To strum a guitar, hold the pick loosely between your thumb and index finger, relax your wrist, and move your arm up and down across the strings in a steady rhythm. Strum down on the beat and up on the offbeat, keeping your hand moving even when you miss a strum.
How do you strum a guitar?
Strumming a guitar means brushing the pick or your fingers across the strings in a steady rhythm, playing several notes at once, and it is the way most guitarists accompany a song. Hold the pick loosely between your thumb and index finger, relax your wrist, and move your arm up and down across the strings, letting the pick glide over the strings instead of digging into them. Strum down on the beat and up on the offbeat, and keep your hand moving even when you miss a strum, because the rhythm comes from the movement, not from hitting every string. The strum is a movement of the wrist and the forearm, not of the whole arm, and the wrist should be loose, like shaking water off your hand. A stiff wrist makes the strum sound choppy and uneven, while a loose wrist makes it sound smooth and flowing. The pick should be held loosely, so it can flex over the strings, and the strum should start with the pick above the strings and end below them, in one smooth motion. The G major guitar chord and the C major guitar chord are the chords most beginners first strum, and the metronome keeps the beat steady.
How strumming works
Strumming works by moving the pick across the strings in a steady rhythm, with the downstroke on the beat and the upstroke on the offbeat. In 4/4 time, there are four beats per bar, and each beat can be divided into two eighth notes, a downstroke and an upstroke, so a bar has eight eighth-note strums: down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up. The downstroke is stronger, because it follows the natural movement of the arm, and the upstroke is lighter, because it works against gravity, and the difference gives the strum its groove. The hand should keep moving, even when a strum is missed, because the rhythm is in the movement, not in the hits. A common pattern is down, down, up, up, down, up, which is six strums in a bar, with two strums missed, and the hand keeps moving through the missed strums, so the rhythm stays steady. The pick should brush the strings, not dig into them, and the strum should be even, with each string sounding, not just the top or the bottom strings. The D major guitar chord and the A major guitar chord are the chords the strumming patterns are built on.
Worked example — the basic down-up strum. Hold a G major chord, and strum down on beat one, up on the offbeat, down on beat two, up on the offbeat, and so on, for four beats, which is eight strums: down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up. Count out loud, one and two and three and four and, with the downstroke on the number and the upstroke on the and. The downstroke is on the beat, and the upstroke is on the offbeat, and the hand keeps moving, even and steady, like a pendulum. Now try the pattern down, down, up, up, down, up, which is the same eight movements, with two strums missed, and the hand still moves through the missed strums, so the rhythm stays steady. The I–V–vi–IV progression in G major is a good progression to practise the strum with.
How to practise strumming
Practise strumming slowly, with a metronome, until the movement is smooth and the rhythm is steady, and then increase the speed, one step at a time.
- Practise the basic down-up strum on a G major chord, counting one and two and three and four and, with the downstroke on the number and the upstroke on the and.
- Practise the pattern down, down, up, up, down, up, on a C major chord, keeping the hand moving through the missed strums, so the rhythm stays steady.
- Play the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major with a steady down-up strum, changing chords on beat one of each bar.
- Practise with the metronome at 60 beats per minute, and increase the tempo by 5 beats per minute when the strum is steady at the current tempo.
- Practise strumming with your fingers, without a pick, using the nail of your index finger for downstrokes and the flesh of your thumb for upstrokes, and compare the sound with the pick.
Common mistakes
- Holding the pick too tightly — A pick held too tightly cannot flex over the strings, and the strum will sound choppy and uneven, and the pick may fly out of your hand. Hold the pick loosely, so it can flex, and the strum will be smooth.
- Stopping the hand when you miss a strum — The rhythm comes from the movement, not from the hits, so stopping the hand when you miss a strum will break the rhythm. Keep the hand moving, even through the missed strums, and the rhythm will stay steady.
- Strumming with a stiff wrist — A stiff wrist makes the strum sound choppy, because the movement comes from the whole arm, and the arm is heavy and slow. Relax the wrist, and let it move like shaking water off your hand, and the strum will be smooth and flowing.
Quick reference
This table shows the basic down-up strum for one bar in 4/4 time, with the beat, the strum direction, and the count for each eighth note, so you can see the pattern and count along with it. The downstroke is on the number, and the upstroke is on the and, and the hand moves steadily through all eight strums.
| Beat | Strum | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Beat 1 | Down | 1 |
| Offbeat | Up | and |
| Beat 2 | Down | 2 |
| Offbeat | Up | and |
| Beat 3 | Down | 3 |
| Offbeat | Up | and |
| Beat 4 | Down | 4 |
| Offbeat | Up | and |
Use the table to practise the basic strum: count out loud, one and two and three and four and, and strum down on the number and up on the and, keeping the hand moving steadily. When you can strum the table without looking, try the pattern down, down, up, up, down, up, and count the missed strums as you move through them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I strum a guitar?
Hold the pick loosely between your thumb and index finger, relax your wrist, and move your arm up and down across the strings in a steady rhythm. Strum down on the beat and up on the offbeat, keeping your hand moving even when you miss a strum.
Should I strum down or up?
Both. Strum down on the beat, which is stronger, and up on the offbeat, which is lighter, and the combination gives the strum its groove. A bar in 4/4 time has eight eighth-note strums: down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up.
Do I need a pick to strum?
No. You can strum with your fingers, using the nail of your index finger for downstrokes and the flesh of your thumb for upstrokes, and the sound is softer and warmer than a pick. A pick gives a brighter, sharper sound, and fingers give a softer, rounder sound.
Why does my strumming sound uneven?
Because the wrist is stiff, or because the pick is held too tightly, or because the hand stops when a strum is missed. Relax the wrist, hold the pick loosely, and keep the hand moving, and the strum will even out.
How do I keep time while strumming?
Use a metronome, count out loud, and keep your hand moving in a steady rhythm, even when you miss a strum. The metronome keeps the beat, the counting keeps the place, and the moving hand keeps the rhythm.