Intro to Strumming
Learning Path Details
Most songs rely on just a few chords – 3 chords and the truth, as they say – but it’s the rhythm and strumming patterns that bring those chords to life. Many beginners learn their basic open chords but later find themselves feeling stuck in repetitive strumming styles.
Reading Rhythms & Counting Subdivisions
This series on strumming quarter, 8th, and 16th note rhythms will help get you out of that rut, turning even the simpler chord progressions into dynamic, musical performances of your favourite songs or original compositions. It will give you a rhythmic vocabulary to communicate with other musicians and train your each to latch onto patterns automatically.
One of the most confusing aspects of strumming is knowing when to strum up and when to strum down. Although some common patterns may come instinctively both mechanically and even by ear, other more intricate patterns can seem mysterious and awkward. The simple logic behind strumming directions will be exposed step-by-step, including how to strategically mute between strums to get a punchier, edgier, more syncopated sound.
All examples come with a drum backing track for you to play in-time, in-the-pocket, with strum direction symbols, and beat subdivision counting to help you lock in with the drummer.
Group Courses
Learn how to change between Open Chords effectively, whilst getting to grips with strumming quarter notes with downstrokes. We'll be...
Knowing when to strum up and when to strum down can be a challenge. But once you learn about rhythmic...
Now that the strumming directions are starting to make sense, we'll explore how to strum two upstrokes in a row...
Perfect the basic patterns you'll encounter when subdividing the beat into 4.
Getting funky with the offbeats, and adding mutes & hammer-ons.
