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Ok all chapter 3 of our new strumming program addition "two-Measure Combinations", available now for Target users...

Hope you enjoy

Cheers

Matt

The first step in expanding your strumming technique is to work on using two different patterns throughout a chord progression. A good place to start this is with a progression that mostly uses two measures of a chord before changing. A good combination would be using the Ballad Pattern followed by the Folk Pattern. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd is a good example of this type of progression

http://www.totallyguitars.com/target-ho ... -volume-ii

So happy with the volume two,,now the strumming get very intresting to do...and very courius to what we can do with measers that use one chord,,looking forward to the next chapter..

PS i like that you name the chord you are using in the execise so we can play along on the same moment..

Strumming patterns are very important for beginners because they teach you how to keep time. Once you can keep time without getting confused by the changes, then you no longer need the patterns. You will be able to make up your own on the fly. Good stuff Neil.

Hi Andy,

I too am very grateful for this new addition to the program. I think you are probably right when it comes to folk songs. But for a lot of pop/rock, the strumming pattern is really an essential part of the song -- otherwise, how could we tell all those 4 chord songs apart? Picking up a pattern probably does become easier and more or less subconscious at some stage, but I'd argue that the pattern is still there.

Two quick examples, I spent some time today playing around with Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun" and Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus." Until the right strumming patterns eventually clicked in my head and hands, no amount of improvising could make the songs recognizable (except for the characteristic riffs, of course).