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How do you Strum a song?
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Learn 6 Strums That Work For Any Song!💻 Check out James' Beginner Guitar Course: https://goodguitarist.com/beginner-guitar-course/Prepare to elevate your gu...
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- Overview
- Holding the Guitar
- Basic Strumming Techniques
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- 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.
Become a Guitar Pro with this Expert Series
Are you looking to take your guitar playing to the next level? We’ve put together this series of expert articles to help you play like a pro.
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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.
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Aug 6, 2019 · Below, I’ll show you how to strum a guitar so you can start building strength and confidence in your strumming hand. I’ll also share a simple rule that will get you strumming along to almost any song – if you can count to four, that’s all you need.
- 3 min
The step-by-step strumming method that works on every song. 3 posture tips that make strumming easy. The 2 secrets to perfect strumming technique. How to position your wrist, fingers and forearm for effortless strumming. The 5 fundamentals that must be in place for you to learn how to strum a guitar.
Nov 8, 2022 · Proper strumming technique is essential to keep a song flowing, and it’s something many guitarists skip over in the beginning and have to correct later. There’s not just one way to strum a guitar correctly. It depends on the song and your playing style (and perhaps how you wear your guitar strap).
This article will detail the overall concept of how to strum a guitar. It will also cover how to strum with a pick, your fingers, and your thumb. This understanding of strumming will apply to all genres, styles, and guitars (electric, acoustic, and classical).
Strumming is one of the techniques in guitar playing, where you use your fingers or a small tool known as a pick to brush over several strings simultaneously, creating chords. This method is...
