# AI Wiki - Music - Strumming Patterns ## Overview A strumming pattern is a rhythm played across the strings with down and up strokes. Every pattern rests on one principle: **the strumming hand never stops**. It moves down on every beat and up on every "&" (in eighth-note patterns), like a pendulum. A pattern is just the decision of which of those swings hit the strings and which miss them. That constant motion is your internal clock, and it's why patterns stay in time even when they skip beats. Strumming is applied rhythm, so read [[AI Wiki - Music - Rhythm and Time Signatures]] for the counting (1 & 2 &, 1 e & a, swing). The chords come from [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Open Chords]], and the hardest part is usually keeping the pattern going through [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Chord Transitions]]. ## How patterns are written Conventions vary between teachers; these are the common ones: | Symbol | Meaning | |---|---| | D or ↓ | Downstroke (towards the floor) | | U or ↑ | Upstroke | | ( ) or – | Hand moves but misses the strings ("ghost" stroke) | | X | Muted/percussive strike (chuck) | | > | Accent, play louder | | PM | Palm mute | | B | Single bass note (root of the chord) | A pattern is most useful written under its count, so you can see where each stroke lands: ``` Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Hand: D U D U D U D U (the hand always moves like this) Pattern: D D U U D U (only these strokes touch the strings) ``` Read it as "D, D-U, U-D-U". The gap on beat 3 is a downstroke that misses the strings. ## Essential patterns (4/4) Learn them in this order; each adds one idea. **1. Quarter notes, all downs.** The foundation. Even volume, steady tempo. ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D D D D ``` **2. Straight eighths.** Down on numbers, up on "&". Keep the ups lighter (they mainly catch the higher strings). ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D U D U D U D U ``` **3. "Old Faithful" (D, DU, U, D).** JustinGuitar's most-used pattern; the missed downstroke on 3 creates the lift. Leaving out the final up gives you time to change chords. ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D D U U D ``` **4. The universal [[AI Wiki - Music - Pop Music|pop]]/folk pattern (D, DU, UDU).** Old Faithful plus a final up on "4 &". Fits a huge number of pop, folk and [[AI Wiki - Music - Rock Music|rock songs]] at medium tempo. ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D D U U D U ``` **5. Backbeat chuck (D U X U D U X U).** Replace the downstrokes on 2 and 4 with a percussive muted hit, imitating a snare drum. Mute by landing the side of the strumming palm on the strings as the pick strikes (see below). ``` 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & D U X U D U X U ``` **6. Sixteenth-note pattern.** The hand now swings down on "1" and "&", up on "e" and "a". A common one: hit 1, &, a, (2) e, &… Start with all sixteenths, then drop strokes. ``` 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a D D U U D U D D U U D U ``` ## Genre-typical patterns - **Folk and country, "boom-chick":** bass note on 1 and 3, strum on 2 and 4 (B, D, B, D). With **alternating bass**, the bass alternates between the root and the fifth: for G, low G (6th string, 3rd fret) then the open D string; for C, the A-string C (3rd fret) then low G (6th string, 3rd fret, moving the ring finger); for D, open D then open A. The backbone of [[AI Wiki - Music - Country Music]] and [[AI Wiki - Music - Folk Music]]. - **Waltz (3/4):** bass on 1, strums on 2 and 3 (B, D, D), or the busier D, DU, DU. - **6/8 ballad:** six eighths with the accents on 1 and 4: D d d D d d (capitals = louder). At slow tempos all downstrokes sound fuller; at faster tempos, D d u D d u. - **Rock eighths:** all downstrokes on eighth notes, often palm-muted, with power chords ([[AI Wiki - Music - Power Chords]]). Downstrokes give a tighter, more aggressive attack than D U. - **Shuffle/blues:** pattern 2 swung, long-short ("1 . a 2 . a"). The upstroke arrives late, on the last third of the beat. The standard [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]] groove. - **Reggae skank:** short, choked chord stabs on the offbeats, everything else silent. Usually played as quick downstrokes (or upstrokes) on the "&", with the fretting hand releasing pressure right after to cut the sound. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Reggae Music]]. - **Funk:** sixteenth-note motion with most strokes muted by the fretting hand (scratches), and a few chord hits accented. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music]]. ## Muting and accents Dynamics are what turn a pattern into a groove. - **Accents:** hit the backbeat (2 and 4) slightly harder, or accent the first downstroke of each bar. Keep everything else lighter. - **Percussive chuck (strumming-hand mute):** as the hand comes down on beat 2 or 4, the fleshy side of the palm lands on the strings near the soundhole while the pick follows through. You get a snare-like click instead of a chord. Practise it as two motions (palm lands, pick strikes) before blending them. - **Fretting-hand mute:** release finger pressure just enough to deaden the strings, then strum: a "chk" sound. Easiest on [[AI Wiki - Music - Barre Chords|barre chords]]; essential for funk and reggae chops. - **Palm mute (PM):** rest the edge of the strumming palm lightly on the strings right at the bridge. The notes still sound, but short and thudding. Used for rock eighths and quiet verses. Too far from the bridge kills the pitch; too close and it doesn't mute. - **Partial strums:** hit only the bass strings on downstrokes and only the treble strings on upstrokes for a lighter texture. ## Practising a pattern over a progression Pick one pattern and one loop, and play it until the change doesn't break the rhythm. The chart below uses the D, DU, UDU pattern over I-V-vi-IV in G (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Common Chord Progressions]]). ```chords {title: Pattern practice: D DU UDU over G-D-Em-C} {key: G} {time: 4/4} {tempo: 70} {comment: Strum: D - D U - U D U (count 1, 2 &, & 4 &)} [G]1 2 3 4 [D]1 2 3 4 [Em]1 2 3 4 [C]1 2 3 4 {comment: Then two chords per bar: D D U on beats 1-2, then U D U} [G]1 2 [D]3 4 [Em]1 2 [C]3 4 ``` Changing chords on the final up ("4 &") is normal: that last upstroke can be played on open strings while the fingers travel to the next chord. Nobody will hear it, and the rhythm survives. Using a "Cadd9" instead of C and a G with the ring and pinky on the 3rd fret of the B and high E strings keeps two fingers planted between G and C, making the change almost free in the middle of a pattern: ```chord symbol: G frets: 320033 fingers: 210034 title: G (rock fingering) --- symbol: Cadd9 frets: x32033 fingers: x21034 title: Cadd9 --- D xx0232 xx0132 --- Em 022000 023000 ``` ## How to practise 1. **Muted strumming first.** Lay the fretting hand lightly across the strings and practise the pattern as pure rhythm: no chord, just "chk" sounds. Count out loud. 2. **One chord, metronome at 60 bpm.** Play the pattern on G for two minutes without stopping. 3. **Add the change.** Two chords, then the full four-chord loop. If the change fails, simplify to four downstrokes, then rebuild. 4. **Speed later.** Raise the tempo 5 bpm at a time only when three runs in a row are clean. 5. **Dynamics.** Once the motion is automatic, add accents on 2 and 4, then try the chuck. 6. **Songs.** Play along with recordings; most acoustic pop songs will accept pattern 4. ## Common mistakes - Stopping the hand on missed strokes, which makes the rhythm wobble. - Strumming from the elbow with a stiff wrist: keep the wrist loose and the motion mostly from the wrist and forearm rotation. - Gripping the pick too hard, or using a thick pick: a medium or thin pick (about 0.5-0.7 mm) is more forgiving for strumming. - Hitting all six strings on every chord: D and C need the bass strings avoided on the downstroke (start on the D string for D, the A string for C). - Upstrokes as loud as downstrokes. Ups should be lighter. ## Key Points - The hand moves continuously: down on beats, up on "&"s; patterns choose which strokes connect. - Write patterns under the count (1 & 2 & …) so you know where each stroke lands. - Core patterns: all downs, straight eighths, D DU U D (Old Faithful), D DU UDU, backbeat chuck, sixteenths. - Genres have signature feels: boom-chick (country/folk), swung eighths (blues), offbeat skank (reggae), muted sixteenths (funk), palm-muted downstrokes (rock). - Accents and muting (chuck, palm mute, fretting-hand mute) create groove. - Change chords on the last upstroke; keep the rhythm over perfect chords. ## Open Questions - Which of my target songs work with pattern 4, and which need something specific? - How do I transition from strumming patterns to [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerpicking]] patterns like Travis picking? ## References - JustinGuitar Community, "THE Strumming Pattern (Old Faithful)": https://community.justinguitar.com/t/the-strumming-pattern-old-faithful/1762 - JustinGuitar, "The Backbeat Hit": https://justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/the-backbeat-hit-bg-1405 - GuitarLessons.com, "5 Essential Strumming Patterns": https://www.guitarlessons.com/blog/lessons/5-essential-strumming-patterns - Hub Guitar, "Basic Guitar Strumming Patterns": https://hubguitar.com/technique/simple-strumming-patterns - Wikipedia, "Swing (jazz performance style)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_(jazz_performance_style) ## Related - [[AI Wiki - Music - Rhythm and Time Signatures]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Open Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Chord Transitions]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Common Chord Progressions]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Power Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Fingerpicking]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Country Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Folk Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Reggae Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Arpeggios]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Cadences]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Ear Training]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Hand Independence]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Reading Standard Notation]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Rhythmic Ear Training]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Seventh Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Solfege and Singing]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Suspended and Added-Tone Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Transcription and Playing by Ear]]