Learn Acoustic Guitar - 7 top tips for strumming guitar like a pro

Don’t Be So Tense

It’s very important to be relaxed when you are learning guitar strumming patterns. A tense guitarists strumming technique will sound stiff, rigid and amateur to the listeners. The key is to keep your arms, wrists and especially your shoulders free and flowing while you play. A relaxed guitarists strumming patterns will sound free and easy almost flowing with the song rather than fighting it.

Make Certain That You Hold Your Pick Correctly

One of the most important elements of guitar strumming is how you hold the pick. You need to hold the pick firmly between your thumb and first finger. The pressure from your thumb is what keeps the pick held in place.. Try and keep the pick held at an angle of 90 degrees to the strings as you strike them.

Make Sure To Keep Time

Rhythm and beat are really important when you are playing guitar. Try and practice with a metronome. If you don’t use a metronome at the very least tap your feet to keep time when strumming. If it helps count the beats out loud when you are first learning.

Don’t Start Learning Without a Plan

It’s important to listen to the strumming pattern of the song you want to play. Try and hear each up and down strum. At first this will be difficult, but it will get easier. Eventually the strumming patterns will be obvious to you on first listen. Write down the pattern clearly on apiece of paper and then practice till you can get it to work. This works better than blindly strumming away hoping to get it right.

Don’t Think That You Have Top Learn Lots of Guitar Strumming Patterns

Concentrate on just one or two strumming patterns at first. You would be amazed how easily you will pick up new patterns once you mastered the first few.

String Damping Techniques

Learn how to do string damping. String damping is when you mute the strings immediately after playing them to produce a percussive effect. Guitar string damping techniques work very well with strumming. As an added bonus string damping can hide your mistakes.

Build Your Finger Strength

Building your finger strength using devices like a grip master will help you change chords quickly. the more confident you are changing chords fast the more variation will be able to introduce into your strumming patterns

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