strumming how do you do it?

racefaceec90

i have many things i'm rubbish at doing on guitar,but have never been able to strum well at all.it always sounds like i'm using a rusty saw blade for a pick.

how do you go about learning to do it?  

Cirrus

I'm no guitar teacher, this is just thoughts as they pop up;

Learn to move your elbow, shoulder and wrist smoothly, and get used to their momentum/ inertia so that you're working with physics and hitting the strings in time and rhythm without having to be too rigid.

Let the plectrum give a little as it passes the strings - you're not trying to force the plec through the strings, just let them brush over the top and control your dynamics by firming up the plec or holding it more losely so it digs in harder if you want it to.

Try different plectums to see what's comfortable for you.

Practice holding the plec loosely without dropping it.

Make sure the guitar's at a comfortably height for strumming.

JAYJO

Plec imo,   start off with a thin plec! 

EricTheWeary

Been a while since I've seen it but the Ross Bolton funk guitar tutorial on youtube goes through strumming 16ths and how to do it in a relaxed way. You can hear some of these techniques applied to blues and reggae and all sorts of stuff and it was the most useful thing I have ever done in terms of strumming technique ( although I'm hardly claiming virtuoso status).

Later on in the videos ( its split into two parts) he gets into skanking as a right hand technique which is very RHCP, SRV if you like that kind of thing, although you have to go through a lot of funk stuff to get there. Very late on he gets to 16th note triplets - very James Brown. If you get very, very into this stuff there is a Guthrie Govan youtube tutorial on 32nd note funk strumming...

...but, the Ross Bolton stuff is worth a look for his approach to 16th note strums and you can apply that to other strums.  

viz

Al di Meola is one of the masters at this imo. It's all accents and rhythms with him. Very conscious, and developed strumming technique. Almost all from the wrist. Check this - just look at his wrist!! 4:25:

HAL9000

I'm probably slightly unusual here in that I don't use a pick. I find strumming with my fingers (slightly Wilko Johnson style) far easier. Like the OP I find using a pick sounds more harsh or abrasive, plus I would argue that using my fingers gives me more control. As for the arm movement, fairly loose with most of the action coming from the wrist (Ooh-er Missus), and some from the forearm.

racefaceec90

thanks for the replies everyone.i must admit that i do find it easier to strum with my fingers also (hold my 2 fingers like holding a pic/without pick),but i can do it a lot better than with a pick.

 

HAL9000

Then ditch the pick. You'll be in good company - Jeff Beck, Mark Knopler, Hubert Sumlin, Wilko Johnson, Me, Etc.

Bidley

Consider a smaller pick, perhaps. I use Dunlop Stubbys.

viz

You might miss the percussive attack you get with a plectrum though.

HAL9000

Wilko Johnson certainly doesn't need to put any more 'bite' into his strumming does he?

viz

Fair enough

Branshen

I used to use only my fingers. I was used to it and found it much easier than using a plectrum. But I wore away the nail on my index finger and frequently broke it. My soft nails forced me to use a plec and I've gotten used to it after a couple of years of practice. If you dont have a physical limitation like this, I dont see why you NEED to use a plec, but that being said, I play so much better with a plec. (may or may not be attributed to practice)

close2u

Really Useful Strumming Techniques (RUST) 1 & 2

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PR-007-StrummingTechniques1.php

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PR-008-StrummingTechniques2.php

daveyh

The trick is to angle the pick about 2 or 3 degrees from the parallet to the string, allows it to slide through nice and easily.