Lesson 6 - Strumming Patterns
In previous lessons, we looked at minor and major chords. To continue with this lesson, you need to be fluent in changing between these chords.
Its worth refering back to the chords every now and again to jog your memory.
And Remember, take the lessons at your own speed, there is no rush, good luck!
What's invloved in this lesson?
This lesson explores strumming patterns. To do so, you need to have a basic understanding of note lengths.
Contents:Note Lengths
Strumming Pattern 1
Strumming Pattern 2
Summary
Note Lengths
There is an English and American way of referring to note lengths. And although you may be American or English you still need to know the other equivalents. Personally I use the American way because it's simple.
Here are the notes and the corresponding symbols:
(American - English translations: Whole note = Semibreve, Half note = Minim, Quarter note = Crotchet, Eighth note = Quaver.)
When you strum 4 times in a bar, what you are doing without realising is strumming 4 quarter notes. By saying this and referring to the diagram, we can work out that 4 quarter notes are equivalent to 2 half notes.... and then 2 half notes are equal to one whole note. So... 1 bar has a length of a whole note which we break down into quarter notes to get your 4 strums per bar.
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Strumming Pattern 1
What if we mix up some note lengths? We could create some interesting strumming patterns. Let's use some quarter notes and some half notes (we'll use eighth notes later on). Look at this strumming pattern: (help on how to play it can be found below).
This pattern only uses down strums. You can see this by looking at the direction of the arrows underneath each note. You should still count whilst you play (1, 2, 3, 4) but when you reach 4 you count without strumming. Likewise; in the second bar you count but you do not strum on 2. Remember your counting should be evenly spaced and slow at first, until you get the hang of it.
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Strumming Pattern 2
The next chord sequence uses chords A and D. It contains a mixture of quarter note strums and eighth note strums. Eighth note strums are played twice as fast as quarter note strums. For this pattern we will count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" evenly. You will notice that whenever there is a strum on "and" it is an up strum.
Keep practicing until you can do all these exercises in time. Remember practice makes perfect!
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To summarise:
- Learn the note lengths and symbols that correspond (both English and American!).
- Play through the chord sequences, practice them at a slow tempo (speed) and try to bring the tempo up as you become confident.
- Tapping your foot can help you stay in time.
When you feel comfortable with these strumming patters, and you have a basic understanding of note lengths, you should take a look at lesson 7.
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