Guitar Strumming Pattern Trainer
Pick a pattern or build your own on the 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and grid, set a tempo, and loop it with real strummed chords. Follow the moving playhead to lock in your timing.
Your strumming pattern
Tap any slot to turn a strum on or off. Down arrows fall on the beat, up arrows on the and. Press play and strum along.
Common patterns
Load a classic pattern, then tweak it to taste.
How strumming patterns work
How do I read a strumming pattern?
Most strumming patterns are written over one bar of 4/4 time, counted one and two and three and four and. The numbers are the beats and the ands are the offbeats in between. A down arrow means a downstroke, an up arrow means an upstroke. Wherever there is no strum, you still move your hand, you just miss the strings.
Why keep my hand moving on the rests?
The secret to steady strumming is a constant down up motion in your wrist, like a metronome. Your hand goes down on every beat and up on every and, all the time. On a rest you let the hand pass the strings without hitting them, which is called a ghost stroke. That is what keeps your timing even.
What is a good first strumming pattern?
Start with all downstrokes on each beat to build a steady pulse, then try the most common pattern, down, down up, up down up. Loop it slowly with the playhead until it feels automatic, then bring the tempo up a few clicks at a time.
How do I get faster and tighter?
Practice slowly with a steady tempo and only speed up once the pattern feels relaxed. Keep your strumming arm loose, brush lightly across the strings, and let the moving playhead and the count guide you so the rhythm stays even as you add speed.
Turn patterns into songs
Strumming clicks fastest when you play real music. All Access gives you 85,000+ video lessons and song lessons from the world's best guitar educators. Try it free for 7 days.
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