So would I be correct in assuming that you are fairly new to playing--like at most a couple of months? Your playing on an electric guitar or acoustic?

Lets try this and give it a go for about 1 week.

1) Picking-- Hold the pick lightly not with a death grip. Hold it comfortably. If you cruise around this sight you should find a video or picture to show you a good proper way to hold it. There are many different ways just find what is comfortable for you.

2) When you pick you really want to only have the very tip/edge of the pick to hit the string. When playing chords you want to use a sweeping motion with your hand and wrist like you were brushing dust off your shirt or jeans. And the pick should "drag" across the strings. DO NOT try to use the pick as a "tool" to grab the underside of the string and yank it off or try to dig a groove in the wood/pick ups under the string. remember FLUID MOTION.

3) Now do not try to play a chord or anything but strum all 6 strings open and let each string ring. What you are trying to do here is see if you are dragging the fleshy part of your palm across the strings when you strum or resting it on the strings.

This will cause the notes to sound but they do not keep "sounding" becuase you are stopping the vibrations with that darn fleshy part. Which can cause a funky sounding ---- "nooooootechzzzzzzzzz(buzzing)-------------Silence" .

If this happens focus on keeping that fleshy part away from the strings. Sometimes we tend to rest that part of our hand right in front of the bridge of the guitar and this will cause "palm muting" or "dead strings". If this does not happen you should hear all 6 strings ringling clearly.

Please don't take this in the wrong way but if you do not know what the bridge is-- it is that small thin metal bar that is located an the "bottom" end on your Guitar close to where your strings are set (the balled ends). This would be for the electric guitar. Depending on the acoustic, this is the bar that the strings come out of.

Once you locate if this is the cause try this exercise.

Play all 6 strings open and be sure to strum them all.

Tap your foot to 4 beat rhythm.

Now play this pattern on each tap of the foot.

Strum(1) Strum(2) Strum(3) Strum(4)

Strum(1) NO strum(2) Strum(3) NO Strum(4)

**On the No Strum let the notes ring for that beat.**

Repeat this over and over again until you are so sick and tired of it (for that day) or someone yells from the other room to "STOP" :eek:

While playing this you want to focus and pay atention to the sweep of your hand, the fleshy part of your palm (where is it?) and the "attack" of the pick (Fluid not ripping off strings). Also you want to listen to make sure each string is sounding loudly and clearly.

If after you try this and you do not hear the "problems" you were having while playing using your fret hand then you do not have a strumming "problem" (such a nasty word). It may be more of a fret hand issue and there are a bout a ga-gillion different exercises to help you get that fixed and some key things to focus on while fretting.

:eek: Man I'm writing a novel.

Try this little thing first and lets try to work each possible "problem" out step by step.

Good luck!