• From: Portsmouth, UK
  • Registered: 2008-07-29
  • Posts: 95

Topic: Don't stop believin'

I hate to ask this, but what do you think is a good strum pattern for this?

I've got the chords and that is fine, its sounds "right", but I've tried quite a few different pattern's and it just sound's a little off.

Advice most welcome smile

●████▅▅▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄....▄▄▄
▄▄▅██████▅▄▃▂
█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █►
◥☼▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲☼◤ -Mr T says: Quit yo jibba Jabba! You Ain't hurt!
  • Zurf
  • Zurf
  • Blunt but well meaning moderator
  • Offline
  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Re: Don't stop believin'

My advice (which is notoriously suspect and frequently ignorant) is to strum what sounds "right" until your version is the one you hear in your head and the song you're trying to cover sounds a little bit off. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: Don't stop believin'

Sometimes you need to mix n match patterns. Using one for the whole song may sound a little off. Sometimes you get away with just a single strum (as in 1 down stroke) while singing what seems like a complicated section and then picking up a more settled pattern in the next section.

Sometimes.

But if it sounds "right" then just go for it. Make sure your audience is as drunk as mine usually is and you'll get away with it no problem.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • NELA
  • Honoured Member
  • Offline
  • From: West Monroe, La. 71292
  • Registered: 2007-11-28
  • Posts: 1,303

Re: Don't stop believin'

Right or wrong this works for me. Listen to the song thru your CD player or what ever you have. Tap your finger on the table top, tap your foot on the floor, strum across your shirt with a pick - as you listen. You want to hear the BEAT of the song. Hear the bass? Hear the rythem of the song? That's what you want to hear. The "boom" of the bass will be the downsttrum - what you don't hear between the bass "boom" will be the upstrum. Here is some strum patterns you can use. These are all 4/4 timing.

D = down
U = UP

D - D - D - D.............count 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1....
D - D - U - D - U - D - U..count 1 - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & - 1 - repeat
D - U - D - U - D - U - D - U...count 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & 1 - repeat

(the above patterns are just a few that you can use)

These should get you started BUT you have to be able to hear the song in order to understand the strum pattern. Print out the song showing the chords. Look at where the chord changes are and pay attention to the WORDS that the chords change on. Feel the beat of the song - get that foot going as you keep time to the music and count in your head. Try this and let us know if it helps.

Nela

NELA's Website