Ok, I think I'm doing okay on the guitar for the time I've put into it, and now that I've got my toolbox with enough tools I'm starting to perfect the tools.
OKay is there a secret to strumming? 'Cause everyone I play with ( experienced people ) tell me I am strumming too hard but everything else is good. What can I do to fix this ??
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
are we talking on an electric guitar, or acoustic? any more info/explanation of what they meant?
If you're strumming an electric (or any guitar for that matter) strung with light strings, hitting them too hard can cause the notes to sound sharp at first ( all strings do this when struck, but it's more noticeable the harder you strum, and the lighter the string).
Hi,
It might be worth trying the following:
Take a simple chord progression for your left hand - one that you can do without having to think about it. A, D, A, E, A, etc is a good one, as you can leave the index finger on the same string and just swing the other two around it. But even two chords would be enough, just as long as you can change on 'autopilot'. Then just practise strumming and listen hard to what's going on. Aim for two things:
a) Accuracy. Striking different combinations of strings - i.e. try to be selective. The sound you get from strumming just the lower strings, just the higher ones, only those in the middle, etc can all be very different from a full thrash right across all six.
b) Touch. Try and vary the style and velocity of your strikes to see if you can get a range from very soft and subtle sounds, through to full and gutsy. See how light and quiet you can go.
Even a single chord can provide a wide variety of sounds and can be turned into a small tune, depending on how and where you strike, so have some fun noodling away trying to develop a bit of subtlety. A few minutes of that a day should help you gradually find a wealth of alternative sounds. I'm not a teacher, or an kind of expert, but that seems to be working for me.
Cheers,
Chris
Coolnama, did those more experienced people offer any suggestions to cure the problem?
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
No, they just told me I had to calm down and not him them so hard cause I was sounding "chunky". But I think I'll do what Chris said.
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
I'm not an expert by any means. In fact, you can't judge anything on me with my join date, I have only picked up the guitar here and there for the last 4 years. But....
One thing that comes to mind is to relax. Perhaps there is a lot of tension in your arm or holding the pick. Maybe you could try practicing strumming very slowly, almost letting each string ring out individually, but not quite that slow. Instead of trying to strum the pattern, just strum slowly once for each measure of whatever song you are doing. That may help to relax.
Like I said, I'm no expert, nor do I think I should give any advise. But the thought of tension and trying to relax popped into my head.
