Strumming Patterns | 01: Reduction
Added 2021-01-25 14:00:05 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone,
In this lesson I break down some nice concepts about strumming in 4/4. The reduction technique is one I use with students who are having particular difficulty learning strumming patterns on guitar. I hope you find it useful and I hope it helps even a few seasoned players think about they way they strum. Also, let me know if you're still having difficulty!
Check out the strumming scratch paper attached below and please post your questions and original patterns on the community forum post for this lesson.
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Comments
When I try to watch the video for this lesson, the screen turns white and doesn’t load. I have noticed a couple of other technique videos doing the same. Any ideas?
Daniel Irwin
2024-07-23 20:47:28 +0000 UTCWhere? Where? Where wolf? There wolf! (sorry ...had to throw in the Young Frankenstein reference )
Ben Poe
2023-08-13 21:11:43 +0000 UTCI absolutely love the chord progression and the strumming pattern at 36:25, it can't get out of my head.
Alexakys Tsan
2023-05-29 13:36:59 +0000 UTCWow, this was what I need to see about holding pick and moving the whole arm. I realize I was moving only my wrist while strumming which makes holding pick more difficult than it is. And licking finger is a plus.
Sev
2022-03-03 11:22:57 +0000 UTCI hit send before I was done typing, but I was going to add that I imagine that the counting "one-and-two-and-... etc." eventually becomes a subconscious autonomous thing. I'm having trouble right now with the counting, as one of the commenters above mentioned, it seems to mess with what my hands want to do, but developing the ability keep the count in my head seems to be the goal, and with enough practice, the count will just happen.
Tom Rush
2021-08-25 18:17:01 +0000 UTCGreat Lesson!! This is one of those "A-Ha!" moment lessons for me! The idea of keeping that steady rhythm of arm motion may be so obvious that most teachers don't even teach it, but it was like a slap-your-forehead and say "duh!" thing for me. Even though I'm a beginner, I've tried many in person, cd/vhs (remember those?), and web lessons that never even mention this principle. But I do have a question about the counting... I get that you count the numbers on the down strum and the "and" on the up strum, but is it common practice to only vocalize when you strike the strings and silent on the misses? At least until you become proficient enough to just do it in your head.
Tom Rush
2021-08-25 18:07:22 +0000 UTCI may have! Can't remember
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-08-23 21:13:33 +0000 UTCAlways enjoyable, musical and instructive. At one point, didn't you play the intro to Creedence Clearwater's Bad Moon Rising? Loved that! Look forward to rest of this series.
Ken Keffer
2021-08-23 17:19:14 +0000 UTCHi Kenneth, it's all about practice. It might be useful to learn to count, but if your goal for the practice session is to learn a specific strumming pattern and the counting doesn't help, don't do it. Create two separate practice sessions - one for learning to count strumming patterns and one for learning/creating new strumming patterns. The two will eventually start to converge.
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-08-20 16:26:54 +0000 UTCFirst of all: great lesson. Want i want to ask is: is the counting really important? Because the moment i start to count it throws me off… meanwhile i am at a place where if i listen to someone do it, i actually hear if they are down or upstrokes and i can play it/copy it effortlessly , but if i start to think about it my brain just goes puff… i know its just practice probably, but do i have to practice counting if i can just work it out by ear?
KENNETH Fiend
2021-08-20 08:05:14 +0000 UTCMy achilles heel has been brought into the light haha. But that's okay, because it can be fixed with Scotts very helpful scratch sheets :D Thanks a lot for this! So far palm muting is the devil, but that's okay. It'll get better with time.. Hopefully haha
Emily Raw
2021-07-28 06:09:13 +0000 UTCGreat lesson Scott.
Stephen Rice
2021-03-13 02:02:02 +0000 UTCDitto on other comments, you do a great job of explaining. Maybe due to long term listening to rock music very loudly or maybe early dementia, IDK. I have trouble not hearing the "misses", possibly also due to the sustained resonance on the electric guitar. Would an acoustic work better for teaching?
Rene Lorelai Goodale
2021-02-17 16:53:12 +0000 UTCThanks for this great lesson. Chris
Chris Zhang
2021-02-06 14:29:06 +0000 UTCThis was a very concise and clear lesson. Much appreciated, Scott.
Josue Munoz
2021-01-25 20:38:15 +0000 UTCthis is great lesson something I know I need some work on, working at home is hard when you have your guitar near you, and a great lesson in front of you, :)
B Marto
2021-01-25 15:10:36 +0000 UTC
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