Help! I am stuck in a rut with strumming!
Ok, most guitar players get stuck with just a few strumming patterns and have a very difficult time moving beyond that to the modern worship strumming patterns of their favorite songs.
First of all, for all strumming patters I have one rule…
If you can’t SAY it, you can’t PLAY it.
You have to begin to read some rhythmic notation and be able to say or chant the rhythm first. Then, put it into your hands and get the correct strumming up and down technique for the pattern.
Underneath most patterns, there is a pulsing sixteenth note pattern that sounds like tic-a-tic-a or 1 ee and ah.
For a new strumming pattern and to break out of your rut, start strumming all down on eighth notes and count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
Another pattern that can help you break out is all sixteenth notes strumming up and down with alternating strumming and count 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4e+a
When strumming these patterns, you don’t have to strum through all 6 strings on every beat. You can start by strumming down on the 1 beat through all the strings and then selectively strum the bottom 3 strings on the other rhythms.
Try these new techniques and see if you can break out into some new patterns. I teach this in-depth in the videos and lessons in the Modern Worship Guitar Lessons Method available from 8chords100songs.com
But just remember, if you can’t SAY it, then you cant PLAY it!