17 Strumming Patterns for Alternative/Indie Rock
- Chris Morton
- July 11, 2019
If you’re reading this, hats off to you for not just learning solos or riffs. You actually care about rhythm, and that puts you ahead of most other players I’ve come across.
Strumming is an art. It can make or break a song.
Most people learn one or two patterns, and stop there. You can do better than that!
Here are 17 Strumming Patterns each with rhythm notation.
Use these in your own practice, repertoire, or as inspiration for varying your rhythm patterns.
The rhythms are aimed at beginner to intermediate players.
Before following this video you should know how to hold a pick, and have some basic strumming technique.
It’s worth noting that strum 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 have a “ghost down”. This is where you move past the strings without strumming. I wrote a rest symbol, so I could show the down movement above. No need to dampen the strings here. It can feel a little strange at first, but it’s important to keep the momentum going and don’t stop moving your arm during the ghost down.
