Great to be here and need advice

I'm really trying to work on my strumming and keeping time better. All the videos on these topics say to tap your foot, however, I'm a paraplegic....so does anyone have any advice to help. I'm a beginner and just recently joined Guitar Tricks. I have learned so much already and I'm doing well. The thing that I don't feel great about is strumming in time. I would appreciate any advice on ways to improve other than tapping my foot. I practice with a metronome as much as possible, but would love to not always have to use it as the beeping gets really old! Thanks! ...Tracy

Welcome, Tracy! My first thought is to use the pinkie finger on your strumming hand. It's not reallly doing anything else anyway, and while it's resting below the strings, it could be a-tappin...

Tracy

hello and welcome.

Might I suggest you regularly change the sounds on your metronome to add some variety.

I'm sure you already realise what a great tool it is and most of us beginners don't use it enough. [br]As you watch more lessons you may notice the instructors are using a head movement as they count themselves in. [br]Easy enough on a simple slow 4/4 time. Small nod left and right as you count .

Have a look at Anders in the Acoustic lessons.

Again, welcome and well done on your progress so far. [br]Dave

Hi Tracy, I also got fed up with a straight forward metronome. I now use simple drum beats that I downloaded from the net.I find it more interesting. It is like having your own band drummer. Here is just one example, you will find others From the same site with different bpm. hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQoUfeRawX8

Hi Tracy

this migh help, I rarely tap but I do count. Works

Good luck

https://youtu.be/pdEFIHgP4fE

Hi there, I myself am struggling with my strumming, but I have been told that one day it will just fall into place, I just hope that it is tomorrow and not next week

Airborborne2466

One of the things I've observed is something of a mental block is strum timing. That is to say that people seem to think that strumming is like a militaristic 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 and so on.

Any rhythm pattern whether a rock riff or a strummed acoustic piece has a swing to it. A groove. Listen to an acoustic song and you'll realize that while there is a strum pattern and done so 'in time', it's ultimately a groove. A pattern that makes you want to bob your head or sway to it or some other thing.

The point here is to not so much listen for the timing but listen for the groove. What you'll notice is that there are little things with within the upstrokes and downstrokes that drive the groove.

For instance, George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' sounds like a solid 'Down-Down-Down-Down' (1-2-3-4) pattern but between the 3 and the 4 is a quick upstroke - D--D--D-U-D. That is part of the groove or the movement of the pattern.

Tricks like foot tapping or a metronome are timing mechisms and definarely have a use but when you think in terms of timing, it's often overlooked that it's really falling in to the rhythmic groove that people are looking for. Those things that make you bob your body. Those accents are what drive the timing. There are pattern changes and pauses that are really what makes the groove and accordingly, the timing.

Ultimately, that's the aim anyway. Groove.

Jeff's advice, yes! Forget mine. his is better.