Strumming 1/16th notes

[thereshopeyet]

Bob Seger: You'll Accompny Me
Video: Part 5 Double Time 1:18 to 2:06

I have been trying to focus on strumming 1/16th as Neil does in the video lesson.
The problem is I am finding it very difficult to refine the small the right hand wrist movement for any length of time.
I can strum the 1/16th as in the song..... but.... to extend playing 1/16th for any length of time is a struggle.

I strum
1/4 notes / Downs.................. fine.
1/8th notes Downs and Ups...... fine.
1/8th notes all downs............... fine
1/16th notes............................ get about two measure of 4 beats each and loose the feel.... just turns into a mash of noise.

I have tried hard to focus on this exercise but find it very difficult can anyone
is i just a case of persistance.

Does anyone else have any problems strumming this exercise for a few minutes?

it would be helpful for me to have a strum along practice recording longer than that in the video
to help me keep the rhythm

Neil makes it look very easy.

Is it just me?

:S

[Music Junkie]

Dermot:

I had a lot of trouble with this for a long while, and still do if the pattern is of an odd nature. What really helped me was to slow it WAY down. I hate using a metronome, but I had to use one when I dealt with 1/16 notes. I used to try and keep a count in my head and that worked just fine for most things. When a song presented itself that had a quick 1/16 note strum to it, I could not count 1 e + a 2 e + a..... fast enough. Just fell apart on me so quickly. I concentrated on the metronome and got back to a feel rather than a count and it seems to be much better for me now (again, unless the pattern is of a certain nature). I took me about 2-3 weeks of about 10 -15 min a night to start to get a comfort with it. The song I was messing with was not an overly fast song, but it had a ton of beats on the e's and a's. I had to get my hand moving at a steady pace for a while and then slowly work in the fingering of the chords and the changes. Was frustrating at first, but it paid off. I certainly don't think I am all that good at it yet, but I am better than I was before, and I'll take that for now and continue to work on it...

MJ

P.S., Neil makes EVERYTHING look easy.... :laugh:

[willem]

Wow Dermot,,you find an lesson for me that I could'nt find anymore and goes a baut that 1/16 notes and bin thru it and man what a exercise ,but great. B) B)

Of course i have also problems with keeping up with that kind of exercise for a few minutes but i try it on the A and E chord and it really must with a tik tak and maybe on 70bpm if 80 is to much even more less than 70,,first I try to throw in on the 4 beat (is that what we seen Ness doing sometime?).. :laugh:

There are more songs/lessons that goes over this so if you find!! well i think you would tell me..

GOODLUCK,,if we nail this we nail ''pinball wizard'' also... :laugh: :laugh: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[neverfoundthetime]

Hi Dermot, if it makes you feel any better, I find 1/16 ths really difficult to handle too. I have no problems with strumming otherwise but I notice that those that play the 16ths well have a much more relaxed, even limp wrist. Looks like MJ has the right way to practice it. Btw the song in question was, er, Question.

[thereshopeyet]

MJ

Thanks for the advise.
I think from Chris's reply you are discussing "Question" ..... is that correct?

You'll Accompny me is a great lesson..... it's a great song.
From your explanation I know you understand what I mean.
Following Neils exercise is a challenge for sure..... just holding any chord and getting into strumming 1/16th for as long as possible!!

I'll keep at it..... focus focus focus...... thanks for the motivation.



Willem

I sure would let you know Willem.

I told you about this song a week and 6 days ago in forum post The Time Machine speech bubble here:Time Machine

Another Song
Neil discussed 1/16th's in Damien Rice's The Blowers Daughter Part 2 - Strumming



Chris Wrote:

I notice that those that play the 16ths well have a much more relaxed, even limp wrist.

Chris, that's a great comment as I noticed that too.... just how do they do that and keep control!
I have found since posting and this has been said in the forum before for other techniques......
I found that playing quietly helps me relax a little more and I can get a little further, maintaining it is the work, I'm going to stick with it
this time.... if I can get it to a minute or 2 ..... that would be a good jump over the hurdle to stop thinking about it.
Tough on the wrist too and not good for the marriage!
Oh, maybe I should rephrase that, oh you know what I mean..... drive her mad!!

:laugh: :laugh:

[neverfoundthetime]

I found this Dermot, Question and JH playing those 16ths in close up...

[Music Junkie]

Dermot:

Not familiar with "Question"..... :unsure:

oops...... just watched Chris's clip..... ahh, never heard that song before, but there you go wit the 1/16th note strumming. I would think that if you took that song and played it at 25 - 30% speed and got more comfortable and then jumped up 5% or so every other night, that it would get pretty comfortable. For me these strumming exercises are a lot like trying to get a specific picking pattern down. At first I stumble on them over and over, until I slow them WAY down and jut get super comfortable with them and then pick it up a bit. Wish there was some trick that I could use, but I have to do everything the hard way... :laugh:

MJ

[schm040]

I like to go to Neil's "Another Brick In the Wall" lesson to work on my 16ths. Check it out.

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks for all those songs.... I'll definately have a look.

Chris
Question clip is great.... it just show you hear and love songs like Question..... only now can I say I really appreciate what's going on.... Amazing.

Matt
Thanks for Brick In The Wall, another great track.... I'll sure take a look thanks.

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks