How to Make Your Strumming Sound Better — More Awesome Patterns From ONE Rhythm
How to Make Your Strumming Sound Better — More Awesome Patterns From ONE Rhythm
Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on how to take one strum pattern and make it sound different, more exciting, and a whole lot cooler — by adding accents, not strumming every string, and loosening up how you think about patterns.
This is an older lesson I pulled back out of the vault because it still helps a ton of adult beginners.
Big Idea: Don't Be Rigid With Strum Patterns
The purpose of strum patterns is not "this is the named pattern and I have to play it exactly this way every single time."
The purpose is to train your ability to feel the beat, keep time, and maintain the rhythm of the song.
Don't view them dogmatically. It's okay if you don't play the pattern the exact same way every measure. You have my permission to mess them up. Being too rigid actually holds you back from sounding cooler.
The Pattern We're Using
One measure of eighth notes. Count: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Strumming: down up down up down up down up. Down on the beat, up on the offbeat.
When you strum up, only play two or three strings. Don't strum the whole chord on the upstroke or it sounds goofy.
Most people play that the same way every time. After a while it gets boring. We're not going to change the strumming. We're going to accent different notes.
Accents (I Started on Drums)
I started on drums before guitar. One of the most useful things drummers do is accents — playing some notes louder and some quieter. Same rhythm, totally different feel. I don't see guitar people talk about this enough. It's one of the most useful rhythm-guitar tools you've got.
Accent 1: Beats 2 and 4
In most modern music, that's where the snare hits. Play beat 2 louder and beat 4 louder than everything else.
Still down up down up down up down up. It just feels different.
Accent 2: Beat 3
Exact same rhythm. Accent beat 3 instead. Totally different feel — almost like a different pattern even though you didn't change a single stroke.
Go back and forth between 2-and-4 and beat-3 so you can hear how big the difference is.
Accent 3: Beat 2 and the And of 4
Accent beat 2, then the last note of the measure (the and of 4). Totally different again.
I stole that rhythm from "Burning Man" by Third Eye Blind. Cool song — go check it out if you haven't heard it.
Accent 4: The 3-3-2 (1, And of 2, and 4)
Common with power chords and palm muting, but I'm doing it with an open chord here.
Accent beat 1, the and of 2, and beat 4. Think of it as a group of three notes, another group of three, then a group of two. You're accenting the first note of each group (notes 1, 4, and 7 of the eight eighth notes).
Still down up down up down up down up. Different feel.
Which notes you accent is totally up to you. 2 and 4, or 3, are the most common. Pay attention to the feel of the song.
Don't accent too many. If you accent everything, nothing is accented. A couple louder notes. That's it.
The Quiet-Notes Hack: Play Fewer Strings
Accenting means some notes are louder. The notes you're not accenting need to be quieter. Here's the beginner hack: play fewer strings.
You don't have to strum all six strings of a six-string chord, or all five, or even all four. Play parts of chords. Good rhythm players are not hitting every string every time. You'll hear a lot of partial chords.
Go back to accents on 2 and 4, but when you're not accenting, only play a few strings. The accents stand out way more. Same idea when you accent beat 3.
This makes you sound more advanced than you are.
Your Homework
Write down eight notes in a measure. Put an accent mark (that little almost-Pac-Man symbol) over the ones you want louder. Try different combinations. On the notes you're not accenting, play quieter — easiest way is fewer strings.
That's going to develop your feel for the beat so you stay in sync with whatever you're playing. And it's going to open up a lot of creative possibilities without learning a pile of new "named" strum patterns.
If you want a simple place to start, grab my free Top 10 Things to Learn on Guitar First at http://simpleguitar.com/top10.
And hang out with other adult guitar players in the Simple Guitar Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/simpleguitar.
About the Author
Brad from Simple Guitar helps adult learners play the songs they love without the frustration. Visit simpleguitar.com for more free resources and lessons.
