How To: Thumb & Finger Strums

This is THE Strumming Technique You’ve Been Looking For. :)

If you’re interested in a sort of percussive strumming and picking out melodies of a song, this technique is what you need! You’ve probably heard it in songs like Blackbird by Paul McCartney or one of Neil Young’s classics.

To strum your guitar like that, you’ll use your thumb and fingers simultaneously. It’s easier than you think, but it does require some practice if you’re a beginner.

 

💡 Learning to play? This lesson is part of my free Beginner Guitar Course. Don’t miss out on those lessons! ;)

 

The big deal with this technique is that your thumb will always play the chord’s bass note. This strum will happen on beats 1 and 3, and you’ll do an up strum with the flesh part of your fingers on the ands. Use your nails to hit the strings for the other down strums. 

You’ll notice that the fleshier part of your fingers gives a more rounded sound, while your nails will give a brighter, loud sound. You’re looking to keep a consistent time and strum on the right beats! Check out this lesson if you’re not hip with counting the beats. 

 

The Backbeat!

Once you’re comfortable with the strumming pattern we’ve just learned, it’s time to incorporate that percussive feeling into your playing. That will give another dimension level and add loads of interest to your sound!

As I’ve mentioned, you’ll probably notice that the beats where we use our nails are brighter. That’s for emulating the groove feeling usually added by the drummer when playing with a band. When playing on your own, that’s a very cool trick to sound more dynamic and rhythmically interesting.

 

💡 Revisit my The Backbeat Hit lesson if you need some easier, beginner advice on how to accentuate the backbeat of a song. 

 

Your challenge is to build a memory of those movements, which might require some practice. So, let’s take a look at how you can get there faster!

 

Thumb & Finger Strum Practice

I’d recommend spending some time practicing this strumming technique without any chords. Mute the strings so the chords won’t distract you! Practicing each guitar skill at once is very important.

Make sure you relax your movements. You don’t want to sound tense, and the only thing that will help with that is practicing!

 

🎯 When learning a guitar technique like this, feeling good and relaxed are your ultimate goals.

 

Spend some time practicing it with muted strings. Really, don’t worry about the chords - just about getting the groove right! Make your guitar playing feel nice to you. That’s how you’ll make it sound nice to your listeners. :)

 

Adding a Chord Progression

Once you feel comfortable with your strumming hand, it’s time to add on the chords! Check out the video tutorial to see how this thumb and finger strum technique works with a very common chord progression.

 

💡 Don't know what I'm talking about? Learn all about chord progressions and how to make the most out of them here!

 

We’re using one of the most common chord progressions you’ll encounter: C, G, and Amin in this lesson. Now, give it a go and see if you can make that sound good. :)

Start with a slower tempo and increase it as you feel confident. This strumming technique really works with different styles, tempos, and feels. Explore and see what sounds good to you!

 

Go Further!

It’s a little cool trick to use the palm of your hand to add an even stronger percussive feel to your guitar playing! You’ll do that on the backbeats, which means that it happens at the same time as your first finger strums down. 

 

🎶 Feeling adventurous? Check out my lesson on how to play Blackbird by The Beatles. This Paul McCartney classic is definitely a more Intermediate tune to learn on the guitar, but it's a great song to practice this thumb and index finger strums technique.

 

You can vary the intensity of the palm hitting depending on the effect you’re looking for. Check out the video lesson for a few examples!

An extra tip is to experiment with alternating the bass note of the chords you’re playing. This is very common in Country songs, and it’s usually simple and easy enough for beginners to handle. :)

Later on, you might use this technique to pick out individual notes when strumming. If you’d like to add melodic elements to your playing, that’s great. 

 

Interested in learning more? These Advancing Beginner Lessons will help you out!