Chord, tab, darn it , can't seem to figure out where to strum

[jasperguitar]

I have the hardest time figuring out the down/strum , separation, when playing , using tab/chords.

I count out the time signature .. such as 4/4 ... but I still get messed up.

Any advice ..

[Wyllys]

Try playing along with some easy paced recordings. Use your ears instead of your eyes.

Good luck.

[fazool]

The greatest guitar advice I ever got was given to me by one of my two guitar mentors. I didn't fully understand it or use it successfully at first but I accepted it and it came to me......like riding a bike for the first time.

His advice was this:

He got exasperated at a strumming question I asked and said "you guys need to stop trying to figure out the strum pattern and just FEEL the music"

[rick-slo]

Put post in wrong thread.

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by jasperguitar

I have the hardest time figuring out the down/strum , separation, when playing , using tab/chords.

I count out the time signature .. such as 4/4 ... but I still get messed up.

Any advice ..

Aren't tabs for fingerstyle? Can you give an example?

There's a really pretty good free strumming course here. Andy helps you develop a feel for how to choose a strumming pattern. https://www.andyguitar.co.uk/online-...umming-course/

[srick]

My rhythm improved dramatically after I realized that the beat of a song was keyed to the words and their syllables. For example, "You are My Sunshine " is easy to strum to - you strum/emphasize the 2 and the 4 beats. Or, playing "Onward Christian Soldiers", you strum/emphasize the 1 and the 3 beats. But in our blues and jazz based music, there is a lot of syncopation (playing slightly off the beat) which is hard to compensate for.

Watch this segment where Levon Helms explains how to sing and drum at the same time. Don't be put off by the fact that this is about drumming - that's what you are doing on your guitar when you strum - your strum is your percussion section:



Levon is amazing - he seems to put it all together seamlessly - but as he shows in the video, it's a layered approach. He starts with the words and then layers the beat on top of them. In the end, his beat then becomes very regular and the words are syncopated on top of the beat.

When you play guitar, you are doing the same thing. Your strum, or your bass line, is your rhythm/drum section. Your voice and/or your unwound strings pick up the melody.

Keep working at it. As it was mentioned earlier in the post. sooner or later you will "feel" the music - then everything falls into place.

best,

Rick

[Silly Moustache]

Threads like this worry me.

I hate to see newer players scrubbing away at a guitar whilst trying to sing a song.

You really DON'T need to lay down a wall of sound, and you don't need to worry about ups and downs etc, in fact - less is almost always better than more, and the ups are more of a nuisance that a help.

All you need to do is to give yourself a gentle rhythm and a boom chick is better than most.
I mean hitting the bass boom - (on 1 & 3) and the chick (on 2 & 4) as necessary.

[srick]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Threads like this worry me.

I hate to see newer players scrubbing away at a guitar whilst trying to sing a song.

You really DON'T need to lay down a wall of sound, and you don't need to worry about ups and downs etc, in fact - less is almost always better than more, and the ups are more of a nuisance that a help.

All you need to do is to give yourself a gentle rhythm and a boom chick is better than most.
I mean hitting the bass boom - (on 1 & 3) and the chick (on 2 & 4) as necessary.

Yup - It's your percussion section! And honestly, most audiences are listening to your singing and NOT your guitar work.

[stanron]

Strumming is easy, if you can tap your foot when listening to music. Your hand goes down when your foot goes down and your hand goes up when your foot goes up. You don't have to contact the strings every time your hand goes up or down but most of the time you should.

Of course if you never tapped your foot to music, maybe you should learn that first.

[Big Band Guitar]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Threads like this worry me.

I hate to see newer players scrubbing away at a guitar whilst trying to sing a song.

You really DON'T need to lay down a wall of sound, and you don't need to worry about ups and downs etc, in fact - less is almost always better than more, and the ups are more of a nuisance that a help.

All you need to do is to give yourself a gentle rhythm and a boom chick is better than most.
I mean hitting the bass boom - (on 1 & 3) and the chick (on 2 & 4) as necessary.

Very good advice.

When asked for advice about strumming I tell beginners to work on a song using only down strokes until the rhythm is solid. Then add upstrokes sparingly for accent.

Too many strokes spoil the tune in most cases. Of course some tunes call for scrubbing.

[s0cks]

I don't strum much, so my strumming is a little lack-luster. But I would agree with the fact you just need to feel it. Strum patterns should be relatively intuitive once you can strum fairly well. And to strum well you just need a metronome (or count out loud), and work on your beat divisions.

I always seem to rush the upstroke ever so slightly when I strum. A bad habit I haven't put much effort into fixing yet.