression in the video is slightly simplified for learning purposes. For a more advanced version including the Dmaj7 chord, simply toggle the switch labeled “7th Chords” located at the top right of the chord progression display!)
7th Chords No 7th Chords
D Em D Em
D Em D Em
E Am E D
Em
Dmaj7 Em Dmaj7 Em
Dmaj7 Em Dmaj7 Em
E Am E D
Em
We hope this example has been helpful! To explore a wider range of strumming patterns and deepen your rhythmic guitar skills, we invite you to check out our comprehensive Strumming Skills Bootcamp course.
The course is fully included in your membership for StringKick All Access Members. If you’re not yet a member, you can still access the first few lessons of the course completely free. Take a look and start your rhythmic guitar journey today!
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Curious to learn more about what the course offers? Discover more details here.
