How do you count this strumming pattern

[jszair]

x-- x-- x-- x-- x---

x means an accent.


I think this is a pretty comment strumming pattern for 4/4 acoustic pop/rock songs. I can play it but having trouble tapping foot in 4/4 to keep the tempo while playing it like around 3:00 in the following video (he's mixing this accent pattern and straight x--- x--- accent). And if I just play by the pattern I almost always rush the tempo and having a hard time to sing in rhythm when the line does't start from beat 1...



Any suggestions?

[JonPR]

Personally I find when I try counting that pattern, I can't actually play it any more! I can play it easily enough by feel - establishing where the beats are - maybe by tapping a foot - and then feeling where the accents fall between the beats.

But in theory it works like this. It's in 16ths, which are usually counted as "1-e-and-a-2-e-and-a..." etc.

  BEATS: |1  .  .  .  2  .  .  .  3  .  .  .  4  .  .  . |
ACCENTS: |X        x        X        x        X          | (X = main accent, x = secondary accent)
strokes: |D (u  d) U (d  u) D (u  d) U (d  u) D (u  d  u)|
  COUNT: |1        a (2)   and   (3) e        4          |

As I say, that count doesn't help me at all, it actually puts me off (thinking of numbers like that involves a different part of my brain). IMO, it's a matter of establishing that constant Dudu 16ths pattern, and then accenting the downs or ups as marked. I've always learned rhythms that way, never by counting - i.e., I will often count the 1-2-3-4, but I never bother with verbalising the beat fractions. You have to feel them.

Don't be tempted to use a downstroke where an accented "up" is marked - common beginner mistake. The essential thing is to keep the beat steady, which the constant alternating hand movement accomplishes. (Strumming patterns are way down the list of what matters.)
Once you're totally on top of that, it's a matter of experimenting with accenting different beats, including upstrokes and under-emphasising the following downstroke.
(If you find the accent pattern disturbs your rhythm, or makes you want to switch the Du pattern around - stop and go back to the regular 16ths (downs on every 8th.)