Lesson 7 / 30 7 min
Strumming patterns
Down and up strums, counting, and the strumming patterns used in pop and rock.
Chords give you harmony; strumming gives you rhythm and groove. A simple chord played with a great rhythm sounds better than a fancy chord with a sloppy one.
Down and up strums
- Down strum (↓): the pick moves from the low strings to the high strings.
- Up strum (↑): the pick moves back up, usually hitting just the top 3–4 strings.
Strum from the wrist, as if you were shaking water off your hand. Keep it loose.
Counting the beat
Most songs are in 4/4: four beats per bar. Count out loud: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4.
To play faster rhythms, we split each beat in two and count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. The numbers are down strums; the &s are up strums.
The golden rule: keep your hand moving
Your strumming hand moves down on the numbers and up on the &s, all the time — like a pendulum. To make a pattern, you simply touch or miss the strings. This keeps you perfectly in time.
Pattern 1 — quarter notes
Down strums on every beat. Click Play and strum along.
Pattern 2 — eighth notes
Down and up, all the time.
Pattern 3 — the "campfire" pattern
The most famous strumming pattern of all: ↓ ↓↑ ↑↓↑. Notice the "missing" down strum on beat 3 — your hand still moves down, it just misses the strings.
Pattern 4 — rock eighths
Accent the beats and keep up strums light.
Say it out loud
Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &" out loud while you strum. It feels silly at first, but it is the fastest way to lock rhythm into your body.
Practice with a metronome
Set a slow tempo — 60 to 70 BPM — and strum along. When it feels easy, go up 5 BPM.
Learn more about beats, tempo and time signatures in the rhythm lesson.