Strumming For Beginners In 4 Steps

So, you've just gotten your hands on your first guitar, and you're bursting with excitement to dive right in. You can't wait for awesome things you’ve seen other guitarists do, you know that thing where your arm swings, you strike the strings, and music fills the air, what’s it called…. Strumming! 

Strumming is one of the first major milestones of your guitar-learning journey and cannot be avoided. It lays down the key foundation for playing the guitar, developing rhythm, and making music feel good. We'll guide you through the essential aspects of strumming that you need to understand to help you have a good sense of rhythm, setting you on the path to success! And for all the future lead guitar players, I promise you that all the skills you acquire from strumming also transfer to lead guitar.

At first glance, watching someone strum a guitar might seem deceptively simple. It looks like just a matter of moving your arm up and down to hit the strings—how hard could it be? However, from a teacher's perspective, while some may find it comes naturally, the majority often struggle with this in the early stages. If you take your time and focus on mastering the basic principles of movement, timing, and counting out loud (to begin with), which we'll cover below, you'll definitely get the hang of it!

So how do we start? 

Let's break down the 4 steps of learning how to strum! Don't forget that if you prefer a more visual way to learn, you will likely prefer to start our 30 Day Beginner Challenge, where we learn this in great detail!

Step 1: Get moving!

The first step may feel a bit silly, but we're going to begin by practising moving your strumming hand up and down away from the guitar. The goal is to get your arm moving within a consistent range, ensuring it moves evenly and at the same speed in both directions. Watch out for any variations in speed; we want it to be consistent whether you're moving up or down. Got it? Time for step 2. 

Step 2: Counting loud and proud!

Time to hit the strings? Not quite yet! First, let's add a count to the direction your strumming hand is moving. This count will be your rhythmic pulse, which we'll discuss more later. Every time your hand moves down, count out loud, yes, out loud and proud to the magic sequence: 

Step 2.5: Dividing the beat! 

Now, we have our strumming hand swinging with a strong pulse and a loud count of 1 2 3 4. We are going to divide the count up into another fraction taking our whole count of 1, 2, 3, 4 into 8ths. The count is now going to; 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

The key distinction here is that the strumming hand isn't moving any faster; we're just counting the upstrokes as a beat. When we strike the strings while counting, it will sound twice as fast, but the right hand maintains the same pace. We refer to the downstrokes on 1, 2, 3, and 4 as quarter beats and the upstrokes as eighth note divisions and we call those 'and' (shown as + on the diagrams). 

The more confidently you can count out loud, the stronger your rhythm will be! If you rush through this step because it feels silly or awkward, or because it's more challenging than expected, don't be surprised if you encounter difficulties in later stages. So, consider revisiting this stage if needed!

Step 3: Let’s make some noise! 

It's time to hit those strings and make some noise! If you know any chord shapes, any will do—preferably a chord that features all six strings, such as E minor, E major, or G. If you don't know any chords at this stage, that's okay too! We'll just play the open strings.

We're going to introduce a new movement to the up-and-down strumming hand: moving the hand inward towards the guitar to strike the strings. However, we're not going to start by hitting every beat—down and up—right away. I've found that most students tend to get self-conscious about how loud a guitar can get. Instead, we'll focus on controlling the strumming hand to move inward to hit only on beat 1, then move it away to continue the movement on every other beat.

Remember to always keep the count out loud and keep the strumming hand moving, even if you're not hitting the strings! This movement serves as our pulse and helps keep everything in time, as long as the hand is moving evenly at the same pace, as mentioned in steps 1 and 2. This will be crucial to the next step and keeping it in time! 

Step 4: The Upbeat! 

Okay, if you've mastered step 3, give yourself a pat on the back! It's not easy, and you've done well so far by mindfully practising each step. This final step should be easier since you've built the crucial foundations to succeed. The biggest challenge here is getting the guitar pick to strum across the strings. Don't worry if you don't hit all of the strings on the way up—that's normal! The most important aspect is keeping the movement and timing consistent. For this last strumming pattern, we are going to add two more beats as shown below;  

Here, you can really appreciate the beat division and hear how the upstrum sounds faster. However, if performed correctly, the strumming hand isn't actually moving any faster. Now, remember to keep counting out loud and keep your hand moving evenly, as I'm sure I've mentioned several times earlier in this blog.  

Conclusion 

In conclusion, strumming is a fundamental skill that lays the groundwork for your guitar-playing journey. It may seem simple at first glance, but mastering it requires patience, practice, and attention to detail. By following the steps outlined in this blog—from basic movement and counting to more complex rhythms—you can develop a strong sense of rhythm and control over your strumming hand.

Remember, everyone progresses at their own pace, so don't be discouraged if you encounter challenges along the way. Each step builds upon the last, and with consistent practice, you'll find that your strumming skills will improve over time. So, grab your guitar, practice these steps, and before you know it, you'll be strumming along to your favourite songs with confidence!