What is the standard strumming?
Yes, there is no such thing as standard strumming, just strum the right rhythm and the right string, the rest is up to you!
For that reason, the accompaniment will become very diverse and colorful based on the flexibility, creativity, and mastery of the player’s accompaniment.
This article will reveal to you 5 tips to help you strum a lot better than usual!
(Of course, to be able to strum the guitar comfortably and freely, you also need to know the basic techniques.)
Contents
1. Try different strumming patterns & pay attention to the sound when strumming
Of course, if you don’t try, you can’t know which is good and which is bad. It would be best if you took the time to research strumming patterns for the song, listen, and choose the right one.
Also, try to feel the sound that comes out when you strum the strings in many positions: right at the sound hole, near the neck, near the bridge. You will see that the sound is different in each position, the further away from the hole towards the neck, the softer the sound, near the hole the thicker the sound, towards the bridge the sharper the sound, and try to change the strum positions in the song you’re playing to see how interesting it is.
2. Listen to music while playing along
This is not only the secret to strumming but also a way for us to study how to handle it while accompanying a song, to hear if such accompaniment is suitable for the song or not. Of course, a happy song cannot be strummed slowly in a sad way, but must be rushed and joyful!
In addition, listening while strumming also helps us keep the rhythm better, and that is also an important thing because when we create a way to strum a new song, it is often easy to get the rhythm wrong.
3. Practice how to use force
There are many ways to use the right hand when strumming: using the force of the wrist or arm … each will create some style feature. However, what you need to pay attention to is the “force” acting on the strings accordingly, there will be times when you hit really hard, and some are really light. Experiment with many ways to figure out what is right for you and you feel the best sound.
And of course, you have to play a lot, practice a lot to play better!
4. Use a pick/plectrum
The pick or plectrum is very useful for strumming and accompaniment. There are many different types and shapes, but the most popular are thick and thin. The thin type helps to make the sound clear and includes the sound of the pick hitting the strings, while the thick pick gives a richer and louder sound. You should prepare both of these and use them accordingly depending on the song.
5. Learn from others
When you watch live performances of guitarists (qualified) or watch guitar cover videos online, pay close attention to how they play and how to process each part of the song. First imitate them (or as similar as possible depending on your level), because they have studied and practiced a lot to get the accompaniment like that, and then create your own way. If you’re new to practice, pop and slow rock songs will be easier to feel.
After much learning, we’re sure your accompaniment skills will improve significantly, and you’re free to create your own guitar strumming patterns.
Above are 5 tips to help you improve your strumming and accompaniment skills. Don’t forget to tune your guitar correctly with the Guitar Tunio – Guitar Tuner app before practicing strum and accompaniment. It is available on App Store and Google Play, check it out!
Hope this article is useful to you!
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