Beginner Guitar Strumming Patterns: 4 Grooves That Fit Most Songs

Strumming is where chords turn into music. Here are 4 beginner-friendly strumming patterns you can use on almost any 4/4 song—plus a simple way to practice them.

Before you start: count in 8ths

Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Your hand keeps moving down-up even when you don’t hit the strings.

Pattern 1: All downstrokes

D D D D (one per beat). Great for building timing.

Pattern 2: Down, down-up

D (1) D-U (2&) D (3) D-U (4&).

Pattern 3: The pop pattern

D (1) D-U (2&) U (3&) D-U (4&).

Pattern 4: The classic skip

D (1) (skip 2) D-U (3&) U (4&).

15-minute practice

• 5 min: mute strings and strum to a metronome

• 5 min: play one chord and keep the groove steady

• 5 min: switch between two chords without breaking time

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