Sixteenth-note strumming

Sixteenth notes divide each beat into four, so the arm moves twice as fast as in eighth notes. The secret is not strength but relaxation and counting. This lesson builds the motion slowly and shows one pattern that sounds great at moderate tempos.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Count sixteenth notes out loud as 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a.
• Keep a loose, constant down-up arm motion at four strums per beat.
• Play the pattern D - D U (down, miss, down, up) on every beat.

Sixteenth notes divide each beat into four equal parts. You count them 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a. That is sixteen strums per bar, double the speed of eighth notes.

The arm motion is the same as before: down on the numbers and the "ands", up on the "e" and the "a". It is just faster, so two things matter more:

Relaxation. A tense forearm cannot go fast. Keep the wrist and forearm loose, the grip on the pick light, and the motion small. If your arm burns, slow down and shake it out.

Counting. At this speed the count is the only thing that keeps you in time. Say "1 e & a" out loud, even when your hand misses the strings.

As with eighths, the pattern is the choice of which strums touch the strings. The pattern D - D U on every beat (down on the number, miss the "e", down on the "and", up on the "a") is one of the most useful: busy but not exhausting.

The strums that fall on the beat carry the weight. The ones in between stay light, like brushing the strings.

Building up to sixteenths.

1. Strum eighth notes on muted strings at 50 BPM: down on the numbers, up on the "ands".
2. Now double it: strum four times per beat. Count "1 e & a" out loud. Your arm moves twice as fast, but the motion gets smaller, not harder.
3. If it tightens, drop the tempo by 10 BPM and shake out the arm.
4. Make the strum on each number slightly louder than the others.
5. Now miss the "e": the arm still goes up and down, but misses the strings on that stroke. You are playing D - D U.

Then play it on Am for two minutes, and alternate Am and C every bar.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Loose arm, muted strings

  4 min · 50 → 70 BPM

  1. Mute the strings with your fretting hand.
  2. Count '1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a' out loud with the metronome on the numbers.
  3. Strum down on the numbers and the '&', up on the 'e' and the 'a'. Keep the motion small.
  4. Shake out your arm every minute.

  You have it when

  • Your arm stays loose and your voice stays with the metronome for two minutes.
  I practised this one

• 2.Accent the beats

  4 min · 50 → 70 BPM

  1. Keep playing all sixteen strums per bar on one chord, such as Am.
  2. Make the downstroke on each number a little louder than the rest.
  3. Keep everything else light, as if brushing the strings.

  You have it when

  • You can hear four clear beats in each bar, with a light sixteenth-note texture between them.
  I practised this one

• 3.The D - D U pattern

  4 min · 50 → 80 BPM

  1. Keep the arm moving in sixteenths. On each beat, play: down on the number, miss the 'e', down on the '&', up on the 'a'.
  2. Count '1 e & a' as you play, and feel the 'e' as an air strum.
  3. Play it on Am for two minutes, then alternate Am and C every bar.

  You have it when

  • The pattern stays even across a chord change for two minutes.
  I practised this one

Start at 50 BPM, where four strums per beat is easy to control. Go up in steps of 5 BPM and stop where the arm starts to tighten: a good working range for sixteenth-note patterns is 60 to 90 BPM.

• Tensing the forearm to go faster. Speed comes from relaxation. If your forearm burns, slow down, shake it out and use a smaller motion.
• Losing the count on the missed strums. Keep saying '1 e & a' out loud. The 'e' is still there when your hand misses the strings.
• Playing every strum equally hard. Keep the in-between strums light and let the beat strum carry the weight.

Sixteenth-note patterns turn up in funk, pop and country strumming. Try the D - D U pattern over the chords of Sweet Home Alabama or Brown Eyed Girl at a slow tempo for a different feel.

Try it in: Sweet Home Alabama (chord version), Brown Eyed Girl (chord version).

Short version (10 minutes)

Do 'Loose arm, muted strings' at 50 BPM for four minutes, with the counting out loud.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises, then play one song section using the D - D U pattern at 60 BPM.

• Sixteenth notes: four strums per beat, counted 1 e & a.
• Loose arm and small motion, not force.
• The arm never stops, even on missed strums.
• Beat strums are the loud ones; the rest stay light.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can count sixteenth notes out loud while playing.
• I can keep a loose sixteenth-note strum going for two minutes at 60 BPM.
• I can play D - D U on each beat across a chord change.