Strumming is rhythm. Most beginners focus so hard on chord shapes that they forget to play in time. A perfect chord on the wrong beat sounds wrong. A slightly buzzy chord in tight rhythm sounds right.
The pattern that works under everything
D D U U D U (down-down-up-up-down-up)Read it slowly:
- Down on beat 1
- Down on beat 2
- Up on the "and" of 2
- Up on the "and" of 3
- Down on beat 4
- Up on the "and" of 4
Your hand moves constantly up and down, like windshield wipers. You just touch the strings on some strokes and skip others. The motion never stops, which is what keeps time.
Practice metronome
90BPM
Practice it with Em
Set the metronome to 90 BPM. Hold Em the whole time. Just focus on the strum pattern. Loop the six-stroke pattern over four beats, over and over.Then add chord changes
Once the strum is automatic, add a chord change every two bars: Em → Am, then back. Then Em → D. The strum pattern stays exactly the same; only the chord changes.Why this pattern works
Down-strokes hit on the strong beats. Up-strokes hit on the weak (off) beats. That makes a groove your foot wants to tap to. It is in the Beatles, Oasis, every campfire song. Master it, then vary it later.Drill plan
Five minutes pure pattern on Em. Five minutes Em → Am switching every two bars. Five minutes Em → Am → D in a loop. Fifteen minutes total. Do this every day for a week.Next: your first full song play-along.