Rhythm on Guitar: Basic Strumming Patterns
While learning scales and chords on the guitar is certainly essential, they’re functionally useless without some sort of rhythmic component. Rhythm provides structure to the notes you play. A simple way to begin utilizing rhythm on the guitar is to learn some basic strumming patterns.
Strumming Directions
Thankfully, there’s not much to unpack here. There are only 2 main strumming directions: down, and up. A down strum entails strumming down through all of the strings from the thickest string to the thinnest. An up strum is the opposite; pulling the pick up through all of the strings from the thinnest to the thickest. Take a look at the photos below for a depiction of each.
Start by playing only down strums, playing through all of the strings in one fluid motion. You shouldn’t hear the plucking of each individual string; it should translate as one solid sound despite touching upon all 6 strings.
Next, try playing some up strums on their own. Notice the difference in feel compared to down strumming. Keep the grip on your pick relaxed and expect to drop your pick at least a few times as you get comfortable with these movements.
Try switching between down strumming and up strumming. Most rhythms require some combination of down and up strums so it’s wise to get used to alternating sooner than later.
Adding Rhythm
As you get more comfortable with each strumming direction, we can begin creating rhythmic patterns by combining them in various orders. For now, we’ll stick to rhythms containing quarter notes and 8th notes. And for the sake of simplicity, we’ll use down strums on each beat, and up strums on each upbeat (the ‘&’ of the beat, represented as ‘+’ in the images below). To really ensure your timing is steady, play along with a metronome set to a relatively slow speed, such as 60 - 70 bpm (beats per minute).
Starting easy, play a down strum right on every beat. Keep the rhythm nice and steady.
Next, add up strums between each down strum, creating a steady 8th note rhythm.
From here, begin removing some down strums and up strums to create more variety. At first, for any strum you remove, continue the motions as if you were still playing, but hover the pick over the strings without actually striking them. Alternatively, you could still strum through the strings, but keep your fretting fingers gently on the strings to mute them. Doing so provides more rhythmic texture since there will be a mix of short and long sounds.
Other Rhythms
Below are some other strumming patterns to try out.
From here, begin creating your own rhythms. There are lots of possibilities to explore even with only quarter and 8th note rhythms. These same strumming movements will eventually be applied to more complex rhythms, such as 16th note and triplet rhythms.
Further Study
Interested in learning the guitar with other beginners? Consider signing up for our group guitar class, the Guitarist’s Roadmap. This class is designed for new guitarists near Boston that have zero prior experience with playing an instrument. You’ll learn alongside like-minded individuals that are eager to acquire the fundamentals of the guitar while becoming integrated with a growing community of musicians. Click the button below to learn more.