How to play guitar strum correctly. Guitar strumming (12 types). Thieves fight: scheme, how to play

To learn how to strum the guitar, you need to be able to play not only the guitar, but also a little bit of the drums. Combat is a collection of individual strokes that are combined into a rhythmic pattern. In many ways, its character depends on the specific style (tango, march, reggae, pop, rock, flamenco) and size (6/8, 4/4, 2/4). You also need to be able to distinguish between rhythmic accompaniment parts for a guitar in an instrumental environment (Dixieland, orchestra, band) and a guitar alone.

Rhythmic patterns

Where can you start learning how to play combat? As strange as it may sound, put your guitar aside and familiarize yourself with the basics of rhythm. To do this, analyze the size and duration in exercise 1, and then clap your hands, the rhythmic figures that you wrote down. Just don’t be intimidated by the musical notation, if you don’t know it yet, then it’s time to figure it out.

There are four beats in a measure of 4/4, count each of them with a foot strike and say 1 and ... 2 and ... 3 and ... 4 and ... In the first measure there are four quarter notes, this means that for each foot strike (beat) you need to make 1 cotton. You need to strictly adhere to the rhythm.

If you understand the pattern of the first measure, you can proceed to the second. In it, each beat of a bar corresponds to two eighth notes. Here's how it looks like on the count: on “1” (with a kick at the same time) – the first eighth note, “and” (raise your foot) – the second eighth note. That is, two claps for each kick.

In the 3rd measure there is an alternation of two eighth notes and a fourth. Here's what it looks like in practice: the first beat is “1 and” (with a kick at the same time clap), the second beat (eighths) is on “1” (with a kick at the same time the first eighth), on “and” (raise your leg the second eighth ). The third beat should be played as the first, the fourth as the second. It turns out 1 long clap (1 and), then 2 short ones (“2” - clap, “and” - clap) and again long (3 and) and 2 short (4 and).

After this, the pattern should be repeated in the fourth measure. This is the rhythm of the battle, which is discussed in exercise 4. The first 3 beats are the same as the 2nd beat. Eighths - two claps for each kick, 4th beat (4 i) - quarter note, 1 clap for each kick.

Learning to strum the guitar - exercise 1

Now the learned patterns can be played on the guitar. Each exercise is discussed using one Am chord as an example. This is done so that you concentrate on mastering the technique.

In the notes, in Latin letters it is indicated which fingers should be struck on the strings (see picture with a hand). The arrow shows the direction of impact - up or down. At the top above each beat is a beat.

The first bar should be played with alternating quarter notes, thumb p strike down (1 and), then with the index finger i strike up (2 and) and also the third and fourth beats. The second measure is the same stroke, only now in eighth notes on “1” there is a downstroke p, on “i” there is an upstroke i. For every foot strike (a fraction of a beat), there are 2 strikes on the strings. In the 3rd measure, alternate quarter notes and eighth notes - with your thumb down one long stroke (1 and) and with your index finger up two short ones (on “2” - strike and on “and” - strike).

Learning to strum the guitar - exercise 2

This exercise is designed to master string muting, which is very often used during strumming. In the exercise it is denoted by the symbol X, which stands instead of notes. The chord is not removed from the fretboard, the fingers of the left hand must maintain the fingering of the chord, in our case Am, and the right hand mutes the strings.

In more detail: before striking the strings, the index finger (i) is bent, and when the strike occurs, it bends in the plane of the strings. And at the same moment after the blow, place your palm on the strings, straighten your fingers. You should get a short dull sound, without extraneous sounds.

To make it easier for you to master the fight, you need to take its first part and work it separately (the first beat of the exercise). For the first kick (beat), there are 2 hits on the strings on “1” with the thumb down, and on “i” with the index finger up. On the second kick of the foot (2 and) - jamming (one blow) and so on.

Now the battle is complete, remember the rhythmic pattern from the fourth measure of the first exercise. 1 beat “1” – p down, “and” – i up; 2nd beat – “2” –i down muting, “and” – i up; 3rd beat - make 2 beats, as in the first beat; Beat 4 – i down muting “4 and” one beat.

The more you practice, the better. Everything needs to be brought to automaticity so that no little thing distracts. It is also useful to listen to how professional guitarists play accompaniment, analyze the drawings and apply them yourself in the future.

After purchasing acoustics or classics, a novice guitarist thinks about new types of playing.

Having mastered your first chords and strumming, you can move on to studying the technique of strumming. There are many varieties of it. Read what battle patterns are and how to play it.

Imagine the picture: a young guy stands at the window of his beloved girl and doesn’t know what to do next. In order for the instrument to sound, you need to master the fighting technique.

This game is simple and won't take much time to learn. Familiarize yourself with the main varieties.

Important! Guitar fight- This is a certain alternation of strong and weak beats. A piece of music is created using a simple rhythm.

All a beginning musician needs to be able to do is strike the strings. Before learning any combat, you should get the hang of it. You can play with your whole hand or with just one finger.

Try a few simple exercises to get started:

  • Make a fist with your hand, but do not close your fingers. This is the correct starting hand position.

    Move from the sixth string to the first, move your hand, straightening your fingers. You can press any chord in your left hand. Don't be afraid, the strings will remain intact from your blow.

  • With your left hand, press any of the guitar chords. Using the thumb of your right hand, run along the strings from the sixth to the first.

    Try to play with the side of the nail, the phalanx should be straight.

  • With a movement that seems to be inviting you to come to you, play the stroke in the opposite direction: from the first string to the sixth. Try not to catch your nails.
  • Instead of using your entire hand, use only your index finger. With the same inviting movement, move along the strings from the sixth to the first.

Important! In some chords it is better to avoid strumming all strings. For example, when playing D minor, it is better not to touch the fifth or sixth string.

After training exercises You can start mastering new rhythms. The most simple types battles are described in the table.

A novice musician in the process of playing music can come up with his own interesting rhythm:

Type of battle Description
Six (6) Two moves down, two up, down and up. The simplest type that can be mastered after just a few minutes of training. Can be used in three quarter sizes
Eight (8) It consists of eight strikes, as the name of the technique suggests. This type of battle is suitable for four-quarter pieces.

Can be used for boss nova style, highlighting every third hit during the game

Four (4) Consists of four beats, during which you should linger on the third sound. Fits simple two quarter sizes
Tsoi fight Named after the famous lead singer of the Kino group. It is played quickly, with specific accents typical of Tsoi’s works.
Thieves A dance rhythm in which the beats alternate with the playing of the bass string
Spanish At the same time, you need to play not with simple blows, but using the rasgueado technique - spreading your fingers like a fan, alternately in fast pace playing with everyone
Reggae Option with alternating strikes on the string or soundboard. Sometimes there are options when jamming is done with the left hand
Gypsy Similar in speed and style to Spanish. At the same time, the bass has its own melody
Vysotsky's fight A classic of the genre, which is similar to the thieves variety. But the variant differs in the complexity of the game
Country Folk is typical of American pop music. This is an alternation of playing the bass with the thumb and striking all the strings.
Chechen The peculiarity of the battle is placing emphasis on weak beats

You can master the principle of the game in a few minutes, but it is quite difficult to place the right accents.

Play in several stages: memorize the rhythmic pattern, place accents and highlight the indicated beat louder. After this, you can begin to study jamming.

How to play a fight with jamming correctly

A mute is the closing of a chord on a guitar. In this way, you can create an emphasis on the beat or give the work a special character.

This technique is used for thug combat, Spanish or American.

Important! Start playing with jamming when the type of combat is completely memorized.

There are two main ways to play jamming: with your right or left hand. In the first option, after hitting up or down, turn your hand and use the edge of your palm to stop the sound of the strings.

The second option is to place your index finger on the strings on the fret you are playing the chord on.

A great way to jam is when playing barre. Simply release the chord, leaving your fingers on the strings but not pressing.

If you need to mute only part of the strings, then it is convenient to do this with the thumb of your right hand on bass, and with your index finger on highs.

Simple songs by chords

Try to apply your knowledge in practice. Simple songs will help you master combat to perfection.

“A Pack of Cigarettes” - select the fight for two quarters, for the song Spleen - for four. Good luck with your music studies.

"A pack of cigarettes"

Intro: Am C D Em

E|——7-5——3———-5————7-5——-3———5——-
H|———-5——5———-6——-7——5——-5———6——
G|-4-5———5——5-7——-5-4————5——-5-7——5-4-
Em Am C D Em
I sit and look into someone else's sky from someone else's window
And I don’t see a single familiar star.
I walked along all the roads, both here and there,
I turned around and couldn’t see the tracks.

Chorus:

Em Am C D Em
But if there is a pack of cigarettes in your pocket,
So everything is not so bad today.
And a plane ticket with a silver wing,
Which, taking off, leaves only a shadow on the ground.

And no one wanted to be guilty without wine,
And no one wanted to rake in the heat with their hands,
And without music in the world, death is not beautiful,
And I don’t want to be lost without music.

Chorus.

Spleen “No Exit”

Introduction:

Em C G D Em
How many years have passed, the wires are still buzzing about the same thing,
C G
The planes are still waiting for the same thing.
C G D

Em

C G
Melts under machine gun fire.
C G D
At least someone has to melt...

Chorus:

Em
Dawn is coming soon
C
No exit,
G D
Turn the key and fly
Em
Need to enter
C
In someone's notebook
G D
Blood, like in the subway:
C D
"No exit".
Em
No exit!

We parted somewhere, I don’t remember in which cities,
It was like being hungover.
Trains go through my songs,
Disappearing into a dark tunnel.
If only we woke up in the same bed...

Chorus:

How many years will pass, the wires will still buzz about the same thing,
Planes can expect the same thing.
The girl with eyes made of the bluest ice
Melts under machine gun fire.
If only we could wake up in the same bed...

Chorus.

Useful video

Guitar fight- This is the first thing every guitarist masters. This is the method of sound production that is used to play the vast majority of Russian and foreign songs. If you learn the chords of a composition, but don’t learn the strumming, the song will not sound the way it was originally intended. In addition, this method of playing will help diversify your own compositions - you will know how to play, how to place accents, and also form a musical texture. This article will help you understandand will also show the main types of this game technique.

Guitar strumming - diagrams and types

This paragraph should begin with the very definition of the term “guitar strumming”. In essence, this is a play on the rhythmic pattern that is present in the song. Initially, the songs were performed without a clear rhythm section, so the musicians had to set their own accents. It was then that the maintypes of guitar fights.They highlight the weak and strong beats, set the tempo of the composition, and help play it smoothly.

Accordingly, there are as many strums on the guitar as there are rhythmic patterns - an infinite number. However, there is a list of basic ways to play using this method, after learning which you can play almost any song. And if you combine them in your works, you can get an interesting and varied composition with an unusual sound.

A guitar strum consists of successively hitting the strings down and up. They are arranged in a certain order, depending on the time signature and rhythm of the piece. In writing, strokes are indicated by the icons V - downward strike, and ^ - upstroke. An alternative option presented in this article is drawings with arrows. With the help of such a diagram, you can immediately understand the style of stroke and play.

Below are 12 of the most common guitar strokes that are used by different players or in certain genres of music. Each of them is given a brief summary and game diagram.

Guitar strumming for beginners


This is the most basic and simplest type of stroke. This is where all guitarists start, and even professionals use it in their songs.

This is a more complex way of playing with strokes, but it sounds much more interesting than the already boring “six”. This method consists of eight beats, and plays with an interesting rhythmic pattern.

In this case, the emphasis is also placed on every third beat. In other words, there are eight movements, but in one cycle of these movements there will be only two accented strikes. This creates an unusual rhythm that can be played in an unusual way.


Another simple guitar touch - the most standard of all.


Not quite a stroke in the usual sense. In terms of playing style, it is very similar to country music, but there are differences. His main feature consists in alternately changing bass notes - due to which an interesting melody and a kind of “danceability” are formed.

This touch got its name from the famous artist Viktor Tsoi, who often used it in his songs. This way of playing is characterized by its speed, so in order to play it correctly, you will have to practice.

Just like the stroke above, this one was often used by Vladimir Vysotsky. It is a slightly modified version of thug combat.


This is one of the very first types of strokes that came from the homeland of the guitar - Spain. It is a “figure eight”, where for each first downward blow you need to use an interesting technique - rasgueado. It is performed in this way - you need to quickly hit all the strings with all fingers in turn, throwing out a kind of “fan”. This is the most difficult aspect of this fight, however, after some time of practice the technique should not cause any problems.

Another type of stroke that took its name from the name of the artist who most often used it. This is another modified version of thug combat. It reverses the down and up strokes after the thumb plucks the bass string, and also adds an additional up stroke with a shifted emphasis (We pluck the bass together with the index finger, the index finger plucks the first 3 strings up). That is, the first part of the stroke looks like this: bass string - up - mute - up, and the second part also: bass string - up - mute - up. The result is a very unique pattern, different from the standard criminal stroke.


And this is already more interesting view touch - since it is precisely due to this that the interesting rhythmic structure of reggae compositions is formed, and there is no other way to give them the desired mood. It is played exclusively downwards, occasionally making an upward movement of the hand to increase dynamics - most often at a chord change.

Moreover, every first blow in it is made on muted strings - and every second on clamped strings. This highlights the downbeat, which is the beat that is most often played in reggae music. The section provides more detailed game diagrams.

A type of touch characteristic of American folk music. It is also a modified version of thug combat. It consists of two parts: first, you pluck the low bass string—the fifth or sixth—and then move your fingers down the remaining strings. Then you pluck another bass string—the fifth or fourth—and move up and down the other strings. This needs to be played very quickly, as country music itself is dynamic and has a high tempo.

A touch characteristic of “waltz” music and songs written in 3/4 rhythm (One-two-three) - as is clear from the name. The beat has different options for performing by plucking, picking or picking with alternating bass strings. The main task here is to maintain an even rhythm without breaking the tempo, which is set from the first notes and swings the entire composition. The method of playing itself is simple, but has complex execution patterns that require perseverance and patience.

A type of stroke characteristic of Chechen folk music. This is a sequential movement of the arms up and down, with the first two blows being made in one direction, and all subsequent blows with an emphasis on every third blow. The result should be the following: blow-blow-blow-blow-ACCENT-blow-blow-blow-ACcent, and so on.

The important point isis understanding string muting. It is used to place emphasis and help the guitarist navigate the rhythmic pattern of the song. This technique is performed very simply - while playing with a stroke in some strokes right hand press the strings so that they stop sounding - a characteristic ringing clap will be heard, which will highlight the weak part of the song.

An alternative way to play the guitar is to pick. This is the name of a technique in which the guitarist plays music as a sequence of individual notes rather than sounding chords. This allows you to diversify the melody of the composition, its harmony and flow. Many classical and modern works are performed by fingerpicking.

There are also several standard types of fingerpicking that are often used by guitarists of any skill level. They are named based on the number of strings involved in them, and similarly to guitar strums: “Four”, “Six” and “Eight”. At the same time, the order of the strings in them can vary - and the four notes of the first pluck can be played either sequentially from the third to the first string, or the second can sound first, then the third and only then the first - it all depends only on your imagination.

Of course, the standard types of fingerpicking already sound beautiful, but experienced guitarists who have mastered this technique move away from them, composing their own patterns and rhythmic patterns. Try, for example, not to play chords, but to play with different scales and compose melodies, combining the bass line and the main note texture. Try plucking two notes at the same time and letting them sound while a completely different tune is being played. There is another trick - legato while playing, when you also play with your left hand at the same time, simply pressing the strings without hitting them - you get an interesting and smooth sound. In order to master the technique perfectly, try to learn several pieces - for example, Greensleeves, or Call of Magic - the famous composition of Jeremy Soule. Watch more videos and learn phrases, and most importantly, practice more.

Even in the Middle Ages, brave, desperate young people marked by Cupid sang serenades to their loved ones under the windows. As time passed, musical instruments were added to the compositions, the leading position among which was occupied by the guitar. Oh, this six-string mistress of the hearts of millions! Its sounds heal spiritual wounds. It brings people together age groups, cities, countries and even continents. It is thanks to the guitar that we have amazing rock bands (it’s somehow hard to imagine a musician playing frantic rhythms on... a harp).

How to study? Where to begin?

The first "fight" is the easiest one

It is believed that the simplest strumming on the guitar is the one that the student will learn the fastest. In general, there are several fairly easy options. One of the simplest is the following: we hit the strings downwards with our finger, a short pause (just to take our finger away from the strings), then up again, but with a plug, and the last one is the “downward strike” element. It can be shown schematically like this:

Down _ Down _ Cap _ Up_ again Down _ Down _ Cap _ Up, etc.

Fight "eight"

The second on the list of easy strumming on the guitar for beginners is performed in the following way: with the index finger of the leading hand we draw down the strings in order twice, followed by two similar movements from bottom to top without breaking away from the strings or stopping. This is followed by a down-up combination.

This one for beginners looks schematically like this:

Down _ Down _ Up _ Up _ Down _ Up and again from the beginning.

Sometimes a seventh move can be added for rhythm - striking the strings downwards. At the same time, initially (during the study process) there may be absolutely no jamming. Then, gradually, they can be added.

Then the diagram will change slightly:

Down _ Down _ Cap _ Up _ Up _ Down _ Cap _ Up.

This guitar strum for beginners is also called “universal” or “figure eight”. The last name appeared as a result of calculating the number of movements that must be performed for one combat cycle.

In order to “hone” the technique, you must follow the rules:

  • do not rush;
  • count;
  • train.

With practice comes skill. Combining with techniques works out quite well for those who have trained for a long time and become proficient in the art of playing this magical six-string instrument. The plug when playing with a strike can be performed either with the thumb or with the edge of the hand - it all depends on the method of performing a particular composition.

In order to learn how to play the guitar: strumming, picking, or a combination, you can turn to the same resources for help: a tutorial or friends who have perfectly mastered this art.

Abstract: If you have not yet learned how to play in combat, this article will help you! After reading this article, you will learn to read and play guitar strumming. Recommended for beginner guitarists and for those who don't know how to read a strum.

Guitar strumming is the simplest and most common way to play the guitar. Combat is used in huge quantities, and there is a great variety.

Guitar strumming - symbols

The battle is usually denoted by three rows of symbols:

  • First row and symbol: I– is a designation for the actions of the index finger of the right hand. The ^ sign means an upward strike, v - naturally downward, and the X sign means that we should hit the strings down and muffle the sound of the strings with the edge of the palm.
  • Second row and symbol: P– designation of actions for thumb right hand. If you see a ^ sign next to the letter P, then you need to pluck one bass string (bass strings are 6.5 and sometimes 4). That is, you touch a string and stop on the next string (thinner). Symbol | means that you need to do an action such as sliding your thumb down the strings, hitting several bass strings.
  • Third row and symbol: L– Describes the game with the left hand. Symbol designations: v – at the moment of striking with the right hand, the strings should be tightly clamped. x – the strings are released (that is, the fingers simply lie on the strings), when the strings are struck, a muffled sound is obtained. ^ - press the strings well, make a blow and then slowly release ( note: this sign applies only to the strings that you strike (play) with the index finger of your right hand).

In each row, there is a - symbol, which is responsible for the duration of the blow.

Examples of battle designation:
I-^--v---v-x-v-^-v---
P-^-----------^-----
L-v--v---v-x-^-v-^---

Got it? If yes, great! If not, then read it again, then we will try to play in combat!

Learning to strum the guitar

And so, we take the guitar (In the last lesson, we talked about that). We hold down any and try the battle that we described above.

The first meaning of the letters I - ^, P - ^, L – v. Therefore, we need to firmly press the strings, pluck the bass and hit it up. Further, the value of I becomes v, P is empty, L is v. That is, we pinch the strings well and strike downwards with our index finger. Further I – x, P – empty, L – x. Therefore, we need to hit the strings (on which our fingers simply rest) and the plug with the palm of our hand.

This is how the battle is read and played. There is nothing complicated about this, the main thing is to train your fingers!