How to Strum a Guitar

Strumming is one of the earliest lessons for the guitar student, particularly when studying the steel string acoustic guitar used in blues, country and rock musical styles. The student can strum with fingers or a pick, but a pick is preferable and will produce a better sound. Although strumming is a right-hand technique, it is also a way to practice making chord changes using the left hand.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Guitar
• Pick
• Metronome

1. Hold the pick between the thumb and first finger of the right hand, using the flat of the thumb and the side of the first finger tip. Angle the pick such that the point of it aims straight at the strings when your wrist is straight, with the underside of the wrist facing the strings.
2. Position your right hand and arm so that the pick is over the sound hole in the body of the guitar.
3. Form a chord that is comfortable for you to hold in the left hand, for example, D or A. Bring your right hand down toward the floor, drawing the pick across the strings as you do so. This is the down beat.
4. Bring the right hand back upward, drawing the pick up across the strings. This is the up beat.
5. Strum down and up to a count of 1-2-3-4, where the down beats fall on 1 and 3 and the up beats on 2 and 4. Notice how you get a slightly different sounding of the chord on the down and up beats, because on the down beat you hit the bass strings first, and on the up beat you hit the higher strings first.
6. Keep your strumming hand relaxed but supple without gripping the pick. Maintain an up and down movement of the wrist.
7. Add chord changes when you are comfortable and relaxed strumming on one chord. Try four beats of the first chord, then four beats of another. You can also begin to vary the rhythm from the straight 1-2-3-4 by adding short beats in between, as in 1-2-and-3-4-and.

Tips & Warnings

• Set a metronome to play your music with in order to help develop and steady the rhythm.