Well I hope all is going well so far, the chord changes are getting quicker and that you are getting some good practice done. The next thing we have to learn is some basic strumming. This is one of the most important lessons on the guitar and can make a huge difference to how you sound. Someone with a very basic chord knowledge but a good sense of rhythm can sound really pro if they get their strumming tight.

The good news is that strumming is pretty easy. All you have to do is spend some time getting the correct technique down so that it happens naturally, which it should, as all I am showing you here is the natural way. You will need to know a little about reading music, which I will explain now.

 

FirstDownload the PDF File HERE

Reading Rhythm BasicsHave a look at the example 1 (below). You will see that there are 5 lines (called a stave) divided into 4 sections (called bars). In the bars there are two types of notes, some by themselves (called quarter notes or crotchets) and some joined together (called eighth notes or quavers). You have probably heard people counting along to music going 1, 2, 3, 4. This is because most music has four beats to a bar, all of the music we look at in this Beginners Course will have 4 beats to the bar.

A quarter note (by itself) is worth 1 beat, so you get 4 of those in one bar. Eighth notes are worth half a beat each so you get eight of those in a bar. You can also mix them up as we have done below as long as the beats add up to 4 in each bar (no more and no less). It is very important that you get a feel for the rhythms before you start to try to play them.

 

Example 1 (counting)Look at the first bar and say the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 out loud as you look at the notes, and tap your foot along at the same time (but still not playing the guitar). Repeat this first bar round and round until it feels comfortable. Should be easy. Only counting :)

 

Example 2 (counting)Now move on to the second rhythm, which introduces an up strum. You must continue to count along and tap your foot evenly, the "and" (looks like a plus but is said "and") fits in-between the numbers. Take your time here and make sure that your foot is tapping evenly and that you are saying only the numbers on the beat (when you tap your foot). The "and" should occur between the beats (also called off beat). Try just counting along, not playing. Internalise the rhythm.

 

Example 3 and 4 (counting)Continue this until you are feeling comfortable with this and then move onto the next bar. Hopefully you can work out the count for the next bar, it is just like the last, but with the last beat cut in half (so it becomes 4 and). Work on all of these, don't forget to tap your foot along on the beat.

 

Onto The GuitarNow we can start on the guitar. We are going to learn each bar separately:

Make sure you play the same bar over and over - it will sound pretty rough if you play them one after another, because rhythm guitar is all about getting a pattern to feel good, not to play lots of different patterns one after another.

 

Bar 1 - Playing 4'sLets start with the first bar and strum DOWN on each beat. Don't play any up strums. Count out loud and tap your foot with each strum. Play this over and over and get the the count even. Play this along with a metronome if you have one.

 

Bar 2 - Intro the Up StrumNow that you have it even, notice that in between each down strum your hand comes up. This will be your upstrum for the next example. So now take a good look at bar 2. Notice that the pattern is down, down, down up, down. Try saying this and tapping your foot evenly with the DOWN strums. It is very important to keep the down strums evenly on the beat and that the up strums go in-between the downs. You should be able to see that in-between every downbeat there is an up, and that your hand is moving continuously, evenly and consistently. All you are doing is choosing when you are hitting the strings and when you are just letting your hand move without touching the strings. Take your time and get this right, when you are ready move on to the next example.

 

Bar 3 - Developing Up'sMake sure that your timing is even and that you remember to tap your foot on the beat, the 1, 2, 3, 4. I know I am repeating myself a bit, it is only emphasize these important steps.

 

Bar 4 - Get this one rightThis pattern is going to be devolped later and is also a very popular pattern, so lots of work on this last one.

 

Onwards...

Hope you found it easy - this will take some practice, be patient and it will come. Relaxing and not stressing about it will always help you learn faster.

Well onto BC-007 • The Dreaded F Chord

 

Video Lesson

 

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