How to Read & Write Strumming Patterns

In this lesson I’ll show you 7 tips for reading & writing strumming patterns as part of your ongoing guitar play & practice. Whether you’re following along with another lesson, learning a song by ear, or writing songs for yourself – there’s many situations where this is a vital skill to have as a guitarist. No reading music, no dissecting tabs… this one is all about simple, practical ways to write down those ups & down strums in ways you can easily read later. I’ll cover the basics, and then get into some slightly more advanced grounds in looking at things like accents, rests, slap strumming, and bass notes.

• 0:00 Lesson overview
• 1:02 Tip 1 - Ups & down strums
• 2:32 Tip 2 - Counting & rhythm
• 4:25 Tip 3 - Combining timing w/ strum directions
• 6:02 Tip 4 - Rests & Silence
• 7:51 Tip 5 - Accented Strums
• 10:25 Tip 6 - Bass Note Strumming
• 13:04 Tip 7 - Slap Strumming
• 14:05 Farewell

Instructional PDF 2 pages

Next Lesson: Choosing a Pick for Strumming →