Strumming Saturday Lesson 02

Right then. Strumming Saturday is here. These weekly acoustic guitar lessons seem to be a hit. I have gotten some great feedback so far and when I go in to film the next batch I’ll be sure to include them! You guys are on the ball for sure. Ok on to the video…

Acoustic Guitar Lessons – Strumming Pattern 02

Another pretty straightforward yet very effective strumming pattern.

Down, Down, Down, Up Down. OR 1 2 3 And 4.

I suggest using the D-D-DU-D just to get the rhythm happening at first and introduce the counting. Also be sure to tap your foot and count along as soon as you can. Tapping your foot along with your playing is essential. Now you might have noticed that I like to break things down in chunks. I happen to believe that it’s a great way of learning as you get to focus on a small area at first. That’s why I mute the strings using my left hand as I get the basics of the rhythm sorted.

Once that feels natural and even then you can add some chords. Once that’s rocking you can start paying closer attention to your foot tapping and counting as both hands now know what they’re doing. Don’t make it hard for yourself by doing too many things at once. That’s a sure recipe for frustration if there ever was one.

Ok last tip I’d like to leave you with is that at this stage we’re playing Eight Note based rhythms which means that your right hand and foot will be moving in the same directions. Make sure you get that down.

Now I’ve had an excellent suggestion from Elena with last week’s Strumming Pattern which is to include some songs that use these particular strumming patterns. Excellent point. So before filming the next batch I will go ahead and do just that.

Are you enjoying these? Learning anything new or any suggestions? Let me know in the comments below and click the “Like” button before you go.

Cheers!

Charl