Strumming Patterns | Guitar Files

Here are some basic strumming patterns that will help improve your right hand technique and overall sense of time. Use any one chord of your choice until you feel comfortable with the strumming patterns. Once your comfortable, try to play these example in a chord progression.

Example 1. Playing basic Quarter notes on the beat.

Down etc....................   <========Strum Down
|--------|--------|---------|  <========4 beat measure/bar
1        2        3         4  <========Beats

1,2,3,4 are the beats tap with your foot counting as you go 1,2,3,4.

Example 2. Strum Up and Down Playing alternating eight notes on and off the beat. Count one and two and three and four and etc.

Dn  up  Dn  up    Dn  up   Dn up  <========Strum Down/Up
|--------|--------|---------|     <========4 beat measure/bar
1        2        3         4     <========Beats
1    &   2   &    3   &     4  &  <====Count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Practice example 2 while tapping your foot 1,2,3,4. When your foot goes down so does you picking hand. When your foot
comes up so does your picking hand.

Example 3. Quarter and eight notes combined

Dn      Dn  up    Dn       Dn up  <========Strum Down/Up
|--------|--------|---------|     <========4 beat measure/bar
1        2        3         4     <========Beats
1        2   &    3         4  &  <====Count 1 2 & 3 4 &

Example 3 uses both quarter notes an eight notes. Make sure you hold the chords for its entire durations.

Example 4. Quarter and eight notes combined continued.

Dn      Dn  up    Dn  up    Dn   <========Strum Down/Up
|--------|--------|---------|    <========4 beat measure/bar
1        2        3         4    <========Beats
1        2   &    3   &     4    <====Count 1 2 & 3 & 4

Example 4 is another variation using quarter and eight notes. Again, make sure you hold the chords for their entire durations.

Example 5. Quarter and eight notes combined continued.

Dn  up   Dn      Dn  up    Dn   <========Strum Down/Up
|--------|--------|---------|   <========4 beat measure/bar
1        2        3         4   <========Beats
1   &    2        3   &     4   <====Count 1 & 2 3 & 4

Example 5 uses both quarter notes an eight notes. Yet another variation using quarter and eight notes. Again, make sure you hold the chords for their entire durations.

Example 6. Using 16th Notes.

Dn-up-Dn-up Dn          Dn  up     Dn      <========Strum Down/Up
|-----------|-----------|-----------|      <========4 beat measure/bar
1           2           3           4      <========Beats
1  e  &  a  2           3   &       4      <====Count 1e&a 2 3 & 4

Example 6 uses both quarter notes, eight notes and 16th notes. There are (4) 16th notes to one quarter note. Again, make sure you hold the chords for their entire durations.