Strumming Patterns for songs (Page 1 of 2)

GOOD QUESTION.... HOW CAN WE FIND OUT THE STRUMMING PATTERNS..?

Well, if you want to play exactly like the artist that is performing the song you want to play, then all you can do is listen to it closely.

However, I found it liberating to think of my playing as "playing my version of the song". Because then you can start with an easy pattern that suits the rhythmic pattern of the song (for example D DU UD for any song in 4/4).
After that, you come up with more exotic patterns that match the songs style.

The  more patterns you pick up and can play naturally without thinking too much, the easier you will be able to match the artist that plays your song.

Look at Tequilla sunrise by the eagles, it has three quick 16th strums in the second beat of each bar when you listen to the eagles, but you can easily play it in your basic D DU UD.

If you you really can't come up with somethng to play for your song, or if your patterns start to annoy you, make a search on youtube for "acoustic cover", it always helps to see others play.

There's a good book by Tom Kolb that covers rhythm guitar for Folk, Blues, Ballads, Rock, Funk, Latin, etc...
Good place to ppick stuff up.

Cheers,
nc

I absolutely agree with netzcoyote - I don't like to get hung up on an exact strumming pattern, listen to the song, feel how it sounds, strum along and before you know it, your rendition sounds pretty good even if it's not exact.

Hi people !

STRUMMING;
We(I)use strumming "Patterns" to enable you to play the songs straight off
and that after doing that for a week/month/year
(WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT) you will eventually "Strum it like it goes"
the point of the "Strumming patterns" is to give you something to do until you can
subconsciously take over and strum it like it goes!

The secret is to NOT TO THINK ABOUT IT and get so completely relaxed
with the DDUUD strumming (or whichever pattern) and eventually you will
find yourself embellishing those patterns DDUUD will turn into DUDU/UD
which is the same over a count of 4 and just makes it swing a bit more.
D = down U= Up strums a "/" is what i use to signify something different it may be a pause or a bigger strum

If you did think about it (and you shouldn't!) you would find that 1
Part of your brain is working one hand and another part of your brain is working the other.
Once that happens everything is fine, the secret is to be a "Plonker!"
that is "Plonk" your fingers on the strings in the chord shape, WHILE KEEPING THE STRUMMING
GOING regardless of what a mess you make of the chord shape.

("PLONK" is a word that I use to describe putting the fingers "En Masse" unto the fret board in the shape that they "should" be in.)
I don't think you will find "Plonk" in the dictionary! :-)

Children do this, as it is what I tell them to do, Adults don't
Because (they think they know better!) they stop when they put their chord hand in the wrong position.

Don't be an adult be a "Plonker" :-)

So learn to play lots of songs with easy strumming patterns which will develop your sense of timing so that eventually you will just strum it like the original, like you want and/or how you hear it!
As you do that you will start to hear the relationship and the difference between an Up and a Down strum and be able to recognise them for yourself.

hope this helps !
Try this, lots of different strumming and easy chords
go here www.guitar.gg/americanpie.html
regards
Mark G

My teacher gave me a big list of strum patterns in 3/4 and 4/4 time.  But, I have found that over time my ear has gotten better at picking out the different strum patterns from musicians like Phil Ochs, Gordon Lightfoot, etal.  When I learn a new song I start simple and then work on trying to flesh it out to be more interesting to me. 

I know when I listen closely to various artists, a lot of the time they are doing their OWN style and not following any one style.

Closer to You by Brandi Carlile -- DDUUDU

Love is Like a Butterfly by Dolly Parton -- DDUUDU (except on certain phrases such as "Like its (DD) Satin (DD) Wings (DD)" That's C, D, G chords with two down strokes on each.

Jolene by Dolly Parton -- DDUUDU

Brown Eyed Girl -- DDUUDU

Who'll Stop the Rain by CCR -- DDUUD

Mr. Tamborine Man -- DDUUDU (except at certain places in the song where it's just two downstrokes, such as "is no (DD) place "I'm (DD)
B D UDU also works on this song

Long December by Counting Crows -- B B D U or BB D DU

American Pie -- D DU on chorus and DDUUDU works for verses but there are a lot of exceptions in this song that you have to play be ear

Blowing in the Wind -- B DUDU, B D UDU or DDUUDU

Country Roads by John Denver -- B D UDU

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam --
D Chord: D DUDU
Cadd9: DDD
G/B: D DUDU DDD
Cadd9: D (pause) UDU DDD
G/B: DDUDU DDD

Good Riddance by Green Day -- DDUUD or DDUUDU

Landslide - fingerpicking pattern: 5/3/4/2/5/3/4

Me and Bobby McGee -- B D UDU

Maggie May -- DDUUD (except two downstrokes where it sounds right such as "love you (DD) any... (DD)"

Mrs. Robinson -- DDUUDU

Pretty Woman -- DDUUDU

Pink Houses -- DDUUD

I agree, there should be included with the words/chords of a song, a  strum pattern, as so many of the good lessons provide. It could be the correct one the artist uses, or perhaps a "suggested one" for the beginner (like me), who can't make out what the strum pattern is.  It's particularly important in a song that has a few, and basic chords, and if a good pattern of strumming isn't followed it's hard until you begin singing to tell what the song is.  For example:  Knocking on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) is G, D, Am, G, D, C......."Black Boys on Mopeds" ( I found a lesson) by Sinaed O'Connor is G, D, C (and on both songs the G,D go for 1 barre, and the Am and C go for 2, but it's all about the strum pattern, in my opinion anyway....I just think a spot could be provided on the page for the strum, or even a picking pattern (such as Landslide, Good Riddance, etc. Anyway, just trying to make Chordie a better site for beginners and intermediates, as we all can't pick up music just by listening by ear. Thanks for listenening to me.

The easiest way to learn strum patterns is to do a youtube.com search of the song ... you'll find loads of people have videos up of the songs you're looking for ... it's a great help and I use it quite frequently

i try hard to listen to the songs but it would still be easier if the strum was put with the song

no better source than watching her play it herself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRRV_z1qEgk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtECgXCgJ8o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9dZ1nAleCI

don't forget, you can always vary the strumming yourself and hit the bass strings on the first down beat and the treble strings on others... there's no law that says you have to hit all six on each pass...

PS. anyone know what that thing is on the upper bout of her guitar?

PPS... that one always cracks me up... I miss my son, he'd be 16 now...

[url=http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/paulcooke100/Paul.jpg]a better photo of me[/url]
[url=http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/paulcooke100/IMGP0556.jpg]My basses[/url]
haven't photographed my guitars yet...

I know what a capo is... there's one in use on the neck...

I'm asking about the brown object attached to the front surface of the upper bout of the guitar just above the soundhole...

[url=http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/paulcooke100/Paul.jpg]a better photo of me[/url]
[url=http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/paulcooke100/IMGP0556.jpg]My basses[/url]
haven't photographed my guitars yet...

mekidsmom wrote:

        manicbassman wrote:

        PS. anyone know what that thing is on the upper bout of her guitar?

    That's a capo.  It's an easy way to change the key of a song (without knowing music theory).  You put it on a fret (across all strings) and pretend that is your nut then play your chords.  It raises the pitch up.  They come in all different styles from screw on's to clamp on's.  Kinda nice to play around with.

I know what a capo is... there's one in use on the neck... smile

I'm asking about the brown object attached to the front surface of the upper bout of the guitar just above the soundhole...

My guess is that little box affixed to body of her guitar is the pick-up for amplification.  Something similar to this.....   http://www.boutiquemusicinc.com/e-store … PLEBAR.gif