Mastering Rhythm: It's All About the 'Feel'
You're now comfortable with the basic down-up strum. The next step in sounding like a real guitarist is to develop 'groove' and 'feel.' This comes from syncopation—playing with the rhythm by emphasizing unexpected beats. We'll do this by learning one of the most versatile and popular strumming patterns in all of music.
The Golden Rule of Groove: Your Hand Never Stops!
Remember, your strumming hand is a pendulum. It swings down and up constantly, keeping time. The rhythm is created by deciding when to *hit* the strings and when to *miss* them. These intentional misses are called 'ghost strums,' and they are the secret to almost every cool rhythm.
The Essential Folk/Rock Strum: D - DU - UDU
This pattern is a true workhorse. You'll hear it in thousands of songs. It might look tricky, but let's break it down using our '1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and' counting method. The pattern is 'Down, Down-Up, Up-Down-Up'.
Here's what you're actually doing:
- 1: DOWN (hit the strings)
- and: DOWN (hit again)
- 2: UP (hit)
- and: (miss with a down-stroke)
- 3: UP (hit)
- and: (miss with a down-stroke)
- 4: UP (hit)
- and: ... wait, this is getting complicated. Let's try a simpler, more common pattern: D - D U - U D U
Let's Try Again: The REAL Campfire Strum (D - DU - UDU)
Let's use a clearer way to think about it. The pattern is 'Down, Down-Up, ... Up-Down-Up'. The '...' is a missed beat. It's often written as D - DU - UDU.
- 1: DOWN
- 2: DOWN
- and: UP
- 3: (miss the down-strum)
- and: UP
- 4: DOWN
- and: UP
Practice Time: Step-by-Step Groove
- Mute the Strings: Mute the strings with your fretting hand. Now, try to get the hand motion. Say it out loud: 'Down, Down-Up, miss, Up-Down-Up'. Keep your hand moving constantly, even on the 'miss'.
- Try with One Chord: Hold a G major chord. Play the pattern very, very slowly. The hardest part is making your hand 'miss' the strings on beat 3 while still moving down.
- Speed Up and Smooth Out: Once the pattern feels somewhat natural, use a metronome and slowly increase the speed. Your goal is a smooth, continuous rhythm.
- Rock the Key Four: Now, apply this to your main progression. Play one full pattern for each chord.
| G (D-DU-UDU) | D (D-DU-UDU) | Em (D-DU-UDU) | C (D-DU-UDU) |
Congratulations! This single rhythm is one of the most valuable tools you can have as a guitarist. It will allow you to play a huge number of songs and sound authentic while doing it.
