How To Tell Which Strum To Use For A Song

This is something many students struggle with but hopefully the following information will help you!

Within seconds of hearing a song I can tell which strumming pattern would fit it perfectly.

I write that not to impress you or to boast, it’s perfectly realistic for all guitar players to be able to do this, here’s how…

Firstly you have to learn the 6 – 10 essential strumming patterns, all of them are taught in the main guitar course here.

Now by learning them I mean you have to practice, drill and cycle them around so much they they become second-nature and automatic.

You’ll know when you’ve achieved this when you can

  • Hear all the strums clearly in your mind and visualize yourself playing them on guitar
  • Switch from one strum to the next without hesitation
  • Put all your concentration upon your chords and let the strumming side of things simply happen on their own

With that much accomplished it’s time to start practicing the second part of this equation.

Here’s The Second Part

Anytime you hear a song try to mentally hear in your mind which strum you would use to play along to it. Which one of the universal strums would fit it? Notice where the chords are changing and try to lock in a strumming pattern to the rhythm.

If you know all of the strums taught in my lessons then you’ll have an answer for most songs you hear. It’s just a matter of learning them very well and then practicing trying to mentally place a strum on songs you hear. Do this on a regular basis.

With a little time and practice you’ll find that you can instantly know which strum to play for any song you hear. It’s effortless and very easy, once you get the hang of it! But first… you have to start trying… and keep on trying… until it clicks.

Continue Reading > How To Play A 3/4 Strum

Contents:

00. Introduction

01. The Most Important Strum You Can Know! – Universal Strum No.1

02. How To Play A Classic 50’s Style Strum

03. Why Your Strumming Sounds Horrible And How To Fix It

04. The Best Way To Practice Strumming On Guitar

05. How Professional Guitar Players Strum

06. How To Play A Classic Country Strum

07. What Kind Of Pick Is Best For Strumming Guitar?

08. What Are Some Good Guitar Strumming Songs?

09. How To Tell Which Strum To Use For A Song

10. How To Play A 3/4 Strum

11. How Many Strums Do You Need To Know?