Learn How To Do The Most Basic Strumming Technique

The most basic of strumming techniques is the "Quarter note" strum.The first thing you need to do is establish a pulse or beat.

You can do this with a metronome. If you do have a metronome handy, set it at 60 BPM (beats per minute) and strum the strings with a downstroke. Play your downstroke lightly.

Remember, you don't want to play too hard because the strings won't vibrate correctly. You'll be using your arm as well as your wrist so there will be a lot of power behind your technique.

Let gravity work for you here...just allow your arm and wrist to drop over the strings. Immediately after your downstroke you need to bring your hand back up into playing position to execute your next downstroke. When you're raising your hand over the strings - keep them close, but be careful not to make contact. In this example I'm using a popular E minor chord.

There is no need to strum all 6 strings if you don't want to. These strings will sustain for a little while so it's not imperative that you play every string on every strum. However, if you're going for a very steady downbeat feel you might want to strum every string.

Experiment and see what you like.

Quarter note strum pattern

Em............................

....*.. ....*........*.......*.....

E |--0------0-------0------0---|

B |--0------0-------0------0---|

G |--0------0-------0------0---|

D |--2------2-------2------2---|

A |--2------2-------2------2---|

E |--0------0-------0------0---|