Guitar Strumming Patterns

for electric and acoustic guitar

Learning basic chords is a good starting point in playing accompaniment to many songs, and with mastering a number of guitar strumming patterns from this lesson you'll be able to get your rhythm going much far and turn even simple chord progressions into sounding great accompaniment.

You don't necessarily need to learn all of them just pick up the ones you like and use them in your playing.

But remember: it's always very important to strum or pick the strings rhythmically correct and stable, you can use your foot to beat pulsation that will support the rhythm or use metronome or drum machine for it.

To create a beat with your foot use following counting:

1 – the foot knocks the floor. And - the foot lifts up,
2 – the foot knocks the floor. And - the foot lifts up,
3 – the foot knocks the floor. And - the foot lifts up,
4 – the foot knocks the floor. And - the foot lifts up

after the "4 - AND" switch back to "1 - AND - 2 - AND", and so on...

  Pattern 1       

 

  Pattern 2       

This pattern sounds better if to play a bit loose on the strum up and to miss stroking the lower string.

 

  Pattern 3       

 

  Pattern 4       

 

  Pattern 5       

 

  Pattern 6       

In order to perform muted strum, put the edge of your strumming hand on the strings near the guitar bridge, so the strings should become muffled, and while remaining in this position strum the chord in the direction which the white arrow shows.

It's similar to palm mute technique but the muted strumming perceived as percussive effect and you don't have to strum all the strings for it.

  Pattern 7       

 

  Pattern 8       

 

  Pattern 9       

 

  Pattern 10       

 

  Pattern 11       

 

  Pattern 12       

 

  Pattern 13       

 

  Pattern 14       

 

Despite this strumming pattern looks straightforward, down,up, down, up all the time, watch the dynamics, a bit accent strums at the black and loose at the gray arrows.

 

More Advanced Guitar Strumming Patterns

 

In the long strumming diagrams I included patterns which are two bars in length. That's why the count is repeated twice.

Pattern 15

       

Note that some strums here are really short.

 


Pattern 16

       

 


Pattern 17

       

For easy remembering this pattern, see the sequence: 2 strums, 1 muted strum and again 2 strums, 1 muted strum, all the time, but in the end of the second bar play one extra muted strum.

 


  Pattern 18       

 

  Pattern 19       

 

Although the pattern looks simple, it might be challenging for beginner guitar players.
Pay attention that there are three strums per beat, each of them is to be played by the same amount of time.
This rhythmic formation is called triplet.

  Pattern 20       

 

 

 


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