How do you determine the strumming pattern?

You have to listen to the song and keep in mind that your hand must keep moving in rythm and never pause... your strumming hand is like a metronome and sometimes you strum the strings, sometimes you don't, but you always move.

I know is isn't helpful at all when you're a beginner and this answer annoyed the hell out of me when i started because i really needed someone to tell me "down down up up...". But there's no other way to determine the strumming pattern by yourself.

Don't worry, the more you practise, the more you'll hear the rythm and it will come naturally.

I suggest that you try to find video lessons in which they tell you the strumming pattern to avoid frustration. And soon you won't need anyone to tell you.

Or try to find songs in which the "classic" strumming pattern is used: (down down up (miss the down) up down).

Good luck!

Strumming Patterns For Songs

There really is no alternative to just using your ears. The only time you'll come across "strumming patterns" is in material designed to teach you the basics. Once you are able to play you will be able just to play what you want to hear without thinking about it. To be able to transcribe an actual "strumming pattern" used in a song as opposed to one made up as an exercise would be virtually impossible. Someone would have to watch a performance, perhaps slowing down video before being able to transcribe anything. Then the difficult part: you seem to want to know whether to use up or down strokes, which are easy enough to notate, but what about the rhythm? The most sensible way would be to use standard notation as it already exists. But are you and other people really willing to learn to read standard notation just so you can read a strumming pattern rather than just listen to a recording? Then, how would palm muting be notated? What about dynamics? Some people even want to know what "settings" to use on their amp, what brand and gauge of strings to use, what type of pick. Some people playing lead lines want to know which fret to use, which string and even which finger to use to fret the note. These things all come with practice, to play music some skill, ability and knowledge is required. If you really can,t even tell when the chords change then give up trying to play songs until you have learnt more of the basics and your ear has developed.

Much depends upon the time signature of each song, shown as Arabic numerals at the beginning of the music staff. Four-four time means that you have a strong down beat on the first and the third beat and the measure has four beats within.

In three-quarter time you have one strong beat and then two beats following. Cut-time is a faster version of four-four time, having four beats to a measure with the first and the third beats delivering a stronger beat.

Practice on the four-four and the three-quarter signatures. In four-four time, simply strike the fundamental tone of the chord and then strum downward. Repeat the process once more. You could strike an alternate string instead of the fundament, or bass, note.

In three-quarter time (waltz time) strike the fundamental tone first and then strum downward two times. Eventually, you will learn that you can strum upward and downward in those same beats.

Hope this is useful.

The strumming pattern depends on the speed written at the top to begin with, and the time signature at the beginning of the piece.

Here is a good site if you want to learn strumming correctly :)

http://www.guitarchordsmagic.com/how-to-play-guita...