Guitar strumming and picking patterns
Each pattern is played live by 3D hands. Slow it down, turn the camera to the strumming hand, and use it on your own songs.
The folk strumming pattern (D DU UDU)The most common acoustic strumming pattern: down, down-up, up-down-up.Travis picking (alternating bass)Travis picking keeps a steady alternating bass with the thumb while the fingers add melody notes in between.6/8 strumming patternSongs in 6/8 feel like two big beats per bar, each split into three.Waltz strumming pattern (3/4)A waltz has three beats per bar: a bass note on 1 and two lighter strums on 2 and 3.Reggae strumming (the skank)Reggae guitar plays short, choppy chords on the off-beats while the bass and drums carry the downbeat.Shuffle / blues strumming patternA shuffle swings each beat: the down-stroke is long and the up-stroke comes late, like a triplet with the middle note left out.Country strumming (boom-chicka)Boom-chicka alternates a bass note with a quick strum: the backbone of country and bluegrass rhythm guitar.Funk strumming (16th notes)Funk guitar keeps the strumming hand moving in steady 16th notes while only a few strokes actually sound; the rest are ghost strokes and chops.Bossa nova guitar patternBossa nova is played with the fingers: the thumb keeps a steady bass while the fingers pluck syncopated chords.Basic fingerpicking (arpeggio) patternAn arpeggio plays the notes of a chord one by one: bass with the thumb, then the treble strings with index, middle and ring.