Easy Strumming Patterns for 3/4, 6/8 and 12/8 Time Signatures
Most of the time your strumming pattern (and the song) will use the common time signature of 4/4. But that’s not always the case.
In this lesson, I want to show you how to count and strum when you run into a song that uses the time signatures of 3/4, 6/8, or 12/8.
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I have two goals for you:
First, I want you to understand the difference between time signatures on both a theoretical and practical level.
Secondly, I want you to actually be able to feel the difference between the time signatures, so that you can pick up the strumming patterns in that time signature.
By the end of this lesson you can expect to know one pattern for each of those time signatures and what makes each of the time signatures different, on both a theoretical and “feel” level.
The lesson begins with the difference between common time (4/4) and 3/4 time. We work on a strumming pattern: Down Down-Up Down-Up. Some songs that use 3/4: Happy Birthday, Waltz #2, Open Arms, Manic Depression.
Next is the 6/8 time signature which on a mathematical level is exactly the same as three four. We discuss why it’s different. (pssst… it’s because of which beats are being emphasized… that’s the difference between any time signature… especially these two).
We learn a pattern that uses 6/8, which is (surprise!) the same pattern that we used in three four, but with a 6/8 “feel” instead of a 3/4 “feel.” Songs in 6/8: Unchained Melody, House Of The Rising Sun, You Really Got A Hold On Me, Still Crazy After All These Years, Nothing Else Matters, a plethora of traditional Irish music.
Finally, we discuss 12/8 time, which is kinda like two 6/8 time signatures glued together. This time signature’s essential if you want to learn the blues shuffle. I teach you not only the mechanics of how it works, but I also show you how we can break the rules regarding down and upstrokes using 12/8 to create the quintessential blues shuffle feel. Songs that use 12/8: Since I’ve Been Loving You, Let Me Roll It, In My Room (not a blues, but a cool 12/8 tune), Hold The Line, .
Next up is a finger picking tutorial: Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. (which, by the way, is in 6/8).
’til then!
-James
