Learn a Fun and Easy Technique!

In this lesson, we'll learn how to strum with our thumbs. It's a technique that may seem simple at first, but it has plenty of practical applications and can make your playing sound fantastic. However, remember a few key things to make it work smoothly.

When it comes to strumming with your thumb, it's important to pay attention to the angle of your thumb and the part of it that contacts the strings. Let's take a closer look and examine these details.

The Angle of Your Thumb

There are two angles we need to consider. The first one is the angle of your thumb against the strings. Ideally, keep it fairly flat and parallel to the strings rather than perpendicular at 90 degrees.

If your thumb is at a 90-degree angle, even if your nail is short, you might end up strumming with some nails, especially on the upstroke.

💡Focus on using the flesh of our thumb! We will explore using nails later on.

So, start with a gentle down strum, keeping your thumb close to the strings, just like you would hold a pick. Imagine the pick coming out of your thumb if you were using one!

Strumming with the Flesh

The goal is to achieve a nice, round sound with your down strum. Please give it a go, either playing with me or pausing the video to try it yourself!

😌 Keep it nice and relaxed! It's important to find the right balance between not being too hard or too soft when strumming down with your thumb. Strumming too forcefully can cause the strings to get caught, creating unwanted noise.

Remember to keep the rest of your fingers relaxed, avoiding any unnecessary tension or splaying them out. Some players prefer to strum with their fingers spread out, but for now, let's keep it nice and relaxed with a focus on the thumb.

Get used to the feeling of those smooth-down strums–they're the foundation of thumb strumming!

Mastering the Up Strum

While most people don't struggle much with the down strum, the up strum with the thumb can be trickier. There are a few reasons for this!

The gap between the flesh and the nail can get caught and flick against the strings if your thumb remains at the same angle. This can disrupt your flow and produce an unpleasant sound. To avoid this, try slightly angling your thumb down when doing an upstroke. It's not a drastic angle; it is a subtle adjustment. A slight change removes the chance of getting caught between the strings and allows for smoother strumming.

Now, let's experiment with a down strum followed by an up strum, incorporating that slight downward and upward angle. Remember that when strumming, down strums generally target the thicker strings, while up strums aim at the thinner strings.

💡You don't always have to strum all the strings! As we progress in this course, we might find ourselves primarily playing bass notes with the thumb and using our fingers for the thinner strings.

Feel free to explore and experiment with these techniques. Take a moment to look down at your thumb and observe the sound produced using the flesh versus the nail.

Achieving a nice strumming motion involves relaxing your thumb to where it moves at the first joint. You won't notice this movement at normal speed, but you'll see the thumb bouncing between each string when slowed down.

😎 Keep your thumb relaxed! Take your time with it – even being able to strum eighth notes lightly with your thumb is a fantastic start in discovering the full potential of this digit.

If you find moments where your thumb gets caught, it's a sign that you need to angle it slightly downward. Of course, you don't want your thumb to be angled downward during the down strum, as that feels uncomfortable. So, remember, slightly up for the down strum and slightly down for the up strum. It's all about finding that sweet spot!

And don't forget to keep it light. Thumb strumming requires a gentle touch, especially during the upstrokes. There are techniques for playing louder, which we'll explore later on. But for now, let's focus on starting with nice and light thumb downstrokes and upstrokes.

The Power of Thumb Strumming

Strumming with your thumb is particularly useful when playing alongside singers who have quieter voices. Picture yourself at a campfire, starting a song with a loud strum, only to have the singer suddenly lower their volume.

In these situations, strumming quietly with your thumb comes in handy. If you need to reduce the volume further, you can drop the pick and rely solely on your thumb. This gives you a chance to hear the singer without overpowering them.

🎤 If you have a soft voice or find yourself performing alongside singers who sing quietly, learning to strum with your thumb is an invaluable skill. However, it's important to note that strumming with your thumb can pose challenges when playing with a singer who sings loudly. In such cases, the singer's powerful vocals might overshadow the guitar's sound.

So, there you have it! You've embarked on the exciting journey of thumb strumming. Practice these techniques, experiment, and most importantly, have fun!

👉 Practice time! Grab your guitar, get curious, and strum away with your thumbs. :)