Brain Numbing Strumming: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Rhythm

When you pick up the guitar to play a song, one of the most frustrating problems you may face is strumming. Rhythm isn't easy, I won't lie. For some people it comes very naturally and others just have to work that extra little bit to get where they want to be.

Rhythm can also be a hindrance to your self-esteem. I remember plenty of instances when I started out where I lost the rhythm in the middle of playing a song with musicians who were much better than I. It didn't exactly feel like I had won the lottery. However, it doesn't have to be this way.

There are neat little tricks and solutions to the problems that you face. Some of them are so small that it's hard to imagine them even making the slightest impact on your sound. These are the cunning edge techniques that will launch you into the spotlight.

Getting the tools you can use.

When we think rhythm, we normally think strumming. That's half the battle and one that we'll deal with more in depth further on. First things first, take a look at your setup. The settings you have on your guitar and amp, as well as the pick you are using will affect the tone and sound you produce.

You don't want that sharp, ear rattling lead guitar sound when playing rhythm. The reason for this is because it overloads the amp and in turn produces a muddy, indistinguishable sound. The goal with rhythm is to get a sound that blends each of the notes you play equally to produce a clear tone. You want to hear blended notes!

Not unlike scales or chords, there are many different settings for rhythm that can be used for many different styles of music. Using your tone knobs and pickup selector switch, not to mention the settings on your amplifier, you can create a unique tone that is perfect for playing the perfect rhythm.

Picks are equally important. It takes trial and error to find the picks that fit your style. Rarely will I use just one particular pick but rather a mixture of different gauges and manufacturers. Personally, I do not believe in the old adage "Thinner picks are for strumming and heavier are for lead." I use to teach that method until I came to realize that I could get a way better sound for my style using heavier gauge picks.

Picks are measured in millimeters and that's how we identify how thick or "heavy" it is. Surface area also plays a role. Picks can have different surface areas but normally follow the same shape, although that too is changing over time.

Jim Dunlop is the leader is pick manufacturing and has a pick for every style and every tone you could imagine. I highly suggest that you go to your local music store and check some of them out! Lets run through the most popular picks and see which one best suites you.

The finger pick: The finger pick is usually used for folk music and is best utilized with an acoustic guitar. Over the last week I have been play testing one to give you a review and found that it was almost impossible to use on my electric without scratching it up.

However, it was great on the acoustic and really gave me a chance to learn how to use my other fingers. Naturally this isn't my strong point so it took some practice but the end result was pretty cool. Now I understand why country guitarists' tend to use this style of pick... You can really pick up the speed (no pun intended!)

The "Stubby": This is my personal favorite. Many of the recordings you hear on this site that are done by me include the stubby. It's an extremely thick pick at 3.00mm but it adds a very controlled feeling to any piece of music that you are playing, not to mention the leads.

Although many experts would recommend against using this pick for rhythm, I have had amazing results. When playing I feel ultimate control which gives me a better rhythm and a more percussive "snap" to the music I'm playing. You do, however, need to hold it at a slight angle to avoid breaking strings. I have never broken a single string because of a stubby, so I encourage you to give them a try.

If you don't like the tiny size, they come with a larger surface area as well.

The steel pick: If you're looking for a metallic sound, your not going to get much closer than this. Made of pure steel (or copper, depending on where you get them) these picks are truly unique. I personally wouldn't use them on a regular basis but they were a lot of fun to try out. They may be for you if you like the tone but it will take a little getting used to.

You'll find that they produce more of a scratchy sound when used on the coiled strings, which can be a bad thing or a good thing depending on what style you are playing.

The strumming pick: These picks are usually thinner and the gauge will probably be under 60mm. You can't beat them if you're looking to blend chords together and produce a soothing rhythm. I also like them for rock because they make smooth transitions between odd chords a snap. Many of you are probably using this pick right now, which is perfect for this lesson.

You can effectively recreate many different styles and produce a great sound with these picks.

Jazz series picks' : These picks have a rounded tip, instead of a sharper edge. This makes the music you play sound deep and silky. Very nice for the more mellow tunes you may want to play. I use it all of the time for some of the older jazz standards. Jim Dunlop offers different series of these picks and some do have a sharper edge, so if you're looking for the smoother edge, make sure that's what you pick up.

Your thumb and index finger: Try pinching your string, pulling it and letting it go. You get a really cool "pop" that resembles a bass guitar. You can get amazing effects using your fingers for any style of music. From blazing tapping, to finger style country, your fingers are the cheapest and can be the most effective tool that you have.

There are also a lot of other new picks coming out that break the stereotype of size and shape. Some are hit and miss but it's worth giving them a shot.

The techniques you need to know.

Playing rhythm guitar leaves the player with literally hundreds of directions to go in. There's an infinite array of different rhythms and strumming patterns out there but how do you get that desired sound? The answer involves using a few different techniques at once.

Strumming: Strumming is the foundation to becoming a great rhythm player but it also tends to hold players up and limit creativity. Don't let this be a daunting task for you! Pick up your guitar right now and lets dive into this step by step. Points to remember before starting:

So now take a basic chord progression, lets say G, D, and A minor. If you don't know these chords, click here to look them up. Strum each chord four times starting on an upstroke and ending on a down stroke. So the pattern for each chord would be up, down, up, down.

Here's the notation:

Now that we have that under control, try to mix it up a little bit. Instead of going up, down, up, down... try the reverse and do down, up, down, up.

Getting the rhythms that set you apart isn't as difficult as you may think. Now that we have our chord progression and a basic strumming pattern, we can manipulate the strumming pattern to give us a song that we have heard many times before.

...There you have it, you have just performed "Knocking On Heavens Door." Congratulations! It wasn't that bad was it? If you want to try something different, then reverse the strum pattern and double the down strums. You could also include some pauses and other subtle things.

Another helpful tip is to pretend that your arm is the arm of a metronome. Consistently strum down and up at a steady speed. From there you have a doorway to hundreds of strumming patterns.

Another huge problem that tends to be reoccurring amongst many beginners is transitioning between chords. Some of you may have heard of the "Ghost chord," which basically is a cheat where you do a quick open strum while you try to find your next chord.

That's fine if you're just getting started but try to lean away from that as quickly as possible. Another reason for its popularity is because it makes strumming easier. For the above strumming patterns you may have noticed how seamless it sounded but you're sitting there thinking, "What on earth is he doing to get that, mine sounds so chopped up."

All I'm doing is adding in a quick strum, roughly the length of a second. It's so short but covers up the gap as I switch the chords. Strum up or down (depending on the piece) right before you switch the chord. Then when you land on the new chord, you repeat the previous strumming pattern all over again. This way you eliminate the need to play a ghost chord. It takes a little practice but you can achieve that in no time.

Try these alternative strumming patterns for all kinds of different styles of music. You will notice that I don't play it exactly like the music is written. There's plenty of room for making it your own, these are just starting points. Make them your own and add in your personal rhythmic style.

Accenting: You may notice how some of the above examples have certain strums that sound louder and more powerful than others. This is called targeting or "Accenting" the strum. When you are strumming and playing in time, you can make a down or up strum sound louder by hitting it harder. When playing along side of drums, it helps keep the tempo moving in the music and sounds far better than just the normal strumming pattern.

To perform this, take a strumming pattern and play it repeatedly. Then pick a certain strum out of that pattern that you plan on accenting and hit it harder. If you're playing in a band setting, the accent should be in time with the bass drum or the snare drum.

Move your fingers to the beat: If you are playing a song that has a more complex rhythm and you don't want it to sound like mud, this is a tiny trick that many people use without even knowing it. Strum whatever strumming pattern you choose (you can accent if you wish.)

For every up strum and for every down strum, slightly move your fingers off of the chord you are holding. Don't disconnect your fingers, rather temporarily mute them. It happens so quickly that you don't hear the mute but you do hear more clear and distinguishable rhythm. This is very helpful when trying to nail a rhythm that needs more spunk.

It's normally used in conjunction with palm mutes so you can get quick rests in your music, or make the notes shorter (staccato.)

Palm Mutes: If you recall our last lesson, we covered how to play palm mutes for lead guitar. Now we're going to transfer those skills over to rhythm and chords.

Take an everyday chord like E Major and make the chord shape. Then place your palm on the bridge and ensure that it's lying over the strings you wish you mute, which in this particular case would be all of them.

Then you simply run your pick over the strings. That's one application of a palm mute but honestly, I don't see it as practical considering the amount of times you will actually palm mute an entire open chord. That application is great for picking out a rhythm or for power chords.

What I prefer to use is the full six string style mute technique for it isn't strumming but rather the opposite... "Choking" the note. This effect stops the ringing of the chord immediately and will give your music a very percussive feel. Basically, in it's simplest form it just makes for a simple rest but it can really add a lot to your music.

You can also palm mute power chords with awesome results! Another fun application of this technique is to palm mute half of a chord, then pick out the rest.

Hammer On's: Hammer on's are not just for lead guitar. In fact, I can honestly say they sound just as good used in chords. It adds a new flavor to your playing that makes your music sound more intricate and technically advanced. You can incorporate hammer on's by actually hammering on the entire chord or individual notes. If you're not sure how to perform a normal hammer on, then click here to get up to speed.

When playing chords, there's normally a "box" around that chord where you can place a free finger to change the chord slightly to add in something extra. One very famous song that utilizes that is "Dust In The Wind" by Kansas. They take everyday mundane chords and add on certain notes with their rhythm.

You can do this too. Lets take your average D chord and D7. Both of these chords are practically identical except for the E string, where the F# changes to a G to form that D7 chord. This is the perfect distance for an effortless hammer on.

 

Here are some chords that take little to no effort to hammer on a note to change the chord and add that touch:

Am to A

C to C7

E to E7

F6 to Dm

Picking the notes: Using your fingers or your pick to individually pluck out the notes can result in a piece of music that is truly beautiful and speaks to your audience. Using hammer on's and pull off's in this situation also adds to the music and is normally where I use them the most.

There are many different picking patterns out there. Making your own can be quite simple! It doesn't have to be a virtuoso picking pattern to sound good. Often, I will just pick the strings out one at a time in a very simple rhythm and when coupled with the right chord, it can sound extremely eloquent.

Take your previous knowledge and use it:

Everyday now and then I'll come across someone who asks "How do you do that trick, I have no clue." The funny thing is, they do. For example, we took hammer on's from lead guitar and applied them beautifully to rhythm. What's to stop us from taking harmonics and placing them in our music? Perhaps you think out of the box, develop your own technique!

I give you my word that you can apply just about every technique from lead guitar into rhythm. No, it won't sound the same simply because you are using them for a different purpose but the end result will be impressive nonetheless.

 

Putting It All Together...

Throughout this lesson we have been using relatively simple chords to show you how to perform these techniques correctly. Now it's time to put this into action. For this edition I decided to take things a little mellow and show you how some simple picking and strumming patterns can make all of the difference.