# Strumming



## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Here's a question for you experienced players.....how do you figure out strumming to a song?

Seems like everyone has a different method...or it's a just play what feels right. For the newbie trying to figure it out what are your recommendations? Thanks for reading, Andrew.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Google or Youtube the song you want 



Eagles - Hotel California (Chords)


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Learn to count.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

listen to the song and tap your foot. Once you can do that tap and count to four (1,2,3,4) If everything lines up then keep tapping foot and count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. See where that takes you and if the verses and chorus seem to line up better. Try to get the counting so it repeats on the 4 and of the fourth bar i.e.;

one and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar one) two and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar two) three and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar three) four and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar four)

Notice I start each new bar with its number, just to keep things straight, useful when trying to figure out what is happening in more complicated tunes.

Once you can write out the actual number of bars in a section, you can easily look at a bar and decide where the rhythm slashes are by taking the 1 and 2 and...… and breaking it down further into one e and a, two e and a, three e and a, four e and a. The rhythm will likely fall on something you can quantify with subdivisions of 4.

This is the exercise I use when commuting to work. It doesn't take long before the entirety of the song is very evident. And you will be amazed how many tunes are not in 4/4.

C


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Find the rhythm. Start simple, practice practice practice.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Hammerhands said:


> Learn to count.


Counting doesnt really help if you are trying to learn, and figure out 2 down, 1 up, or up up down down up down up.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

That's kinda cool


Cardamonfrost said:


> listen to the song and tap your foot. Once you can do that tap and count to four (1,2,3,4) If everything lines up then keep tapping foot and count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. See where that takes you and if the verses and chorus seem to line up better. Try to get the counting so it repeats on the 4 and of the fourth bar i.e.;
> 
> one and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar one) two and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar two) three and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar three) four and 2 and 3 and 4 and (end of bar four)
> 
> ...


That's kind of cool.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Budda said:


> Find the rhythm. Start simple, practice practice practice.


So learning something new and no strumming pattern....just down down...til you get it then go from there?


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

old and tryin said:


> Counting doesnt really help if you are trying to learn, and figure out 2 down, 1 up, or up up down down up down up.


Strongly disagree. Tap that foot!! the answers will become apparent with counting. Honest.

C


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

old and tryin said:


> So learning something new and no strumming pattern....just down down...til you get it then go from there?


Consider using the down strokes as the 1,2,3,4. Upstrokes as the 'and' when counting.

C


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Cardamonfrost said:


> Strongly disagree. Tap that foot!! the answers will become apparent with counting. Honest.
> 
> C


I don't disagree either. What you said makes sense. I disagree with a short non explained answer that really explained nothing to me.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Cardamonfrost said:


> Consider using the down strokes as the 1,2,3,4. Upstrokes as the 'and' when counting.
> 
> C


This...makes sense.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

old and tryin said:


> This...makes sense.


I've been where you are and I know it seems daunting when considering what the mechanisms are that make music sound different, even when a lot of the chords are the same. I mean every country tune on the planet C F G... why do they all sound different? Baffled me for a long time until I realized that Rhythm is what drives the song, not melody and harmony. No two people see things the same, but this (counting) is what worked for me.

I was also VERY lucky to get a good instructor on my third try. The first 2 times I went for lessons (with a year or so in between) the instructor just didn't click with me, the way they taught did not help me link info together... I did a month with both of those instructors, and the lessons were of the 'put that finger there, and then do this' type. Learned a couple green day garbage songs.

My third instructor was actually a university trained jazz player, but he also knew how to teach, i.e. what the building blocks were for every step... instead of 'just put that finger there', it was 'what is there?' and 'why is that important?' and he would tell me *why*. And he reiterated, that I was already too old to be a rock star, so I might as well take as much time as I wanted on every step until I got it to my satisfaction.

C


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

old and tryin said:


> I don't disagree either. What you said makes sense. I disagree with a short non explained answer that really explained nothing to me.


You could have asked why.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Cardamonfrost said:


> I've been where you are and I know it seems daunting when considering what the mechanisms are that make music sound different, even when a lot of the chords are the same. I mean every country tune on the planet C F G... why do they all sound different? Baffled me for a long time until I realized that Rhythm is what drives the song, not melody and harmony. No two people see things the same, but this (counting) is what worked for me.
> 
> I was also VERY lucky to get a good instructor on my third try. The first 2 times I went for lessons (with a year or so in between) the instructor just didn't click with me, the way they taught did not help me link info together... I did a month with both of those instructors, and the lessons were of the 'put that finger there, and then do this' type. Learned a couple green day garbage songs.
> 
> ...


 That makes alot of sense. Yes it is daunting. Learning a few chords is one thing. Learning to change between them is another. Then learning to strum is yet another. 

Thanks for the advice and understanding that things need to be dumbed down for us beginners


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Hammerhands said:


> You could have asked why.


 You are right...I could have. But I just assumed you were going for the smart answer and then were gone. 

I'm new to the site. I dont know anyone here other than what is said in a post. I'm new to guitar...really. I have questions.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

old and tryin said:


> So learning something new and no strumming pattern....just down down...til you get it then go from there?


Strum however feels comfortable. You'll find your arm will want to strum certain ways in order to play certain rhythms.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Budda said:


> Strum however feels comfortable. You'll find your arm will want to strum certain ways in order to play certain rhythms.


Makes sense.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

old and tryin said:


> Thanks for the advice and understanding that things need to be dumbed down for us beginners


Not dumbed down... Different people learn differently. What is easy to you may be hard to others and vice-versa. I have had success teaching some people major scales by letters, and some by scale degree numbers. Both seldom seem to work. Sometimes either don't work and when explained via steps/half steps it becomes useful.

I suspect, even though you may not be learning major scales right now, one of these (letters/numbers/steps) likely sounds easier to you right?

C


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

One thing to keep in mind is that everything you learn for a song has a way of making sense somewhere else down the road.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Cardamonfrost said:


> Not dumbed down... Different people learn differently. What is easy to you may be hard to others and vice-versa. I have had success teaching some people major scales by letters, and some by scale degree numbers. Both seldom seem to work. Sometimes either don't work and when explained via steps/half steps it becomes useful.
> 
> I suspect, even though you may not be learning major scales right now, one of these (letters/numbers/steps) likely sounds easier to you right?
> 
> C


Possible. The beginner one I'm doing is 5-8, 5-8, 5-7, 5-7....you probably know it. But is easy enough to read. Does seem to help me with 'finding' the strings and not looking.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

old and tryin said:


> Possible. The beginner one I'm doing is 5-8, 5-8, 5-7, 5-7....you probably know it. But is easy enough to read. Does seem to help me with 'finding' the strings and not looking.


Sounds like the A minor pentatonic. Or C major pentatonic, which is the exact same notes . That's a great place to start.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

old and tryin said:


> Possible. The beginner one I'm doing is 5-8, 5-8, 5-7, 5-7....you probably know it. But is easy enough to read. Does seem to help me with 'finding' the strings and not looking.


And that one finger per fret exercise will make it even better. Make your pinky strong and the world will be yours!!

C


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

Cardamonfrost said:


> And that one finger per fret exercise will make it even better. Make your pinky strong and the world will be yours!!
> 
> C


I am struggling with the pinky part ugh.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Just gotta keep at it.


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

I was lucky in that I had people around me who played and I learned by watching them and trying to emulate their hand movements as they played. Now though, we have millions of youtube videos where you can do the same if you sift through and look for suitable ones. In recent years I have had several students video my strumming hand with a smart phone while I slowly demonstrate a pattern. I also encourage learning to count though. It can be a bit of a puzzle at first keeping track of all the one-and-two-ands while watching for when to strum up or down and when not to strum. Some people just aren't wired to work with that kind of thing, or they just give up because it's difficult.


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## old and tryin (Mar 27, 2019)

I'm definitely more of a visual learner for sure.


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## Guest (Mar 29, 2019)

It's actually more of a feel/hear.
Confused? Wait till 'syncopation' is brought up. lol


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