Strumming patterns

In 4/4 the strumming hand moves down on every number and up on every "and", eight motions a bar, whether it touches the strings or not.

Down on the beat, up between

Strumming means brushing across several strings with a pick or the fingers. A downstroke moves from the low E toward the floor; an upstroke comes back up, usually catching only the top three or four strings. Count one bar of 4/4 in eighth notes: "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and". The rule that makes every pattern easier is that the hand goes down on the numbers and up on the "ands", every time, like a pendulum. A pattern is made by choosing which of those eight motions actually touch the strings. The others are ghost strokes: the hand still moves, just above the strings.

Four patterns to learn in order

Pattern 1 is four downstrokes, one per beat. It is plain but useful, and it lets you think only about the chord changes. Pattern 2 fills every slot: down up down up down up down up. Keep the downstrokes a little louder than the upstrokes so the beat stays clear. Pattern 3 is the one heard in countless folk and pop songs: down, down up, up, down up. In slots that is D on 1, D on 2, U on the "and" of 2, nothing on 3, U on the "and" of 3, D on 4, U on the "and" of 4. The missing downstroke on beat 3 is what gives it its lilt. Your hand still moves down on 3; it just misses the strings.

Pattern 4 is for songs in 3/4, such as waltzes and many hymns. Count "1 and 2 and 3 and" and play down on 1, down on 2, up on the "and" of 2, down on 3, up on the "and" of 3. A gentler 3/4 feel is a single bass note on beat 1, the lowest string of the chord, followed by two light strums on beats 2 and 3. That bass-strum-strum shape is the oldest accompaniment idea on the guitar and works for slow songs in any key.

Pick, fingers and volume

A thin pick is easiest for strumming because it bends over the strings instead of catching on them. Hold it between the thumb and the side of the index finger with only a few millimetres showing. If you prefer fingers, strum down with the backs of the nails and up with the pad of the thumb or index finger. The motion comes mostly from the wrist and forearm turning, not from the elbow swinging. Keep the arm relaxed; a stiff arm makes uneven strokes and tires quickly.

Try it

Count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" out loud and tap the G box on the slots of pattern 3: tap on 1, 2, and, and, 4, and. Then press Play and strum along with G, C, G, D.