If you've been wondering how someone can play any song on guitar right away and almost without any rehearsing, you'll find the answer in the following lines.
When it comes to playing the acoustic guitar, several things stand out as key elements for this skill. These are a stable rhythm of strumming and playing chords in a smooth way.
This article will outline some of the basic principles for building a strong foundation for these two essential skills. If you master these two techniques, you will be able to learn any song very easily and almost without any effort.
In order to be stable while strumming chords on the guitar, you need to master and adopt a few simple strumming patterns, which are the base of the rhythm of almost every possible song.
Let's start with the most basic pattern, from which you will be able to get a variety of rhythmic patterns with only a few small modifications. It’s something we may call simple eights, and it looks like this:
When it comes to playing the acoustic guitar, several things stand out as key elements for this skill. These are a stable rhythm of strumming and playing chords in a smooth way.
This article will outline some of the basic principles for building a strong foundation for these two essential skills. If you master these two techniques, you will be able to learn any song very easily and almost without any effort.
In order to be stable while strumming chords on the guitar, you need to master and adopt a few simple strumming patterns, which are the base of the rhythm of almost every possible song.
Let's start with the most basic pattern, from which you will be able to get a variety of rhythmic patterns with only a few small modifications. It’s something we may call simple eights, and it looks like this:
Try to play this eighth-note rhythm for a bit until you feel that the rhythm is stable, even when you do not think about the strumming hand at all.
Keep it going for, say, 2 to 5 minutes, and try playing with a metronome set at 60 beats per minute, playing two strokes (eighth notes) per click.
Practicing with the metronome is very useful because it teaches you to play a clear and precise rhythm, allowing you to play with anyone without any obstacles and to be rhythmically precise without any conscious effort.
Keep it going for, say, 2 to 5 minutes, and try playing with a metronome set at 60 beats per minute, playing two strokes (eighth notes) per click.
Practicing with the metronome is very useful because it teaches you to play a clear and precise rhythm, allowing you to play with anyone without any obstacles and to be rhythmically precise without any conscious effort.
The next step is to emphasize each first of the two downstrokes (emphasize it with a stronger stroke):
This is a basic strumming pattern around which we may build many variations, but one must be very stable in performing it in its elementary form.
How are we going to vary it? Simply continue to repeat the previous basic rhythm pattern, and when you feel ready, try to throw out one upstroke.
For example, you may try not to play every second eighth in each bar but say "ta" or "da" instead of that one kick in the muted strings, like this:
How are we going to vary it? Simply continue to repeat the previous basic rhythm pattern, and when you feel ready, try to throw out one upstroke.
For example, you may try not to play every second eighth in each bar but say "ta" or "da" instead of that one kick in the muted strings, like this:
The up-and-down movement of the right hand may be continuous and uninterrupted even during the pauses by moving the right hand just beside the strings, saying "ta" or "da" at the same time.
That's the meaning of the up- and down-strokes in parentheses. This permanent hand movement is very important for the skill of so-called organic strumming.
After some time, you may throw out the second eighth in the second group of four eighths as well:
That's the meaning of the up- and down-strokes in parentheses. This permanent hand movement is very important for the skill of so-called organic strumming.
After some time, you may throw out the second eighth in the second group of four eighths as well:
Or you also may throw out the first eight in the second group of the four eighths, and you will get another one rhythm pattern:
And so on. Be creative and try to mix these few patterns, and you will even be able to invent many more.
But remember: first, you need to learn separately the most basic pattern and the next few that have just been shown. Only then will you be able to improvise and play by combining them organically.
But remember: first, you need to learn separately the most basic pattern and the next few that have just been shown. Only then will you be able to improvise and play by combining them organically.
Now we may also include the left hand and try strumming over a single chord, and in the next step, over a change of two or more chords as well.
I suggest starting by using a simple chord change like the change between A minor and C major chords because it is one of the simplest to learn. Let's see how the simplest transition between these two chords works.
The third finger is the only one that moves, and by changing its position from the fifth-string/third fret to the fourth-string/second fret, you will be able right away to make a very swift and smooth change of the two chords.
I suggest starting by using a simple chord change like the change between A minor and C major chords because it is one of the simplest to learn. Let's see how the simplest transition between these two chords works.
The third finger is the only one that moves, and by changing its position from the fifth-string/third fret to the fourth-string/second fret, you will be able right away to make a very swift and smooth change of the two chords.
