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In Lesson 3, we practiced changing between pairs of open chords. Next we will look at strumming patterns for playing open chords. You should be familiar with open chords before starting this lesson.

In the exercises in this lesson, you can use a guitar pick, or your thumb, to strum chords.

You may be more comfortable strumming with your thumb at first, since you can feel what strings you are hitting. Try to eventually learn to play these exercises with a pick.

Open chord strumming is used in nearly all songs that use open chords. The strumming patterns in this chapter are great for developing a solid sense of rhythm and timing.

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is to teach you a basic strumming pattern that applies to a wide variety of songs. Then, we will apply this patter to the open chord shapes we looked at in Lesson 3. Once you are comfortable with this strumming pattern, you should find it easier to imitate other similar strumming patterns.

Main Points of This Lesson:

• Playing combinations of open chords
• Strumming techniques for open chords
• Playing in time with simple music tracks ('microsongs')