Strumming | Rhythm Archives

How to Play Ain’t no Sunshine by Bill Withers

November 30, 2017 By Klaus Crow 9 Comments

Hi everyone, today I’ll show you how to play “Ain’t no sunshine” by Bill Withers.

It’s a simplified and easy version, using open chords which is perfect for beginners and people who like things easy :)

The sound and technique is pretty much the same. You’ll learn how to pluck several strings simultaneously while playing chords with the other hand. It’s a really nice guitar tune to practice, play and sing along to.

The song is split up in two parts (part I and II) to keep the whole thing clear and understandable. Both parts are in the video. Again everything is explained slowly and in close up.

Enjoy!

Basic Strumming Patterns for Beginners Part II

February 24, 2016 By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

I hope you enjoyed Basic Strumming Patterns for Beginners Part I from last week. If you got those strumming patterns down and you’re ready for Part II then grab your guitar out of the stand and let’s get your skills to the next level.

Today I will show you another five important strumming patterns in 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4 time. Mastering the patterns of Part I & II will get you by playing most common pop, country and rock songs. These are the fundamentals for guitar strumming.

Enjoy!

Tips:
– Take your time to practice each pattern thoroughly
– Practice the patterns with the chord progression
– First practice slow and then gradually build up speed
– Listen to your favorite songs and figure out the appropriate strumming pattern.
– Practice the patterns daily!

“Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.” ~ Lao Tzu

Basic Strumming Patterns for Beginners Part I

February 18, 2016 By Klaus Crow 7 Comments

There are two things you need when you want to learn to play songs on the guitar: chords and strumming patterns.

A chord is a set of notes played on the guitar that will give you a particular sound and color. Many popular songs consist of only three or four chords.

A strumming pattern is a preset pattern of down and up strokes played with your fingers or a pick against the strings. The strumming pattern will determine the rhythm for your music.

You can strum with either your fingers or with a pick.

Strumming with your fingers
There are several ways to strum with your fingers. Here is one that is commonly used: Place your thumb against your index finger and hold them like that. This gives you a decent support. Strum down with the nail of your index finger against all the strings and strum up with the nail of your thumb.

Strumming with a pick
Hold the pick between your thumb and index finger. Place the pick on the top side of your index finger and clamp your thumb down on top of it. Hold the pick firmly.

The essentials
There are a lot of variations for strumming patterns and different ones for each time signature (4/4, 3/4, 2/4 time). In these strumming episodes I will show you the few essential and common strumming patterns that will get you started and ready to play tons of songs.

Don’t forget to take your time for each strumming pattern and practice daily.

Enjoy!

In Part II I will show you five more indispensable strumming patterns to get you equipped with the appropriate tools to conquer the world.

Have a great workout!

6 Cool Guitar Blues Turn Arounds in the key of E

May 2, 2011 By Klaus Crow 22 Comments

Photo by Steve Garry
A good blues turnaround is the icing on the cake of every blues progression.

I always beg, borrow, steal and create my own nice sweet sounding turnarounds to add that extra magic when I’m playing a blues song. It’s one of the things that makes the blues sound so cool.

Blues turnarounds are played at the end of a section of a blues progression which then leads to the next section or the end of the song.

To get a good impression of how turnarounds are played listen to blues guitar players like B.B King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton and study theirs.

Tip: Every time you play the blues try to play a different turnaround, so you don’t end up playing the same turnaround ten years from now. It’s easy to fall into that trap. Expand your vocabulary!

Enjoy these 6 turnarounds to spice up your blues:

Have a great one!


BLUES TURNAROUND #1

 
e:-------0--------0--------0-----------------------------|
B:-----------------------------0-----3--2----------------|
G:----4--------3--------2------1-----3--2----------------|
D:--6--------5--------4--------2-----2--1----------------|
A:---------------------------------x-3--2----------------|
E:-------------------------------------------------------|
 
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