GUITAR
STRUMMING : SLOPPY OR SKILLFUL ? | David Harsh
As followers of Christ , we are called to play skillfully ( Psalm 33:3 ). But are we doing that ?
One of the ways we often find ourselves articulating chords is … strumming . Strumming the guitar is like walking . We do it a lot , and sometimes we don ’ t even think about how we ’ re doing it . It ’ s possible that over the course of our guitar journey , we will literally spend thousands of hours strumming our guitar .
So , are we walking steadily , or are we limping ? Let ’ s find out . I believe it ’ s worth taking a close look to make sure we ’ re on the right track . To get the most out of what I ’ m about to share with you , I encourage you to watch the accompanying short video ( while it ’ s available ). It ’ s much easier to demonstrate these concepts on camera than to try to describe them in words . The video can be found at
www . guitarsuccess4u . com / strumming .
Which do you think is the most ideal approach that leads to strumming skillfully ? I invite you to watch the accompanying short video to get my answer … and to see actual footage of people playing these racquet sports , which further illustrates my point .
Depending on how we play , we can create unnecessary fatigue in different parts of our arm . Incorrect , unbalanced strumming can also translate to less artistic playing . However , if we strum well and balanced , not only will our strumming sound and feel good , we can experience tremendous longevity .
Now let ’ s apply strumming to an actual pattern . Here ’ s another analogy for you . Crafting strumming patterns is a lot like baking bricks . If the bricks are even and precise , the structures we build with them will be solid , level , and plumb . If not , look out – the walls will tilt and they ’ ll be all out of whack . And if our strumming isn ’ t precise , it will affect us , our collaborators , and even our listeners . our strumming hand and arm , but guess what ? Even though this is very common with guitarists I ’ ve encountered , it ’ s really not the best way to strum . The hand hesitates twice in the measure , which could lead to rushing , or hesitating by accident .
Let me ask you this . If I ’ m rushing or hesitating , how is that going to affect other instrumentalists I collaborate with ? Are they going to love it ? Nope . This is what I ’ d call sloppy strumming .
Here ’ s the rule I like to keep for simpler rhythms like this . Strum down on the beats , and up on the offbeats or the “& s .” Keep that as a rule , and you can ’ t go wrong .
So , let ’ s re-tool the arrows to have some silent strums coming up on the “&” of beat 1 and then coming down on beat 3 . We now strum the same rhythm , but with a more refined execution .
First of all , I recommend focusing on two specific axes – our elbow and our wrist . I believe that we need to have a delicate balance that includes both of these axes , not just one . To help shed light on this , let ’ s use the analogy of racquet sports . Let me suggest three types of racquet sports that typically use different ratios of elbow and wrist movement . There ’ s only one that I believe is similar to optimal strumming . Let ’ s see if you can guess which one it is . The three types of racquet sports are : A . Tennis B . Badminton C . Ping Pong
I ’ ll illustrate sloppy and skillful strumming with a simple , fairly common strumming pattern in 4 / 4 time . I call it the “ Camp Strum ” and you may have used it , or you may have observed it as you ’ ve watched another guitarist play . Whatever we want to call it , this strumming pattern has been a part of several charttopping legitimate songs out there . It consists of a quarter note , followed by two eighth notes , the second of which is tied to another eight note , and finally , three more eighth notes . Note the rhythm counts below the diagram . How would we strum it ? We could strum it like this :
That could be repeated , it ’ s certainly economical in terms of how little we ’ re moving
As you ’ ll see from the video , we have a much more natural articulation without any rushing or hesitating , at any tempo . The constant “ down up ” motion , whether voiced or not , keeps our hand in rhythm , for the benefit of our precision , as well as anyone else who might be playing along . This is what I would call skillful strumming . And once we have our strumming dialed , we can focus on other aspects of making music .
So , strum skillfully , and watch where your skill takes you . Keep showing up !
© GuitarSuccess4U . All rights reserved . David Harsh David is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential . Learn more and join at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .