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Hopeless at strumming


Ssandman
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Ssandman
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01/03/2019 10:49 pm

I have really been enjoying this learning process in Fund. 1 w/ Lisa. I've been taking my time, getting fairly comfortable with one aspect before moving on to the next. I'm 85% through Fund. 1 in 6 months and practicing a lot. I thought that after getting comfortable with open chords & changes that I would be fairly well on my way. Up till now I've only been doing "down-strums" & my chords & songs sound pretty good. Well now I'm into the strumming/strum patterns & I feel like I've never had a guitar in my hands in my life. I can't control my pick, my volume, and everything just sounds plain awful!!!

I thought if I could strum down strokes ,that up strokes should be just the same...only in the other direction....WRONG!

I just can't seem to get this, no matter how hard I try & am extremely frustrated. Feel like all the work I've put into this is useless if I can't even play a tune in any kind of rhythm with a strum pattern that sounds decent. What am I missing here???


# 1
manXcat
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manXcat
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01/04/2019 1:54 am

Time.

Those who don't enjoy the gift of natural rhythm or an inherent tactility which serves to play alternate patterns, or with varying attack and tonal emphasis semi-subliminally just have to work consciously at it until it becomes so. Pretty much the same as all things guitar really. Be tenacious, put the work in, achieve the result.

I found what you're referring to relatively easy, some even instinctive. But easy is qualitatively relative. Maybe what I consider light going you consider hard work? Even so, I still have to put the work in to get it right with unusual if strumming, or complex patterns.

Watch the tute paying attention, focus on the detail and nuance required to achieve your objective, slowing it right down, play it aiming for accuracy over and over until you can consistently and accurately. Now gradually increase the tempo in stages until you can play it just like that at exercise or song tempo. If the riff requires altered patterns etc, break it down to the individual chords or sections and practise each as until you are competent with it , then stitch it all together as the whole.

Ultimately, there's no magic wand or wizard which will substitute for time on the instrument. Broken down to the simplest equation, although it's a cliche, the more I play, the better I get. You will too.


# 2
a.playle
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a.playle
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01/04/2019 1:21 pm

Downstrokes are easy! Why? Because you have gravity on your side - the motion of the lower arm falling with no muscular tension allows your strumming hand to automatically follow through the strings at the correct angle of attack (pick tip angled up).

The problem with upstrokes is that the change in direction of the lower arm necessitates a certain amount of muscular tension in order to get the arm moving in the opposite direction. The trick is to use just enough muscle power to get the arm moving back up without locking up the wrist, your wrist must remain supple and free throughout the whole strumming motion. Providing your strumming arm and hand remain tension free on the way back up, then your pick should automatically follow through the strings at the correct angle of attack (pick tip angled down).

Here's a way of getting an idea of the motion that you need to achieve. Imagine that you have piece of tape stuck to your finger tip and you want to flick it off. Your natural instinct is to flick your wrist up and down to dislodge it, however this movment introduces tension in your lower arm as you are using muscle power to move the wrist. Now try to dislodge it again, but this time, keeping your whole arm, from shoulder to finger tips as relaxed as possible, move your lower arm up and down from the elbow joint and allow your wrist to be moved through it's natural rotation by gravity only. Now try this again whilst holding a pick, do it slowly and watch the way the pick tip is angled up on the down stroke and as you raise your forearm gravity causes the wrist to rotate and the pick tip is now pointing down and ready to glide up across the strings.

Practise this movement until you are comfortable with it then transfer it to the guitar itself. Mute the strings with your fretting hand (sounds more pleasing to the ears that way) and start by slowly allowing the pick to glide down across the strings then reverse direction and glide the now downward pointing pick tip back up across the strings. When you can glide the pick smoothly across the strings in both directions, use a metronome and begin to up the tempo incrementally. Just remember that it is imperative that you remain relaxed and tension free - move the lower arm from the elbow joint and allow the wrist to rotate through it's natural arc.

Its worth mentioning that pick grip is a subjective subject, some like to hold it with a grip that keeps the thumb and lower fore finger parallel with each other - a grip that if find is great for picking and keeping a hold of the pick, but for me causes to much tension in the forearm for strumming. I personally prefer to hold the pick by pinching it between thumb and forefinger near to the tips. This does mean the pick is less secure but you will find that with experience you can manipulate the pick in your fingers as you are strumming without dropping it... and if you do drop it just carry on using your thumb and fingers!

So remain relaxed, move from the elbow and allow the wrist to act with gravity. It WILL become a natural and effortless movement eventually.

Edit: It also helps if you use a thin a pick as possible, this way you will have less resistance against the strings and less likelyhood of the pick shifting out of position in your grip.


# 3
BiancaV
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BiancaV
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01/05/2019 7:54 am

Sandman, deep breath.

you’ve got some good technical feedback from 2 experienced players.

I am so new at this, so I may be talking rubbish, but I’m not really that focussed on perfectly strumming all the strings on an upstroke. It depends on the bass. With a G, I strum down, then either pick up a few of the high strings or middies. With an Em, I may let the bass note ring nicely going down, then pick up only 5 strings going up. What I’m saying is relax, count - down down up up down, and just go with it.

I also slightly shift direction of the pick. I had a look at Caren Armstrong’s tute of Runaway Train and that made it click for me. I used my thumb and thumb nail to get what she was showing me, then the pick.

you will get it, I was ready to chuck it in a few weeks ago but it suddenly started to flow. It’s tough to be a beginner, you want it to be perfect and as adults, we are often good at other things so why not this skill.

You are not hopeless. Maybe you’re trying too hard.


Bianca

Man is not an Island

Sailing the Australian coast on SV Enya

My creative life on a sailing yacht

# 4
Ssandman
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Ssandman
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01/09/2019 6:38 pm

Thanks all, for your input. This is an awesome forum. Finally beginning to feel it. One thing that helped me most was switching to a thinner pick. I'm now strumming with a .50 mm "flex" tortex pick...it's really floppy & I can control the pick better.

Feeling better about this now.


# 5
manXcat
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manXcat
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01/09/2019 10:14 pm

Good work! Thin to medium flexible pick for strumming. Less attack, won't 'dig in' when it shouldn't, requires less accuracy so gives the perception of greater control, and undeniably gives a better overall timbre or tone for chord strumming. Medium or higher thicknesses when needing a compromise for individual note picking.

I second the suggestion to find a song (i) you like, (ii) within your skill level, (iii) taught by Caren Armstrong. Why?

Learning a strum pattern within the context of its overall melody, rhythm and tempo of a song is IME, easier. It lends context which assists instinctive learning complimentary to the dry repetitive focused drill exercise.

Caren Armstrong gives exceptionally relatable but in depth explanations of technique, tone with attention to every nuance in her song lessons. In the particular she explains the detail, especially strum pattern, broken down into its basic form in plain language and in a manner which is easy to comprehend in toto. It's a particular characteristic I've noted of her lessons I've done so far, and strength of hers, which personally, I really enjoy. e.g "Don't Cross The River", "Wonderful World" (Sam Cooke ver), "You Send Me".

Otherwise glad to hear you feel you're now making progress. 👍


# 6
donstringham
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donstringham
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01/09/2019 10:56 pm

I getcha! Hope is NOT lost. Gary Heimbauer (gary.heimbauer@guitartricks.com) is an instructor here at Guitar Tricks who is an awesome strummer himself. I would schedule a 1-on-1 session with him! His tips and drills have made my strumming WAY better is a very short time. Good luck and keep practicing.


- Don

# 7
Ssandman
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Ssandman
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01/13/2019 7:23 pm

Don, thanks. I can't find Gary H. in the Guitar Tricks current list of instructors. Maybe he's not with them anymore.


# 8
donstringham
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donstringham
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01/14/2019 4:48 pm

He is actually really new. Try sending an email to gary.heimbauer@guitartricks.com. Also, if you go to the home page on Guitar Tricks and click on the Book a Live Online Lesson you can schedule time with Gary.


- Don

# 9
Ssandman
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Ssandman
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01/16/2019 12:10 am

Hey, thanks Don...will follow up with Gary.


# 10

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