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- A good rule of thumb is to hit either all of the strings or just the lower (thicker) strings on every downstrum. Then on the upstrum, hit only the highest (thinnest) three or four strings. This approach will make the downstrums sound a bit heaver and give your upstrums a bit of a lighter sound. And: it’ll be a little easier to play!
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Jan 27, 2024 · Downstrokes vs Upstrokes: When Should You Strum Them? | Guitar For Beginners - YouTube. Zak Char Guitar. 756 subscribers. Subscribed. 7. 202 views 5 months ago. Elevate your guitar progress...
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- Zak Char Guitar
May 11, 2020 · The pick angle matters! In this lesson, we'll learn crucial strumming mechanics to strum a guitar with or without a pick. In both cases, the ang...more. 👉 Start my Beginner Guitar Course...
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- JustinGuitar
- Overview
- Holding the Guitar
- Basic Strumming Techniques
- Strumming Patterns
- How Do You Learn To Strum a Guitar?
How Do You Learn To Strum a Guitar?
While it’s important to learn the rudiments and scales when you’re learning to play the guitar, the fun part is when you can start strumming. With a little practice and proper technique, you might be able to start playing songs you recognize sooner than you think!
Hold the guitar against your body, supporting the neck with your fret hand.
Strum the guitar between the sound hole and the bridge.
Practice strumming down (downstroke) and up (upstroke).
Try an alternating up-down pattern and change cords once you get used to strumming.
Keep the guitar balanced on your thigh, tight into your body. To learn to strum the guitar properly, you need to keep the elbow of your strumming hand out of the way of the string, near the base of the guitar, so you can use your wrist to strum. Support the guitar neck with your fret hand. The thumb should be positioned just past the center of the neck (opposite the strings).
If you have to use your arms to hold up the guitar, it’s very difficult to strum properly. Let the weight of the guitar rest on your lap, securing it with your elbow and make sure you can move your strumming hand without moving the guitar.
The most important thing is that it's comfortable for you to play. Try sitting with your feet flat, your legs crossed, or with your feet on a footstool to see what works best for you.
With the palm of your hand facing your body, curl all your fingers in toward your palm. Place the pick on the first knuckle of your pointer-finger, so it points straight toward your chest. Grasp it with your thumb securely, leaving only a few centimeters of clearance from your finger. Play around some to get a good and comfortable grip on the pick.
Strum the strings between the sound hole and the bridge.
Practice strumming the strings in different places to get a sense of the sound it creates. Strumming directly over the sound hole will create a gentle sound that's more for ambience. If you play back towards the soundboard and towards the saddle, it's going to be a harsher, tighter sound.
While there’s really no “right” place, generally, you want to aim your strums about an inch south of the sound hole. Play around with your particular guitar to get a sense of where you like the sound best.
Practice strumming all the strings equally.
In time, try strumming a simple first-position chord, like a G chord, with down strokes. Play quarter notes, one strum each, trying your best to hit all the strings. Stay on tempo, counting your four strums per measure.
Starting with the low E string, strum all the strings, trying to give them all equal weight. It can be difficult at first to make it sound like a “chord,” letting all the strings ring more or less the same. Beginners tend to hit either E string, the first or last, a little harder.
Learn the alternating up-down rhythm.
The most basic rhythmic strumming pattern you can learn is to alternate down strokes and upstrokes with every beat: (DUDUDUDU) Down Up, Down Up, Down Up, Down Up. Keep the same tempo, but try a down-up strum for every beat, dividing the quarter notes into eighth notes.
Instead of one stroke for every beat, you’ll have two strokes for every beat. These are eighth notes. It should be the same tempo, so keep tapping your foot at the same rate, but strum twice for every beat.
When you get comfortable with your down strokes and your upstrokes on one chord, change it up. Switch from a G chord to a C chord every measure, then every two beats, practicing changing chords in time.
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Do we have to use the guitar pick? Can I use my thumb and index finger?
It's not necessary to use a pick, depending on what type of sound you're trying to produce. However, if you go into a good shop and look at the array of different picks that can be bought, you will see there are more sound variants available that cannot come from finger strumming only.
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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- Nicolas Adams
This guitar lesson is designed to helping develop you skills to strum in a natural manner with proper rhythm timing a...
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Nov 8, 2022 · Just as the pick is angled slightly upwards when you’re playing a downstroke, you need to slightly turn your wrist so the pick is angled downwards when you’re coming back up. That way, the pick doesn’t “catch” on the strings.
When strumming downstokes you should aim to strum all of the strings that the chord requires (4, 5 or 6 strings). When strumming upstrokes you only need to strum the first 2 or 3 strings. (The thinnest strings.) If you strum upstrokes the same way you strum downstrokes your playing will sound very severe and robotic.
In the video below, I discuss some tips on how to master the up strum on your guitar. The key is going slow and really working on relaxing the arm. The good news is, if you do a down strum, you are already do and up strum.
