Exciting times are coming!

We're about to add up strums to our rhythm guitar! This is a vital piece of the strumming puzzle and your key to playing rockstar rhythm guitar. The first strumming pattern we'll look at is D D U D U D (1 2 + 3 + 4). You must automate it, and we'll cover everything you need to do that here.

The Trick to Adding Up Strums

So far, we've only been playing down strums. So how do we play up strums? It might seem like a big jump, but it's not!

When we play D D D D using consistent strumming, our hand always moves upward past the strings after each down strum. While it doesn't strike them, it almost does silent up strums. This happens four times – one for each gap between the down strums.

By letting your pick strike the strings instead, you get four up strums instead of gaps (D U D U D U D U). You can do that in any combination by choosing the gaps you play with and the ones you don't!

Today's Strumming Pattern

We won't use all the up strums today – our pattern is D D U D U D or 1 2 + 3 + 4. This is similar to the most common strumming pattern, which I call Old Faithful! See the video lesson for a play-along demo. :)

🎸 Old Faithful. If you play 1 2 + 3 + 4 but avoid the strings on beat 3, you get 1 2 + + 4. I call this pattern Old Faithful, and you can use it for almost any song. We'll practice this pattern in the next lesson.

Troubleshooting!

Remember, your arm needs to keep moving consistently, as it does when we strum D D D D. The motion is exactly the same for both patterns! Your hand should always move like a pendulum, regardless of playing up or down strums. If your pick gets stuck in the strings as you strike them, ensure you're angling it correctly.

🔥 Take Charge! We can't see each other, so if something isn't right, you need to take the initiative and remedy the issue. The upside is that you have the complete strumming toolkit right here. :)

Observe that we only hit the thinnest strings on up strums. The hand tends to move diagonally away from the guitar, meaning it misses strings 5 and 6. So it's okay if you only hit the first three or four strings - that's how it should be!

If you add an extra up strum, don't worry; as long as you keep moving your arm consistently, your rhythm will sound good! If you need to remember the pattern, keeping your strumming arm moving will help you to ingrain the motion and hold the rhythm.

💡 Count Along - Out & Loud! You might find it helps to count out loud as you strum: "Down, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down" or "One, Two, And, Three, And, Four."

Practice Time

You have several options for practicing this pattern. You can do four one-minute blocks at different tempos (60, 80, 100, 120 BPM). But if you're focused, go for five minutes at one tempo, varying it each day. If you find 100 or 120 a little fast, drop it down.

Once you set the metronome, move your arm for one bar to get used to the tempo. Then start strumming on beat 1 of the next bar. :)

Focus on getting it right instead of playing fast!

Try to lose the metronome, playing so close to the clicks that you don't even hear it. By doing this, you'll develop a solid technique, and you'll be able to speed up without much effort.

🚨 Practice Makes Permanent! Who said practice makes perfect? Nonsense! Practice makes permanent. If you practice errors, you reinforce and automate them. So, ensure you practice perfectly. :)

If you make a mistake or need to adjust the pick, stop strumming but keep your hand moving. And any time you feel tension or nerves, identify tense areas of the body and relax the muscles.

Choose the Right Tempo

If you're making many mistakes, slow your tempo down. You can even take away the metronome! The key is that you strum at a speed that feels right. The essential element here is the mechanics.

💡You can easily speed up your rhythm once you have great technique. This will naturally happen over time.

If you make a mistake, stop strumming, tune into the metronome clicks, and start moving your hand consistently and in time. Add the strums again once you're comfortable doing so!

Practice Blocks Length

I love doing five-minute blocks because I find them therapeutic and meditative. But if you get tired or find your mind drifting, break it into smaller blocks. Find the length of time that best suits you.

🧐 Stay Present! You have to be concentrated and present during your guitar practice. Don't think about dinner or the weekend!

Practicing with a Real Song

If you're comfortable with the D D U D U D pattern, try playing this pattern with a song you like or some chord changes, like G, D, C, D. Use a slow tempo and easy chords first!

👉 Songs with G, D, and C. Some extra inspiration for you. :)

In the end, playing songs is the goal and trickier than playing with muted strings. You'll find it harder to stay in time with the metronome, and there are more distractions. But this Strumming Course will help you build solid rhythm skills in real playing, so stick with me. :)

💬 Join the Discussion! Do your favorite songs work with this strumming pattern? Let me know in the comments.

Now, let's check out that old faithful! ;)