Lesson: Sunday Strum, Episode 12 –Building A Basic Pattern

In this lesson, I use some of the ideas discussed in previous videos to create a basic strumming pattern.

First, accent the downstroke on beat 1.

If we play that a bit harder and then back off the rest of the hits, we can create a dynamic feel.

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Make sure your non-accented strums are fairly quiet.

Just by easing up on the intensity, we can make that first hit even more impactful.

Finally, add two sixteenth notes at the end of the measure. Alternating down and up at the end gives variation to the strumming and also aids in transitioning between chords.

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Justin Horenstein is a guitar instructor and musician in the Washington, DC metro area who graduated (cum laude) from the Berklee College of Music in 2006. He plays in Black Clouds, a 3-piece atmospheric/experimental band. Their debut album was recorded by J Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). Justin’s 18 years of musical experience also includes touring the U.S., a record deal under Sony, starting his own teaching business, recording several albums, and playing club shows with national acts including Circa Survive, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Biffy Clyro, United Nations, Caspian, and more.

More about Justin at 29thCenturyGuitar.com and BlackCloudsDC.bandcamp.com