Strumming — basic pop pattern
The down-down-up-down-up-up-down-up strum pattern, probably the most used in the entire pop/folk guitar repertoire, applied here to the catalogue's already-familiar C-G-Am-Em grid. Its popularity is no accident: it places a downstroke on each of the four strong beats while filling the gaps between beats with upstrokes, which gives a sense of constant motion without ever losing track of the tempo.
Tips
Repeat the pattern alone, on open strings with no chord fretted, until the arm moves without conscious effort: it's a pattern worth automating before adding chord changes to it.
Keep the arm moving constantly up and down even on strokes that don't touch the strings: it's this continuous motion, not just the attacks, that gives the pattern its characteristic groove.
Once this pattern is solid, try it on other four-chord grids in the catalogue: it works on almost every simple pop/folk progression, not just this one.
Strumming pattern
D = downstroke, U = upstroke, — = the arm keeps moving without touching the strings.
Chord progression — C
Chords
Related sheets
- Pop in F — muted strums (Level 2)
- Arpeggios in C — getting started (Level 2)
- Fingerstyle in E suspended (Level 2)