Strumming Resources

Hello to all and I hope you’re having a wonderful summer (or winter as the case may be!) so far.

Here’s a recent email:

Hey guys,

I just want to write how much I love your site and your lessons. I’ve recently picked up my guitar again, i’ve been trying to get into it and learning to play it, but it was just so difficult finding the correct resources on the Internet. But your site, it was well set out, really appealing the first time i entered it, and I’m just loving it.

I’ve just discovered your “Absolute Beginner” series, and I’m just wondering: Do you have an article for beginners about strumming yet?

Thanks guys, and keep up the great work.

Thanks for writing and thank you as well for your kind words concerning Guitar Noise. We certainly have a number of articles and lessons when it comes to strumming.

You might want to start out with either Tom Serb’s Keeping Time or Strumming for Beginners by Matt Guitar. Additionally, be sure to check out our mini-series on “Getting Past Up and Down.” The first article, Sock Puppets, gears you up with basic techniques while the second, Turning Notes into Strokes, explains how you can figure out the strumming for any rhythm that’s been written out for you.

Strumming and rhythm are vital parts of playing but we at Guitar Noise also want to encourage players to not become dependent on the idea of “strumming patterns.” Be sure to read our lesson on The Pattern Trap to understand why.

In addition to these great articles, we also have the Guitar Noise Podcasts, which are (and I think a lot of people will back me up on this) probably one of the best strumming resources you can find online.  Each podcast is a thirty-minute audio lesson covering a specific aspect of strumming. You might want to check out the first one and see how you like it.

Finally, I’d like to add that I am right now finishing up work on a book for String Letter Publishing (the same people who produce Acoustic Guitar Magazine) that will cover the basics of strumming and rhythm. We’re hoping it will be out sometime late this year and I’ll be posting more details about it both here and at the Guitar Noise website, not to mention in the Guitar Noise News, our free twice-monthly newsletter.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to write anytime. I look forward to chatting with you again.

Peace