Strumming Pattern Notation
A bar has 4 beats and we count it in eighths: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Numbers get a down (↓) strum, the "ands" an up (↑). Your hand keeps this down-up motion going all the time; where you see a dot (·) it passes over the strings without touching. That's how your rhythm stays rock-steady.
1. Beats only (quarter notes)
2. Everything (eighth notes)
3. The classic folk/pop pattern
Probably the most used strum of all: ↓ · ↓ ↑ · ↑ ↓ ↑. Watch the miss on 3 — your hand still moves down but doesn't touch the strings.
4. Rock eighths (all downstrokes)
First play the pattern on one chord, slowly (60–70 BPM), counting out loud. Add chord changes only once it flows. If there's no time to change, strumming the last "&" on open strings is perfectly normal.
Metronome & Rhythm Examples
A metronome trains your inner clock. Start slow and add 5 BPM once you can play cleanly. Switch subdivisions below to compare quarters and eighths; beat 1 is louder and lights up pink.
Quarter vs. eighth notes
Same chord, same tempo: first 4 strums per bar, then 8. The second sounds twice as busy — yet the tempo didn't change!
Palm Muting Fundamentals
Palm muting (P.M.) is the tight "chug-chug" of rock and metal. The edge of your picking hand (pinky side) rests lightly on the strings and shortens their ring.
- Set your picking hand as if to pick normally.
- Lay the fleshy pinky-side edge of your palm right on the bridge saddles or just in front of them.
- Touch lightly — don't press. You should still hear the pitch, just with a short decay.
- Sliding toward the neck makes it more muffled; behind the bridge there's no mute at all. Find the sweet spot.
- Use downstrokes.
P.M.----------------------- e|-----------------------| B|-----------------------| G|-----------------------| D|-----------------------| A|-------------2--2--2--2| E|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0|