Guitar Online

Do you want to play your favorite songs on the guitar. A vital part of playing your favorite songs on the guitar is to learn how to strum.

Some people don’t like learning strumming because they think it’s more about ‘feel’ than practice. This is not entirely true. It’s true that when you learn a chord you either know it or you don’t. The same can be said about a scale. What you need to realize is that strumming patterns can be learned too.

You strum your guitar using a pick or with your thumb. Before you even think about finger picking or playing rock solos you need to concentrate on your strumming.

The first secret to become a proficient strummer is to let your hand relax. Just like any other exercise you need to stretch your muscles beforehand. You are attempting to get the tension out of your fingers. A tense strumming hand will result in a poor strumming technique.

When your hand feels relaxed it’s time to start strumming. Start by playing just down strums and remember to count even beats out loud to get your timing correct. Start of by only playing one chord. Once have mastered strumming with one chord you can start changing between chords.

When you have down strums mastered it’s time to make things more complicated. You are going to add up strums to your playing Up strums are generally not played as ‘hard’ as down strums. To learn more about playing the guitar check this out – learn rock guitar