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#1
11-03-2017, 03:34 PM
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Help with Strumming Rhythm
Hi all,
New in the past year and working on getting better. I'm comfortable with a lot of chords and am playing them without looking, etc. However, my strumming "rhythm" is erratic and inconsistent. I typically do not like the sound of just a repeating 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4, etc. BUT, if that is what I need to first master I'm game. Right now I do not think I play the same song twice the same way. It feels like the 1,2,3,4 or 1 and rhythms don't "fit" the lyrics I'm listening to or those in my head. Thoughts for me? Thanks~! 
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#2
11-03-2017, 04:33 PM
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The 1-2-3-4 (the beat) should be consistent, regardless of what's going on with the lyrics. Exceptions exist, but that is the norm. Many people recommend playing with a metronome to improve timing. I prefer a drum machine app. Just keep working it, your timing will get more consistent.
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#3
11-03-2017, 04:39 PM
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Quote:
Best tip i can give is to not pause your strumming hand. That’s where rhythm comes. Practice basic strumming patterns like d d u d u d d or d d u u d. When there’s two downs or two ups together, keep the hand going during the “ghost” down or up strum. It’s when you pause on those when rhythm goes off.
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#4
11-03-2017, 08:54 PM
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Good stuff guys. So if the 1234 is the standard do I need to alter the speed a bunch to fit the tune better? Could you suggest a couple of three chord songs that would be good to play with that steady rhythm?
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#5
11-03-2017, 10:55 PM
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After 1234 it’s up-picks and syncopations.
Try CCRs “Proud Mary”. It’s almost ALL up-picked and syncopated. And it’s the same chord for, like, 10 bars at a time, so you can focus on the strum and not worry about fast chord changes.
__________________
https://www.christophervolak.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCen...TNrJcTiGu9aPkw
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#6
11-03-2017, 11:45 PM
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Try muting the strings (with your fretting hand for example) then, while listening to a song, strum along with the song and work different strumming patterns until you hear that you are following along with that song. There is no one, two or ..... strumming patterns that work for all or most songs. If you can't hear a pattern in the songs you are listening to, or are not able to follow along with standard notation, it will take a bit of practice.
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#7
11-04-2017, 02:32 AM
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Quote:
Think of your strumming arm as a metronome. If you’re counting quarter notes then you swing down and up, each time your hand is down that’s your count. Your up strum is the “and” when you’re counting, and that’s your eighth note. So if you’re counting both your down and up strums, then you count it like one and two and three and four. Practice with a metronome, make sure your strumming hand is on the down strum on the click, but skip hitting strings on the up strum for now. Just concentrate on keeping that strumming arm going to the beat. Eventually start adding some up strums and mix it up, you’ll get it.
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#9
11-04-2017, 09:19 AM
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Yeah, hang in there. It took me a while to get the hang of the simple
D D U U D rhythm. Now that's so boring I have to do others. It was harder for me to get used to the offbeat / syncopation. Counting out the strump with numerals for the down stroke and the "and" word for the up strokes helped. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and D D U U D Keep that hand going up and down in straight timing. You'll get the hang of it. Edited because the D D U U D is supposed to be spaced where the D letters are under the 1 2 and 4 and the U letters are under the 2nd and 3rd and. After I saved it the spacing changed. Write it out on a piece of paper with the D and U lined up with the half beats.
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#10
11-04-2017, 11:23 AM
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The strumming hand is definitely "the motor" of your guitar engine, so that MUST stay solid... realize that, within the beat/rhythm of the song, there is always time to go from one chord to the next... after a while, you learn how you can "cheat" the chord changes slightly to match up with whatever rhythm you're using.
More than anything, you have to learn to FEEL the song, FEEL the groove that you're playing... once you lock into that, the chord changes will just fall into place. Strumming while muting, using either the palm of the strumming hand or the fingers of the fretting hand, is a good way to get a groove going... Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Looking out my Back Door" has an introduction that is a perfect example of this technique (although it is found in MANY songs). Another thing to do is to get in the habit of NOT stopping that rhythm, even if you butcher a few chord changes along the way. Once you are playing a particular song, frequently it is the RHYTHM you establish that is far more important than the chord changes! Keep after it; you will get a handle on this! When I read about people trying to count 1-2-3-4 and U/D/U/U/D patterns, I just shake my head... heck, I've been playing for nearly 60 years and I couldn't lay a song if I was thinking about "how" to strum it... Just FEEL IT and DO IT...
__________________
"Home is where I hang my hat, but home is so much more than that. Home is where the ones and the things I hold dear are near... And I always find my way back home." "Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman
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#11
11-04-2017, 11:41 AM
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Great advice above. I listen to the drummer and lock in with what he is doing. But be careful not to step on his riffs and fills. And what ever you do don't muddy up your bass player. Bottom line be the toe tapper.
__________________
Happy Sunsets Taylor 514ce (1999) Taylor K22ce - all Koa (2001) Taylor 612ce (2001) Taylor T5-C2 Koa (2007) Ovation CS28P KOAB - Koa Burst (2017) Paul Reed Smith 305 - Sunburst (2012) Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 - Autumn Sky (2013) Fender Classic Player 60s Strat - Sonic Blue (2012) Roland Juno DS76 (2020)
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#12
11-04-2017, 11:51 AM
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When I was learning my mentor told me "stop trying to figure out the strumming pattern and jus FEEL thE music.
__________________
Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" Taylor GC7, GA3-12, SB2-C, SB2-Cp...... Ibanez AVC-11MHx , AC-240
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#13
11-04-2017, 01:46 PM
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Quote:
After I've done that for a while I get the "feel" for it, I wish it could play out more easily for me but alas that's how I learn.
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#15
11-05-2017, 08:42 AM
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Everything everyone else says about developing your sense of time holds. I just want to add something I noticed that might help if that's not really the issue. I learned on my own online so I've noticed many, many youtube videos, when teaching a strumming pattern, teach a robotic sort of rhythm, swing from the elbow, type of thing that seems to be appropriate if you are playing rhythm with a band where other people are playing other rhythms, too. These patterns, however, sometimes sound awful if you are playing alone and just singing the lyrics. Lyrics have a meter of their own, like poetry. When I play alone, I pay no attention to suggested rhythm patterns if they don't match the meter of the lyrics. I create one that sounds natural with the lyrics. It may be you are noticing a similar mismatch.
__________________
"Militantly left-handed." Lefty Acoustics Martin 00-15M Taylor 320e Baritone Cheap Righty Classical (played upside down ala Elizabeth Cotten)
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