Drop D strumming — tight chug in D (metal)
A short grid in Drop D (D5, G5, A5), strummed entirely in downstrokes. In Drop D, the power chord shrinks to a single one-finger barre across the three bass strings: the fretting hand has almost nothing to do. The whole exercise, despite its level 1, is picking-hand work — holding a steady, tight "chug", stroke after stroke, without the wrist tensing or the tempo drifting. It's also the right place to build the habit of staying all-downstroke: on a muted-chord pattern, alternate picking makes every upstroke hollower and breaks the evenness.
Tips
Relaxed wrist from the first stroke to the last: on a chug, tension is the number-one cause of slowing down and fatigue.
Palm mute resting continuously near the bridge; the pressure must stay identical throughout.
Downstrokes only, even when it tires: it's endurance you're building, not an alternate-picking shortcut.
Strumming pattern
D = downstroke, U = upstroke, — = the arm keeps moving without touching the strings.
Chord progression — D
Chords
Related sheets
- Drop D riff — palm mute groove in D (metal) (Level 2)
- Call and response riff — G minor (Level 2)
- Drop D chord changes — sliding barre in F (Level 2)