Six Essential Guitar Strumming Patterns
These 6 basic guitar strumming patterns will help you work on your strumming technique and sense of rhythm.
They are all from my free eBook, covering the basics of acoustic and rhythm guitar. It’s 100% free, so if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, I recommend getting it, as it will be an invaluable guide throughout your guitar journey.
Easy Strumming Pattern #1
This pattern is very basic, comprised of mostly downstrokes, with a single upstroke. It introduces the concept of 8th note counting (1+2+3+4+) and is designed to get your strumming arm moving with the beat.
Easy Strumming Pattern #2
This is the most common strumming pattern ever. It has a “missing” beat, on beat 3. You will use this pattern as a “default” pattern for SO many songs.
Easy Strumming Pattern #3
This is another very basic pattern, found in a lot of folk and country music. It introduces the “root strum” which is like a small downstroke that only aims for the thicker strings. Probably the easiest pattern out of the bunch.
Easy Strumming Pattern #4
This is a variation of pattern #2, replacing the first downstroke with a “root strum” making it a bit more useful or versatile in certain contexts.
Easy Strumming Pattern #5
This pattern is excellent for making a “half-time” feel. Try to play the last “down-up” a bit quieter for maximum effect!
Easy Strumming Pattern #6
This pattern is the most challenging out of the bunch. It is heavily “syncopated.” Syncopation means to highlight “off-beats” (the “ands”).
