Learn the basic mechanics of strumming on the guitar, including downstroke and upstroke techniques, how to read rhythmic notation, understanding basic strumming patterns, tied strumming patterns, and strumming using dotted rhythms.

Basics of Strumming: Downstrokes 

There are some basic rules to understand before learning to strum on the guitar: Downbeats are played by strumming down towards the ground. These are called Downstrokes. Unlike our single notes, Strumming requires us to use our elbow, rather than our wrist, as the primary mechanism of moving through the stings. 

The goal when strumming chords is to move the arm quickly through the strings so the pick hits each string at the same time. With a downstroke, my goal is to establish the chord, by playing all of the strings that belong to each chord shape. This will vary between four to all six of my strings depending on the chord, and I want to adjust my strumming hand position according to each chord. 

When strumming, Make sure the arm is flat across the top of the guitar, with no bend in my wrist. Start my arm above the lowest string of the chord, and let the elbow fall across the strings with my wrist following the motion of my elbow. It is very important to keep the entire strumming arm loose and relaxed and not force your way through the strings. I should let the natural weight of my hand and the pull of gravity move my arm through the strings rather than forcing it through the strings. This will result in a harsh sounding strum. The strum should finish with the arm at a 90-degree angle, resting near the bridge, with the thumb pointed towards the ground. 

Basics of Strumming: Upstrokes 

As we learned that downstrokes are played primarily on downbeats, our Upstrokes are strummed upward towards the sky primarily on upbeats. This allows our hand to work like a pendulum, strumming the guitar twice, down and up, for each downward motion. 

While downstrokes are designed to establish the entire chord, an upstroke is unique in that it will sound uneven if I hit all of the strings of each chord on the upstroke. Instead, it is best to split the chord into halves, with the upstroke only playing the top 3 strings of each chord shape. Again, this will vary slightly depending on the chord being played. It is also very important to activate the wrist in a lateral snapping motion moving upward as the hand approaches the strings. My elbow is still the primary joint that directs the strumming motion, but my wrist allows me to only hit the top half of the strings as I follow through with the elbow and prepare for the next downstroke.  

Rhythmic Notation

When reading strumming patterns on the guitar, a variation of standard notation called Rhythmic Notation is used to write out the rhythm in the strumming hand. When playing chords, rhythmic notation is commonly used to indicate a strumming pattern in the right hand.

 As you can see from the example above, rhythmic notation values are exactly the same as regular note values, yet the note-heads are elongated across multiple lines and spaces on the staff in order to avoid representing any one single pitch on the staff. 

Any strummed note that falls on a downbeat will be played as a downstroke, and anything falling on the upbeats (on the “+”) will be played as an upstroke. This is a rule we will always follow no matter how complex the strumming pattern or combination of notes. 

In the examples below, notice how each quarter note is strummed using a downstroke. This is because each quarter note falls on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4. When we add the eighth notes, the downbeats are still strummed using downstrokes while the upbeats are strummed using an upstroke.

Practice strumming on the downbeat, for each quarter note using a Downstroke  

The eighth notes in between the beats, called upbeats, will be played with Upstrokes. 

Creating Strumming Patterns 

Strumming patterns usually are no more than one or two measures long. It is important to remember that strumming patterns are meant to be repeated over multiple chords and progressions, and maintain a relatively stable sound throughout a section of a song. This is why it is important to practice repeating each pattern several times.

Each section of a song might have its own strumming pattern, or one pattern might last for the entire song. The combination of quarter notes, eighth notes, ties, and rests can create very interesting sounding patterns. Remember, any strummed note that falls on a downbeat will be played as a downstroke, and anything falling on the upbeats (on the “+”) will be played as an upstroke. 

Basic Strumming Patterns 

The following strumming patterns are great places to start in learning basic strumming patterns and as a template to create your own patterns. These patterns will use Half Notes, Quarter Notes, and Eighth Notes. Repeat these patterns at least four times each before moving on to the next one.

Basic Strumming Patterns: Part 2

The following strumming patterns are great places to start in learning basic strumming patterns and as a template to create your own patterns. These patterns will use Half Notes, Quarter Notes, and Eighth Notes. Repeat these patterns at least four times each before moving on to the next one.

Strumming Patterns With Quarter and Half Rests 

The following strumming patterns contain half rests and quarter rests. When strumming a rest, we must completely silence our guitar and make sure no sound is coming out of the instruments. In order to do this, as we are strumming our downstroke, we will place our strumming hand sideways across the strings rather than our normal strumming motion. This will mute all of the strings in one smooth motion and will be easy to alternate between strums and rests moving forward. 

Syncopated Strumming Patterns 

Syncopation is used to give emphasis to the weaker upbeats in our rhythms and strumming patterns. This is a very common sound in music and can create more unique sounding strumming patterns. Syncopated patterns, however, are much harder to read at first glance, so we will go over some of the most commonly used syncopated strumming patterns.

Let’s examine the pattern below. If we remember our rules about strumming, we can easily understand this seemingly complex pattern.  

The first note is a single eighth note on the beat “1," which means it will be played with a downstroke. The next note, a quarter note, will land on the “+ of 1” which is upbeat, and therefore will be played with an upstroke. This quarter note will last for the “+ of 1” and beat “2.”

The next note, another single eighth note, lands on the “+ of 2,” which again, is an upbeat and will be played by an upstroke. This rhythm repeats on beats “3” and “4” with a downstroke on beat “3,” an upstroke on the “+ of 3” and an upstroke on the “+ of 4.”

Syncopated Strumming Pattern Example With Labeled Strumming Pattern Directions.

Syncopated Strumming Patterns with Eighth Rests 

Syncopation can also be created with rests, most notably eighth rests, that force the accent on to an upbeat. In the pattern below, we can see how all of the downbeats are eighth rests, and all of the upbeats are eighth notes, creating a pattern consisting entirely of upstrokes. 

Practice the following syncopated strumming patterns using eighth rests. Make sure you carefully analyze the patterns below to make sure you are placing downstrokes and upstrokes in the correct locations. Remember that rests require the player to completely mute the strings of the guitar so there is no sound. 

Syncopated Strumming Patterns Using Ties 

Syncopated strumming patterns can also be created with Ties, which we learned about back in our course on rhythm. As a reminder, a Tie will connect two notes and add their value together into a single note, and can be connected across a barline. This allows us to play notes of irregular lengths, such as 1.5 beats or 3 beats. For a review on tied notes, check out the lesson on Tied Rhythms in our Reading Music: Part 1 Course.

Practice the following syncopated strumming patterns using tied notes. Make sure you carefully analyze the patterns below to make sure you are placing downstrokes and upstrokes in the correct locations. Remember that rests require the player to completely mute the strings of the guitar so there is no sound. 

Two Measure Tied Strumming Patterns

Syncopated strumming patterns created with Ties are often extended into two-measure patterns, allowing a note from the 1st measure to be held across the barline and into the second measure. Typically, this is done on the 4th beat of the 1st measure into the 1st beat of the second measure. The two-measure tied patterns below will help you get comfortable with holding notes across barlines while strumming and can lead to some very interesting and creative strumming patterns.

Practice the following syncopated two-measure strumming patterns using tied notes. Make sure you carefully analyze the patterns below to make sure you are placing downstrokes and upstrokes in the correct locations. Remember that rests require the player to completely mute the strings of the guitar so there is no sound. 

Syncopated Strumming Patterns with Dotted Rhythms

Syncopated strumming patterns can also be created with dotted rhythms, which are used to extend the value of a note. A Dot (.) added to a note adds 1/2 of the value of the previous note. For example, a half note with a dot next to it would be held for 3 beats, while a Dotted Quarter note would equal 1.5 beats. Observe the following examples of each of these dotted notes. For a review on tied notes, check out the lesson on Dotted Rhythms in our Reading Music: Part 1 Course.

Practice the following syncopated strumming patterns using Dotted Rhythms. Make sure you carefully analyze the patterns below to make sure you are placing downstrokes and upstrokes in the correct locations. Remember that rests require the player to completely mute the strings of the guitar so there is no sound.