I’m very surprised at how many students don’t truly understand what strumming patterns are, or if they do, they don’t know that many. But it’s actually quite simple. A strumming pattern is just a series of downstrokes and upstrokes that occur on specific beats of each bar. Once you understand the pattern, all you need to do is add some chords, and there you go – you’ll be able to play a few songs.

Of course, you’ll need more than just a single strum pattern to play a variety of different songs, as one pattern alone won’t suffice. Different songs have different tempos and feels, which means you need to find a groove that matches the song; otherwise, it just won’t sound right.

It’s also a good idea to learn a few different patterns from different styles of music so that you can adapt to whatever you’re playing. Starting with folk About Country Music - For a long time in the 21st century, country music played a minor role within the pop music scene.Shortly after World War II, many new radio stations in urban areas focused primarily on country music, often accompanied by local advertising. In the 1930s, country music's status was consolidated in the mainstream pop music landscape. The… and pop is probably the easiest way to learn. Once you have a few of those down, you should explore blues, country, rock A Finnish music story - Musician Matti Mattila wrote his story for us, a Finnish music story! Please read also his Finnish blog and check his page at LinkedIn. I named this article "A Finnish music story" because through Matti words we can know an exclusive tale about late 70's and 80's of Finnish music. Of course the personal thoughts… , and funk. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes in your playing when you become skilled at various styles of rhythm playing and learn all the important strumming patterns.

Remember, you only need a small number of patterns, and once you grasp the basics, you can start to improvise and do what sounds best. In fact, that’s the essence of music. If it sounds good and feels good, it’s probably right, so go for it. Don’t waste your time learning a huge number of strum patterns because there are countless combinations. I bet some of your favorite guitarists only use a few patterns anyway.

Manuel Marino

Manuel Marino is a seasoned Senior Producer, Music Composer, and Artist with over a decade of experience. He specializes in branded entertainment across various mediums, including video games, films, and advertising campaigns. With 20+ years as a game music composer, Manuel has worked on numerous platforms, creating diverse orchestral soundtracks. HIRE ME