If you've got the hang of strumming your chords but they sound a bit robotic and unexciting, this simple tip could help. It's all in the right hand.
Take a basic G chord and strum it with a normal pattern. It sounds fine. It's just not very exciting.
Why it sounds flat: every string, every time ▶ 0:34
Part of the reason it sounds unexciting is that you're hitting every string on every strum. If you're playing a big open chorus and want to fill the space and push the volume, that's fine. But otherwise, what's missing is a sense of dynamics.
Split the chord between down and up ▶ 0:48
So here's the first thing to try:
- On the downstroke, hit only the lower strings, roughly the low E, A and D. It doesn't matter if it's just the low E or as many as the bottom four. Two or three is plenty.
- On the upstroke, do the opposite and hit roughly the top three strings, G, B and high e.
You've essentially split the chord in half. I don't know exactly why, but I find it helps to rest my little finger lightly on the body of the guitar and let it move around a bit. That might not help you, but it helps me.
Now take a pattern like down down up up down up and apply the split to it. Suddenly it's more interesting, or at least it feels like it's moving.
And when you get to a louder chorus, you can switch back to hitting all six strings, then back to the split. It's a great way to separate the sections of a song.
Pick out individual high strings ▶ 1:56
To make it more interesting still, start aiming for individual high strings on the upstrokes. With a G chord and this kind of pattern, it starts to sound a bit like Time of Your Life by Green Day, mainly because that's the same first chord.
Keep the same down down up up down up pattern and build it up:
- Start by trying to hit just the high e string on the upstrokes.
- Then bring the B string in.
- Then the G string as well.
- Then try hitting them in a different order.
Each version gives you a different sound, and changing the order gives you a whole new idea from the same chord.
This one's a bit trickier, because it needs some accuracy. So I wouldn't commit too hard to it. Aim for one string, and if you brush through a couple, it's really not the end of the world.
Or leave the high strings out completely ▶ 3:09
The other thing to consider is that you might not need the higher strings at all. It's very common, particularly in more subdued verse parts or quieter songs, to just hit the lower strings. A G chord strummed on just the low E, A and D strings sounds quite nice on its own.
Then, if you want to build energy, hit all six in the chorus or the big bridge part.
Put it into a song
Pick a song you already strum and plan it out: low strings only in the verse, the split chord in the pre-chorus, all six strings in the chorus. You can try the patterns in the Strum Trainer first. Have a go and see how much more it moves.
