How to get on Acoustic Rhythm Guitars ?

[Blues khan]

Hi Guys , I am playing guitar for a long time , Self taught and was inspired by electric rock soloing . so most the hard work i did on these soloing chops . Whenever i pick up acoustic guitar I feel suck in rhythm playing (strumming) .
please let me know how can i get better on it . Any Instructional video lesson or something to work with .
Thanks

[Mandobart]

Hi, welcome! IMO regularly playing music with other people is a great way to improve so many aspects of playing, including rhythm. And it's a great way to have fun.

I've been going to 3 to 4 acoustic jams/song circles per week for the past 15 years or so.

[BlueStarfish]

You might try either the “Beginning Guitar” or “Roots and Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar” online video courses on Peghead Nation. The Peghead Nation courses are all month-to-month subscriptions so you can try one month to see if you like it for not much $ committed. Their pricing model is “per course, per month” so if you start one of them and want to switch to the other you can. Their courses pretty much all use a “learn to play by doing songs” methodology.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Blues khan

Hi Guys , I am playing guitar for a long time , Self taught and was inspired by electric rock soloing . so most the hard work i did on these soloing chops . Whenever i pick up acoustic guitar I feel suck in rhythm playing (strumming) .
please let me know how can i get better on it . Any Instructional video lesson or something to work with .
Thanks

[Charlie Bernstein]

It depends on what direction of better you're aiming for. Better fingerpicking? Better strumming? Better flatpicking?

My playing both on electric and folk improved dramatically when I threw away my flatpicks. Playing bare-fingered or with fingerpicks allows you — almost forces you — to separate what your right thumb is doing from what your right fingers are doing. Whether you're interested in Travis picking, Delta blues, ragtime, rock, or folk, a lot more becomes possible.

It'll seem awkward at first, but after a couple of weeks of woodshedding it'll start to feel natural.

And here's a neat fingerpicking trick: For your cowboy G chords, fret the low G with your ring finger instead of your middle finger. It opens up a whole new world of picking possibilities, expecially for Travis and Delta styles.

Fingerpicking is also great for open tunings where strumming just sounds like a mush.

And for simple up-and-down strumming, bare fingers sound a lot better than a flatpick. Not as scrapy, easier to control and color. I strum with my fore, middle, and ring fingers.

On the other hand, if you want to play bluegrass, keep your flatpicks. That's pretty much what bluegrass is all about.

[Mandobart]

I'm not trying to start an argument or pick a fight, just offering a different opinion/experience.

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

My playing both on electric and folk improved dramatically when I threw away my flatpicks. Playing bare-fingered or with fingerpicks allows you — almost forces you — to separate what your right thumb is doing from what your right fingers are doing. Whether you're interested in Travis picking, Delta blues, ragtime, rock, or folk, a lot more becomes possible.

It'll seem awkward at first, but after a couple of weeks of woodshedding it'll start to feel natural.

I love playing my steel string guitars, mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello fingerstyle (flesh, no fingerpicks). But I also love flatpicking. It's totally possible to do both. There are a few of us out there that do.

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

And here's a neat fingerpicking trick: For your cowboy G chords, fret the low G with your ring finger instead of your middle finger. It opens up a whole new world of picking possibilities, expecially for Travis and Delta styles.

This is how everyone I knew growing up played a first position G chord. I don't know if it's a "trick" or not but it works equally well when strumming or flatpicking. Especially in the key of C when you're going from a C to an F to a G, back to C.

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

And for simple up-and-down strumming, bare fingers sound a lot better than a flatpick. Not as scrapy, easier to control and color. I strum with my fore, middle, and ring fingers.

My experience differs here as well. It does depend on what sound you're after, what type of flatpick you use (size, shape, thickness, material, bevel, etc.).

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

On the other hand, if you want to play bluegrass, keep your flatpicks. That's pretty much what bluegrass is all about.

I agree with this. The rhythmic accompaniment, runs, fills and leads in bluegrass (and gypsy jazz) at the speed these genres require seem to work great with a flatpick and are pretty hard to do justice with fingertips.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

. . . I love playing my steel string guitars, mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello fingerstyle (flesh, no fingerpicks). But I also love flatpicking. It's totally possible to do both. There are a few of us out there that do.

Sure! Why not? I'm not against flatpicks. Whatever works is right. I'm just giving Blues khan one way to solve the electric-to-folk problem. You'll probably agree that fingerpicking is a good way to get at playing acoustic guitar.

Originally Posted by Mandobart

This is how everyone I knew growing up played a first position G chord. I don't know if it's a "trick" or not but it works equally well when strumming or flatpicking. Especially in the key of C when you're going from a C to an F to a G, back to C.

Most players I know (not all) use their middle finger and put their forefinger on the fifth string at the second fret. We probably just hang out in different circles.

If Blues kahn already does it yourt way, no harm done. If not, it's another way to get out of his rut.

Originally Posted by Mandobart

My experience differs here as well. It does depend on what sound you're after, what type of flatpick you use (size, shape, thickness, material, bevel, etc.).

Yup.

Originally Posted by Mandobart

. . . The rhythmic accompaniment, runs, fills and leads in bluegrass (and gypsy jazz) at the speed these genres require seem to work great with a flatpick and are pretty hard to do justice with fingertips.

Yup. Lots of great acoustic flatpickers. Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Jerry Garcia, Norman Blake, David Bromberg. . . .