Strum
Encyclopedia
In music
, a strum or stroke is an action where a single surface (whether a fingernail or plectrum
) touches several strings
of a string instrument
, such as a guitar
, in order to set them all into motion and thereby play a chord
. Strums are contrasted with plucking
, as means of activating strings into audible vibration, because in plucking, only one string is activated by a surface at a time. A hand-held pick or plectrum can only be used to pluck one string at a time, but multiple strings can be strummed by one. Plucking multiple strings simultaneously requires a fingerstyle or fingerpick
technique.
A strumming pattern or strum is a preset pattern used by a rhythm guitar
. Compare with pattern picking, strumming patterns may be indicated through notation, tablature
, up and down arrows, or slashes. For example, a pattern in common time
or 4/4 consisting of alternating down and up eight note strokes may be written:
Patterns may alternate or vary through one song.
Examples of primary strumming patterns in songs :
s such as Freddie Green
, although they may subtly vary the chord on each beat.
A simple eight-to-a-bar rhythm is known as "straight eights" as opposed "swung eights", in which each pair are played as the first and third notes in a triplet.
The fretting hand can also be lifted off the fretboard to damp a chord, creating staccato
and percussive effects. In reggae
and ska
, a few staccato "chops" are played per bar. In funk
rhythm playing, the strumming hand keeps a fairly steady motion in 16th notes, while the left hand, basically holding down a jazz chord damps some of them in a syncopated pattern.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a strum or stroke is an action where a single surface (whether a fingernail or plectrum
Plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
) touches several strings
Strings (music)
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
of a string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, such as a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, in order to set them all into motion and thereby play a chord
Chord
Chord may refer to:* Chord , an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously.** Chord an aggregate of musical pitches played simultaneously on a guitar* Chord , a line segment joining two points on a curve...
. Strums are contrasted with plucking
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
, as means of activating strings into audible vibration, because in plucking, only one string is activated by a surface at a time. A hand-held pick or plectrum can only be used to pluck one string at a time, but multiple strings can be strummed by one. Plucking multiple strings simultaneously requires a fingerstyle or fingerpick
Fingerpick
A fingerpick is a type of plectrum used most commonly for playing bluegrass style banjo music. Most fingerpicks are composed of metal or plastic. Unlike flat guitar picks, which are held between the thumb and finger and used one at a time, fingerpicks clip onto or wrap around the end of the fingers...
technique.
A strumming pattern or strum is a preset pattern used by a rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
. Compare with pattern picking, strumming patterns may be indicated through notation, tablature
Tablature
Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....
, up and down arrows, or slashes. For example, a pattern in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
or 4/4 consisting of alternating down and up eight note strokes may be written:
- /\/\/\/\
Rock and Pop
The pattern most typical of rock and related styles would be written:- / /\ \/\
Patterns may alternate or vary through one song.
Examples of primary strumming patterns in songs :
- single down strum: / / / /
- Elvis' "Burning LoveBurning Love"Burning Love" is a song written by Dennis Linde, first recorded by Arthur Alexander, who included it on his self-titled 1971 album, and made famous by Elvis Presley, who took it to #2 in the United States in 1972...
"
- Elvis' "Burning Love
- down-up: /\/\/\/\
- Billy Ray CyrusBilly Ray CyrusWilliam "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
' "Achy Breaky HeartAchy Breaky Heart"Achy Breaky Heart" is a hit country music song written by Don Von Tress. Originally titled "Don't Tell My Heart", its name was later changed to "Achy Breaky Heart" and was recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus on his 1992 album Some Gave All. As Cyrus' debut single and signature song, it made him famous and...
" - Kathy MatteaKathy MatteaKathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
's "What Could Have Been"
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- boom-chicka: / /\/ /\
- Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
's "Silver Wings"
- Merle Haggard
Jazz and Funk
The simple four-to-a-bar rhythm is associated with Jazz guitaristJazz guitarist
Jazz guitarists are guitar players who play jazz music on the guitar using an approach to playing chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist and soloist in small and large ensembles and also as an unaccompanied...
s such as Freddie Green
Freddie Green
Frederick William "Freddie" Green was an American swing jazz guitarist. He was especially noted for his sophisticated rhythm guitar in big band settings, particularly for the Count Basie orchestra, where he was part of the "All-American Rhythm Section" with Basie on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and...
, although they may subtly vary the chord on each beat.
A simple eight-to-a-bar rhythm is known as "straight eights" as opposed "swung eights", in which each pair are played as the first and third notes in a triplet.
The fretting hand can also be lifted off the fretboard to damp a chord, creating staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
and percussive effects. In reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, a few staccato "chops" are played per bar. In funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
rhythm playing, the strumming hand keeps a fairly steady motion in 16th notes, while the left hand, basically holding down a jazz chord damps some of them in a syncopated pattern.
Fingerstyle strumming strokes
Some of the many possible fingerstyle strums include- A slow upstroke (bass to treble) sweep with the thumb. This is a sforzandoSforzandoSforzando may refer to:*Sforzando, used in musical notation as an instruction to play a note with sudden, strong emphasis *Sforzando , a "pirate orchestra" from Melbourne, Australia, named after the musical term...
or emphatic way of playing a chord. - Light "brushing" strokes with the fingers moving together at a near-perpendicular angle to the strings. Works equally in either direction and can be alternated for a chord tremelo chord effect.
- Downstrokes with one finger make a change from the standard upstroke strum.
- A "pinch" with the thumb and fingers moving towards each other gives a crisp effect. It is helpful to clearly articulate the topmost and bass note in the chord, as if plucking, before "following through".
- RasgueadoRasgueadoRasgueado is a guitar finger strumming technique commonly associated with flamenco guitar music. It is also used in classical and other fingerstyle guitar picking techniques...
: Strumming typically done by bunching all the right hand fingers and then flicking them out in quick succession to get four superimposed strums. The rasgueado or "rolling" strum is particularly characteristic of flamencoFlamencoFlamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
. - Turning p-a-m-i tremelo plucking into a series of downstrokes. This is a lighter version of the classic rasgueado, which uses upstrokes.
External links
- Strumming Techniques for Guitar (Videos)