stuck on notation vs strum pattern


Susan_Montgomery
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Susan_Montgomery
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10/15/2020 2:06 pm

I am new to reading notation and using strumming patterns. I am using a D-DU-U-DU pattern. I can understand it when I am playing a measure with 4 quarter notes (as an example). But I don't understand when there is a note missing in the notation like in this photo of a 3 chord song I'm working on. In the "him belong" part....would I just play the first three parts of the strumming pattern (D-DU-U) and do a ghost move where there is no note? Does that make sense? I'm not sure if I'm explaining it correctly but hopefully you can tell from my image what I'm trying to understand. I didn't find it explained in any videos thus far. Also, in the second measure you see here on the bottom... on the "loves me" part...I would just play the D-DU? And not the rest? And then start back at the beginning of the strum pattern in the next measure?

Thank you in advance! I'm enjoying the learning process of switching chords, especially in a strumming pattern.


“Often, what seems like an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in.” Robert Brault, American Operatic Tenor

# 1
faith83
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faith83
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10/15/2020 7:58 pm

I'm going to take a stab at this, knowing full well I'm probably out of my depth.

I think you might be confusing melody with strum pattern. The notes on the photo that you posted are the melody. A strum pattern isn't meant to play the melody, but to provide underlying harmonic support for that melody. So the melody has only a loose relationship to the strum pattern in the sense that (in general) the particular note in the melody is within the chord being played in the strum pattern.

So if there is no note in the melody on a particular beat, that has no relationship to the strum pattern, which is, in a sense, the "band" backing up the "lead singer" of the song.

Strum pattern does not equal melody in the way that fingerpicking occasionally does.

I hope that sort of helps until someone wiser and more able to address your specific question comes along!


"I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk."

# 2
Susan_Montgomery
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Susan_Montgomery
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10/15/2020 8:11 pm

Ohhh, that makes much more sense now. I don't know why I confused the two and thought that the melody had to play every beat of the strum pattern and vice versa. Thank you!


“Often, what seems like an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in.” Robert Brault, American Operatic Tenor

# 3
faith83
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faith83
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10/15/2020 9:01 pm

Oh, trust me, I've been there -- there are so many counterintuitive things about tab and guitar -- what's up is down and what's higher is lower -- it is so danged easy to get all turned around. And tab still makes no real sense to me.

And yeah! The first time you strum and switch chords and it actually starts to sound like MUSIC is a pretty cool experience.


"I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk."

# 4
Susan_Montgomery
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Susan_Montgomery
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10/16/2020 5:35 am

Yes, I'm experiencing that already! Along with this "Jesus Loves Me" song from an easy hymn book, I'm also working on the Jewel song Who Will Save Your Soul, found here on GuitarTricks. It's four simple chords strung together and I've got the first three and their changes down. That darn D trips me up every time but I'm working on it. :)

But it is definitely awesome when it actually starts to sound musical.


“Often, what seems like an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in.” Robert Brault, American Operatic Tenor

# 5
faith83
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faith83
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10/16/2020 12:45 pm

You'll get D, don't worry. It has the extreme advantage of being both symmetrical and on the bottom two strings, both of which will make it an easy shape once you learn it.


"I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk."

# 6

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