Chords for 7 Beginner Strumming Patterns (Strum Help) - (Matt McCoy)
Tempo:
116.05 bpm
Chords used:
G
C
D
Em
E
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[N]
[C] [G]
[D] [C] [Em]
[D] [G] [Am]
[Em] [D] Hey everybody, today I [E] want to go over the number one question I get asked and that's
what is the strumming pattern?
When I started playing guitar, that was the biggest thing I struggled with was what is
the strumming pattern of a song?
So I'm going to give you seven different things today that you can kind of go down the checklist
when you hear a song that you can try these seven things to see if it fits one of the
strumming patterns and hopefully whatever song you're trying to play it'll fit in one
of those categories.
One thing, another thing I want to note is it's very hard, especially for beginners,
to sing and play at the same time because your singing will always overrule your playing.
So what you'll [G] do is you'll sing the song and then in order to try to fit your voice,
you'll speed up or slow down or do what you need to do with the chords to throw the song
off to fit your voice.
So always be leery of that.
That takes a little while to learn.
But here's your seven strumming patterns you can work on.
The first one is just a basic down strum.
I'll use the chords G, C, E minor, D.
Like I said, the first is just strum down slow.
[Bm]
[D] For example on Lord I Hope Your Name On [G] High.
[D] [C]
So that's just basic.
Start out slow.
Beginners have a tendency to go a little faster.
I do it also.
A slow down strum.
Keeping a steady beat.
So first, just a standard strum.
The second one is kind of muting the strings with your hand while you play.
This is really helpful for faster songs.
So it's [G] like on a
[C] I'm taking [Em] the sun [D] off [G] the moon.
[C] I'm taking my [D] shame.
[G]
[C] I'm making [Em] a [D] mistake.
[G]
[C] [D] Again, [Am] you're just muting the string with your hands because that kills the sound and
helps you [G] get to the next chord faster.
[C] [A] [C]
[G] This is one that I usually use to start out a [Abm] song.
When I'm first trying to learn a song, [C] I'll kind [G] of
Give and [D] take.
[Em]
Give and take.
[C] [G] My heart will choose.
[D] [Em] No less than you.
I'll kind of use that one to start out.
[G] So you get the slow strum, the [E] palm mute.
The next one is just a standard strum.
You want to go quick up and down, but you want to emphasize the first strum.
This is another really useful chord.
[G]
[D] [G]
You can see what I'm doing there.
Hitting that first one hard, then just kind of tinkering around with the strings until
I get to the next chord.
[C]
[G]
[D]
[G] [C] [G]
[D] [G]
[C] [G] [D]
[G] Again, hit that first chord hard, then [C] a little [Gb] softer on the rest of the chords.
For our fifth one, this is more for really slow songs.
[G] Just use the chords, but pick the strings.
[D]
[Bm] [C] [G]
[D]
[Bm] [C] [G]
Another thing this really helps is it tells you if you're playing the chord right.
A lot of times, especially for beginners, that's an excellent practice technique.
Pick through the strings, see if you have any dead ones.
It'll [E] help you to move your fingers closer to the fret or in between the fret bars to get a clearer sound.
[D]
[Bm] [C]
[G] [D]
[Bb] [G] So there's the fifth method.
The sixth method, we're going to use a bass drum.
They use this for a lot of country songs.
Give it away.
Or straight, or
[C] [G] Again, you're just taking two or three notes, [G] and you're going to hit the bass note down.
[C]
[D] [C] [G]
[Em]
[C] [G] So again, that's using the bass [E] drum.
And then the last, it's one that I use a lot.
I just learned a couple years ago.
[G]
Hammering on a string to give you two sounds with the same chord.
[D]
[G]
[D]
[G]
So there's your seven methods.
I don't know if I went over this one, but I'll just throw it in for bonus there.
Another good one to do is the chop.
So down low, and then mute the strings and chop down.
This is great for fast songs or gives your song kind of a unique sound to it.
[D] [G]
It's kind of drum beat in there.
So again, your seven methods, you have the standard slow strum,
you have the mute [C] the strings,
[Em] you have [G] the quick down and up with the emphasis on the chord.
[C]
You have the
Let's see what I wrote there.
Oh, you have the slap the chord like I said at the end.
On the slow songs, you can mute between the notes.
Then you got the bass drum.
And the last is the hammer on.
[D]
[G] [N] Sorry for the little cold I've had, got through this one.
But I hope you guys have a great day, and I hope this can help you with some of your strumming patterns.
And I'm looking forward to an exciting 2010.
Have a great day, God bless you.
[C] [G]
[D] [C] [Em]
[D] [G] [Am]
[Em] [D] Hey everybody, today I [E] want to go over the number one question I get asked and that's
what is the strumming pattern?
When I started playing guitar, that was the biggest thing I struggled with was what is
the strumming pattern of a song?
So I'm going to give you seven different things today that you can kind of go down the checklist
when you hear a song that you can try these seven things to see if it fits one of the
strumming patterns and hopefully whatever song you're trying to play it'll fit in one
of those categories.
One thing, another thing I want to note is it's very hard, especially for beginners,
to sing and play at the same time because your singing will always overrule your playing.
So what you'll [G] do is you'll sing the song and then in order to try to fit your voice,
you'll speed up or slow down or do what you need to do with the chords to throw the song
off to fit your voice.
So always be leery of that.
That takes a little while to learn.
But here's your seven strumming patterns you can work on.
The first one is just a basic down strum.
I'll use the chords G, C, E minor, D.
Like I said, the first is just strum down slow.
[Bm]
[D] For example on Lord I Hope Your Name On [G] High.
[D] [C]
So that's just basic.
Start out slow.
Beginners have a tendency to go a little faster.
I do it also.
A slow down strum.
Keeping a steady beat.
So first, just a standard strum.
The second one is kind of muting the strings with your hand while you play.
This is really helpful for faster songs.
So it's [G] like on a
[C] I'm taking [Em] the sun [D] off [G] the moon.
[C] I'm taking my [D] shame.
[G]
[C] I'm making [Em] a [D] mistake.
[G]
[C] [D] Again, [Am] you're just muting the string with your hands because that kills the sound and
helps you [G] get to the next chord faster.
[C] [A] [C]
[G] This is one that I usually use to start out a [Abm] song.
When I'm first trying to learn a song, [C] I'll kind [G] of
Give and [D] take.
[Em]
Give and take.
[C] [G] My heart will choose.
[D] [Em] No less than you.
I'll kind of use that one to start out.
[G] So you get the slow strum, the [E] palm mute.
The next one is just a standard strum.
You want to go quick up and down, but you want to emphasize the first strum.
This is another really useful chord.
[G]
[D] [G]
You can see what I'm doing there.
Hitting that first one hard, then just kind of tinkering around with the strings until
I get to the next chord.
[C]
[G]
[D]
[G] [C] [G]
[D] [G]
[C] [G] [D]
[G] Again, hit that first chord hard, then [C] a little [Gb] softer on the rest of the chords.
For our fifth one, this is more for really slow songs.
[G] Just use the chords, but pick the strings.
[D]
[Bm] [C] [G]
[D]
[Bm] [C] [G]
Another thing this really helps is it tells you if you're playing the chord right.
A lot of times, especially for beginners, that's an excellent practice technique.
Pick through the strings, see if you have any dead ones.
It'll [E] help you to move your fingers closer to the fret or in between the fret bars to get a clearer sound.
[D]
[Bm] [C]
[G] [D]
[Bb] [G] So there's the fifth method.
The sixth method, we're going to use a bass drum.
They use this for a lot of country songs.
Give it away.
Or straight, or
[C] [G] Again, you're just taking two or three notes, [G] and you're going to hit the bass note down.
[C]
[D] [C] [G]
[Em]
[C] [G] So again, that's using the bass [E] drum.
And then the last, it's one that I use a lot.
I just learned a couple years ago.
[G]
Hammering on a string to give you two sounds with the same chord.
[D]
[G]
[D]
[G]
So there's your seven methods.
I don't know if I went over this one, but I'll just throw it in for bonus there.
Another good one to do is the chop.
So down low, and then mute the strings and chop down.
This is great for fast songs or gives your song kind of a unique sound to it.
[D] [G]
It's kind of drum beat in there.
So again, your seven methods, you have the standard slow strum,
you have the mute [C] the strings,
[Em] you have [G] the quick down and up with the emphasis on the chord.
[C]
You have the
Let's see what I wrote there.
Oh, you have the slap the chord like I said at the end.
On the slow songs, you can mute between the notes.
Then you got the bass drum.
And the last is the hammer on.
[D]
[G] [N] Sorry for the little cold I've had, got through this one.
But I hope you guys have a great day, and I hope this can help you with some of your strumming patterns.
And I'm looking forward to an exciting 2010.
Have a great day, God bless you.
Key:
G
C
D
Em
E
G
C
D
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [C] _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [Am] _ _
[Em] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ Hey everybody, today I [E] want to go over the number one question I get asked and that's
what is the strumming pattern?
When I started playing guitar, that was the biggest thing I struggled with was what is
the strumming pattern of a song?
So I'm going to give you seven different things today that you can kind of go down the checklist
when you hear a song that you can try these seven things to see if it fits one of the
strumming patterns and hopefully whatever song you're trying to play it'll fit in one
of those categories.
_ _ One thing, another thing I want to note is it's very hard, especially for beginners,
to sing and play at the same time because your singing will always overrule your playing.
So what you'll [G] do is you'll sing the song and then in order to try to fit your voice,
you'll speed up or slow down or do what you need to do with the chords to throw the song
off to fit your voice.
So always be leery of that.
That takes a little while to learn.
But here's your seven strumming patterns you can work on.
The first one is just a basic down strum.
_ I'll use the chords _ G, C, E minor, D.
Like I said, the first is just strum down slow.
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ For example on Lord I Hope Your Name On [G] High. _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
So that's just basic.
_ Start out slow.
_ Beginners have a tendency to go a little faster.
I do it also.
_ A slow down strum.
_ Keeping a steady beat.
So first, just a standard strum.
The second one is kind of muting the strings with your hand while you play.
This is really helpful for faster songs.
So it's [G] like on a_
[C] I'm taking [Em] the sun [D] off [G] the moon.
[C] I'm taking my [D] shame.
_ _ [G] _
[C] I'm making [Em] a [D] mistake.
[G] _
_ [C] _ _ _ [D] _ Again, [Am] you're just muting the string with your hands because that kills the sound and
helps you [G] get to the next chord faster.
[C] _ _ [A] _ _ [C] _ _
[G] _ _ _ This is one that I usually use to start out a [Abm] song.
When I'm first trying to learn a song, [C] I'll kind [G] of_
Give and [D] take.
_ _ _ [Em]
Give and take.
[C] _ _ _ [G] My heart will choose.
[D] _ _ _ [Em] No less than you.
_ I'll kind of use that one to start out.
[G] So you get the slow strum, the [E] palm mute.
The next one is just a standard strum.
You want to go quick up and down, but you want to emphasize the first strum.
This is another really useful chord.
[G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ You can see what I'm doing there. _
Hitting that first one hard, then just kind of tinkering around with the strings until
I get to the next chord.
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ [G] _ Again, hit that first chord hard, then [C] _ a little [Gb] softer on the rest of the chords.
For our fifth one, _ _ this is more for really slow songs.
[G] Just use the chords, but pick the strings.
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _ [G] _
Another thing this really helps is it tells you if you're playing the chord right.
A lot of times, especially for beginners, that's an excellent practice technique.
Pick through the strings, see if you have any dead ones. _ _
_ It'll [E] help you to move your fingers closer to the fret or in between the fret bars to get a clearer sound.
_ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ [G] So there's the fifth method. _
_ _ _ The sixth method, _ _ we're going to use a bass drum.
They use this for a lot of country songs.
Give it away.
_ _ _ Or straight, or_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [G] Again, _ _ _ _ _ you're just taking two or three notes, [G] and you're going to hit the bass note down. _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ [G] _ So again, that's using the bass [E] drum.
And then the last, _ _ it's one that I use a lot.
_ I just learned a couple years ago.
[G] _
_ Hammering on a string to give you two sounds with the same chord.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ So there's your seven methods.
I don't know if I went over this one, but I'll just throw it in for bonus there.
Another good one to do is the _ chop.
So down low, and then mute the strings and chop down.
This is great for fast songs or gives your song kind of a unique sound to it. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
It's kind of drum beat in there.
So again, your seven methods, you have the standard slow strum,
you have the mute [C] the strings,
[Em] you have [G] the _ _ _ _ quick down and up with the emphasis on the chord.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ You have the_
_ _ Let's see what I wrote there.
Oh, you have the slap the chord like I said at the end. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
On the slow songs, you can _ mute between the notes.
Then you got the bass drum.
_ _ _ And the last is the hammer on.
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ [G] _ _ [N] Sorry for the little cold I've had, _ got through this one.
But I hope you guys have a great day, and I hope this can help you with some of your strumming patterns.
And I'm looking forward to an exciting 2010.
Have a great day, God bless you. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [C] _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [Am] _ _
[Em] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ Hey everybody, today I [E] want to go over the number one question I get asked and that's
what is the strumming pattern?
When I started playing guitar, that was the biggest thing I struggled with was what is
the strumming pattern of a song?
So I'm going to give you seven different things today that you can kind of go down the checklist
when you hear a song that you can try these seven things to see if it fits one of the
strumming patterns and hopefully whatever song you're trying to play it'll fit in one
of those categories.
_ _ One thing, another thing I want to note is it's very hard, especially for beginners,
to sing and play at the same time because your singing will always overrule your playing.
So what you'll [G] do is you'll sing the song and then in order to try to fit your voice,
you'll speed up or slow down or do what you need to do with the chords to throw the song
off to fit your voice.
So always be leery of that.
That takes a little while to learn.
But here's your seven strumming patterns you can work on.
The first one is just a basic down strum.
_ I'll use the chords _ G, C, E minor, D.
Like I said, the first is just strum down slow.
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ For example on Lord I Hope Your Name On [G] High. _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
So that's just basic.
_ Start out slow.
_ Beginners have a tendency to go a little faster.
I do it also.
_ A slow down strum.
_ Keeping a steady beat.
So first, just a standard strum.
The second one is kind of muting the strings with your hand while you play.
This is really helpful for faster songs.
So it's [G] like on a_
[C] I'm taking [Em] the sun [D] off [G] the moon.
[C] I'm taking my [D] shame.
_ _ [G] _
[C] I'm making [Em] a [D] mistake.
[G] _
_ [C] _ _ _ [D] _ Again, [Am] you're just muting the string with your hands because that kills the sound and
helps you [G] get to the next chord faster.
[C] _ _ [A] _ _ [C] _ _
[G] _ _ _ This is one that I usually use to start out a [Abm] song.
When I'm first trying to learn a song, [C] I'll kind [G] of_
Give and [D] take.
_ _ _ [Em]
Give and take.
[C] _ _ _ [G] My heart will choose.
[D] _ _ _ [Em] No less than you.
_ I'll kind of use that one to start out.
[G] So you get the slow strum, the [E] palm mute.
The next one is just a standard strum.
You want to go quick up and down, but you want to emphasize the first strum.
This is another really useful chord.
[G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ You can see what I'm doing there. _
Hitting that first one hard, then just kind of tinkering around with the strings until
I get to the next chord.
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ [G] _ Again, hit that first chord hard, then [C] _ a little [Gb] softer on the rest of the chords.
For our fifth one, _ _ this is more for really slow songs.
[G] Just use the chords, but pick the strings.
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _ [G] _
Another thing this really helps is it tells you if you're playing the chord right.
A lot of times, especially for beginners, that's an excellent practice technique.
Pick through the strings, see if you have any dead ones. _ _
_ It'll [E] help you to move your fingers closer to the fret or in between the fret bars to get a clearer sound.
_ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ [G] So there's the fifth method. _
_ _ _ The sixth method, _ _ we're going to use a bass drum.
They use this for a lot of country songs.
Give it away.
_ _ _ Or straight, or_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [G] Again, _ _ _ _ _ you're just taking two or three notes, [G] and you're going to hit the bass note down. _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ [G] _ So again, that's using the bass [E] drum.
And then the last, _ _ it's one that I use a lot.
_ I just learned a couple years ago.
[G] _
_ Hammering on a string to give you two sounds with the same chord.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ So there's your seven methods.
I don't know if I went over this one, but I'll just throw it in for bonus there.
Another good one to do is the _ chop.
So down low, and then mute the strings and chop down.
This is great for fast songs or gives your song kind of a unique sound to it. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
It's kind of drum beat in there.
So again, your seven methods, you have the standard slow strum,
you have the mute [C] the strings,
[Em] you have [G] the _ _ _ _ quick down and up with the emphasis on the chord.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ You have the_
_ _ Let's see what I wrote there.
Oh, you have the slap the chord like I said at the end. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
On the slow songs, you can _ mute between the notes.
Then you got the bass drum.
_ _ _ And the last is the hammer on.
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ [G] _ _ [N] Sorry for the little cold I've had, _ got through this one.
But I hope you guys have a great day, and I hope this can help you with some of your strumming patterns.
And I'm looking forward to an exciting 2010.
Have a great day, God bless you. _ _ _ _ _ _