I find that I tend to strum too much. Meaning- if there's a break, or a beat in the song, I want to fill it with sound (a strum). Not every beat, but a lot of extra strums throughout a song. The problem that this causes is that I never have a steady pattern. My rhythm is ok, but there's usually no pattern AT ALL.
Does anyone else have this problem.. and is it even a problem at all?
I strum too much!!
I find I tend to miss some strums rather than throw in too many as I try to keep a nice even and light strum so sometimes I go too far and miss the strum which of course affects the pattern. Strumming patterns with accents are harder in this regard.
Is too much strumming (a few extra strums) a problem? Wouldn't think what you describe is such a big deal unless you do it so much the pattern is unrecognisable, as you said rhythm is more important I think. I actually think slight variations can help.
Interesting question Al.
Is too much strumming (a few extra strums) a problem? Wouldn't think what you describe is such a big deal unless you do it so much the pattern is unrecognisable, as you said rhythm is more important I think. I actually think slight variations can help.
Interesting question Al.
-
Hydroman52
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:52 am
- Status: Offline
Hey Al,
I understand what you are saying. When a person plays solo, one tends to fill in a bit more. This may be because we are accustom to listening to songs that are being played with a full band and/or a vocalist. It sounds strange just isolating out the guitar part and playing that solo. This became evident when I got a digital looper and was able to lay down a rhythm track and accompany myself rather easily. The first time I tried it, it sounded too “noisy”. Too many notes . . . . . and just too much going on.
With that in mind, I think the tendency is to overcompensate for the missing parts and wanting to fill all the voids. When I play with others, I really try to tone it down now so the music doesn’t become too “full”. This can be quite difficult sometimes.
It’s interesting that you brought up this topic. I was over at a friend’s house two nights ago, and one of the issues we were discussing was the value of silence and simplicity in music. Thanks for the topic . . . . I though that I was the only one doing this.
I understand what you are saying. When a person plays solo, one tends to fill in a bit more. This may be because we are accustom to listening to songs that are being played with a full band and/or a vocalist. It sounds strange just isolating out the guitar part and playing that solo. This became evident when I got a digital looper and was able to lay down a rhythm track and accompany myself rather easily. The first time I tried it, it sounded too “noisy”. Too many notes . . . . . and just too much going on.
With that in mind, I think the tendency is to overcompensate for the missing parts and wanting to fill all the voids. When I play with others, I really try to tone it down now so the music doesn’t become too “full”. This can be quite difficult sometimes.
It’s interesting that you brought up this topic. I was over at a friend’s house two nights ago, and one of the issues we were discussing was the value of silence and simplicity in music. Thanks for the topic . . . . I though that I was the only one doing this.
Good topic Al. I think that this is a problem most guitarists have sooner or later. Especially those of us that eventually start playing with other people.
Its one of those things where you just have to learn it and do the strumming pattern correctly no matter what you think it sounds like. Try recording yourself doing the 'fill' strum and see how it sounds and then doing just the correct pattern. Which one sounds better?
Its one of those things where you just have to learn it and do the strumming pattern correctly no matter what you think it sounds like. Try recording yourself doing the 'fill' strum and see how it sounds and then doing just the correct pattern. Which one sounds better?
I have been working on rhythm pattern lately from books.Knowing when to strum up or down or miss a beat is what makes the song good or just average. I am presently working on Wish you were here. I thought I was playing it fine, but it is nowhere near the original, I was strumming too much, as you say , Al.
I am making a point not to remember the song, for now . I try to read the rhythm from the notation as I play to get use to understand the song. I am much closer to what it should sound (if I want to play like the original, of course). I can see a big difference in how I look at the songs now.
I was going to make a second try at Over the hills and far away. I remember your comment as it a beat was missing or there was one too many, you could not say. Now that I am having a closer look at rhythm notation, I agree 100% with what you said and I am redoing it following the notation rather than my feel of the song.
Feel is important, but one must understand the intention of the writer before applying to our own approach.
Marc
I am making a point not to remember the song, for now . I try to read the rhythm from the notation as I play to get use to understand the song. I am much closer to what it should sound (if I want to play like the original, of course). I can see a big difference in how I look at the songs now.
I was going to make a second try at Over the hills and far away. I remember your comment as it a beat was missing or there was one too many, you could not say. Now that I am having a closer look at rhythm notation, I agree 100% with what you said and I am redoing it following the notation rather than my feel of the song.
Feel is important, but one must understand the intention of the writer before applying to our own approach.
Marc
-
johnrfeeney
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:11 pm
- Status: Offline
I do the same thing, and then tend to break into a staccato muffled strum - i really believe if we were all perfected (became true artists with the guitar) we would find we had our own strum
a distintive fingerprint so to speek
true individuals are like that
not that there are many true individuals who play the guitar - they could be but they would have to stop following the crowd, the sound, what's in etc etc and find what's in them
then they could do whatever they want
but with their own particular strum , pick, finger style
you know, it happens all the time
music does that with individual personalities not robots
a distintive fingerprint so to speek
true individuals are like that
not that there are many true individuals who play the guitar - they could be but they would have to stop following the crowd, the sound, what's in etc etc and find what's in them
then they could do whatever they want
but with their own particular strum , pick, finger style
you know, it happens all the time
music does that with individual personalities not robots
johnrfeeney wrote:
Marc
John, I do not mean that we have to do only what the others are doing rhythmically speaking, but if we want to improve our method, we need to be able to understand what the professionals are doing. I have this book that I am working on , it has 450 different rhythms and I am certain it is only a drop of water in the ocean. If we do not learn different rhythms, it would like learning only 2 chords, you can play something but eventually it sounds the same. So my point of learning from a sheet of known songs is actually to prevent from becoming a robot because imagination gets quite limited if you only have one idea in your mind.I do the same thing, and then tend to break into a staccato muffled strum - i really believe if we were all perfected (became true artists with the guitar) we would find we had our own strum
a distintive fingerprint so to speek
true individuals are like that
not that there are many true individuals who play the guitar - they could be but they would have to stop following the crowd, the sound, what's in etc etc and find what's in them
then they could do whatever they want
but with their own particular strum , pick, finger style
you know, it happens all the time
music does that with individual personalities not robots
Marc
Somebody once told me that a common problem with strumming was that people wanted to fill up all the space. Probably because they are not keeping their right hand moving and therefore in time.
I don't think this applies to you as you say you are keeping good time.
I think silence (or gaps) in music are very effective, so it's probably worth you trying to put some in.
You say you don't have a regular strum pattern, but I think that is what you want. I think its the next stage from sticking with the same pattern all through the song.
Neil said on one of his videos that there is only one strumming pattern. Just constant downs and ups. The only differences being when you hit the strings and when you don't.
I don't think this applies to you as you say you are keeping good time.
I think silence (or gaps) in music are very effective, so it's probably worth you trying to put some in.
You say you don't have a regular strum pattern, but I think that is what you want. I think its the next stage from sticking with the same pattern all through the song.
Neil said on one of his videos that there is only one strumming pattern. Just constant downs and ups. The only differences being when you hit the strings and when you don't.