To use downstrokes only would of course be limiting but they are necessary and adda much different rythmic feel than alterante picking and in song songs they wouldn't sound right if you didn't.
Of course to be a well rounded guitar player one should be comfortable with all of the various ways to pick notes.
I have to say I've always for the most part used alternate picking but when i watch videos of hardcore or punk bands playing with all downstrokes I sometimes am in awe of how fast they can actually do it. If you do it well it's a skill just like alternate picking.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
dogbite said in his orginal post when I read the Beginners section I always wonder why there are so many question re: rythym patterns. U/U/D/U ,
I thought strumming was a given; a natural we all share.
I too have to admit to being suprised at how often there are posts from people who have trouble strumming; I also thought that it was something that, as a guitarist, you could just do. I must just be lucky to be able to hear something new and figure out the strum pattern straight away.
As for playing with only downstrokes, I did notice that when I taught my brother for a few days he never, ever played an upstroke; when I asked him why, he said that "it was much harder to play an upstroke, and it sounded weird" - so I suppose that if people find it hard to do, and therefore are not able to use the sound an upstrum makes, then they would just get around it by downstroking everything.
While that it fine for certain songs / styles, it is going to put a serious limit on what they can play in the long run.
Pete
ETD - Formerly "10141748 - Reincarnate"
dogbite said in his orginal post when I read the Beginners section I always wonder why there are so many question re: rythym patterns. U/U/D/U ,
I thought strumming was a given; a natural we all share.
I too have to admit to being suprised at how often there are posts from people who have trouble strumming; I also thought that it was something that, as a guitarist, you could just do. I must just be lucky to be able to hear something new and figure out the strum pattern straight away.
As for playing with only downstrokes, I did notice that when I taught my brother for a few days he never, ever played an upstroke; when I asked him why, he said that "it was much harder to play an upstroke, and it sounded weird" - so I suppose that if people find it hard to do, and therefore are not able to use the sound an upstrum makes, then they would just get around it by downstroking everything.
While that it fine for certain songs / styles, it is going to put a serious limit on what they can play in the long run.
Pete
I feel the same way. Strumming is something that has always come easy to me. Upstrokes was hard at first, but now that I've got it down it's a very important part of my style. In my opinion it's one of the things that makes the guitar special - you can play a chord forward and then backward. I often think of it as breathing in and then breathing out. It's an essential tool to making a song sound organic, I think.
When I comes to picking, well, I don't think it's any big secret that alternative picking is usually the way to go. :wink:
All downstrokes = punk or metal. Up and down = everything beyond that. I didn't learn to play downstroke powerchords until I had played for 6 months and it felt really weird to do it. I think it's all in how you learn. I can't see all downstrokes for a mellow songs. It would sound bassier for lack of a better word.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
I guess that the people you saw played all downstrokes because they were playing some hard rock/punk songs which are made of power chords.
Of course it is quite difficult to play downstrokes only expecially at high speed, more difficult than to play the same song with alternate picking. i.e. the classic hard-rock beat made of a constant eight-notes downstrokes means that you're actually moving your hand like you're playing sixteen notes with alternate picking and playing sixteen notes at say 180-190 bom is not that easy!
I started to play with alternate picking and I always use it for most songs: only when i'm playing hard rock songs I use downstrokes only.
The real trouble is that learning only power chords is limiting your ability to play
Matteo
The first time I learnt guitar, my teacher made we played with several strumming patterns with downstrokes, upstrokes and even some rasgueo depending on the song we are learning. Curiously I can remember some really complex patterns. However, the picks were prohibited, only fingerpicking, and currently I have problems with them.
I did read, I think in a David's lesson, something like you achieve a new level in the guitar playing when you can differentiate the sounds generated by downstrokes and upstrokes and you can use them in your songs.
Dog, I know what you are saying, but I have to agree that much of the music today plays downstrokes only.
I am fairly decent with the strum pattern part of the instrument - it came pretty naturally for me - but I DO have a problem CHANGING my strum pattern for a song from what I THOUGHT it was, to what it REALLY is...
Uncle John's Band is a great example. Pretty easy song, but it took me a while to change the way I strummed it with a few of those odd upstrums...
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
My guess is that they probably learned to play power chords before full chords, as a way to be able to play sooner. As they progressed they just stayed with the powerchord style downstrokes only.
Yep, that's my guess.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Two questions:
1) Why is playing power chords bad? Weren't they created because they don't sound messy with distortion not because playing normal chords is too hard?
2) Where in the original post does it mention that they are playing only power chords?
Well I guess it's my turn to sound off here.
I also couldn't tell if this was about string picking or chord strumming.
I think now it's about both.
So - I'll say that as far as picking individual strings, left to learn on my own in the begining, nothing other than downstrokes.
Luckily for me, Uncle Bobby came along and made me drill scales with alternate picking.
The first song he taught me was Gloria (THEM). E-D-A open chords.
And you have to alternate your strumming for that.
The upstroke though in my opinion is just not natural.
As for the mention of "power chords"....
I'm not sure - I think the reference's here are for 2 note partial 5th chords....????
(I think that's what they're called - I'll check on it)
Like grabbing a G note on the low E string and a C note on the A string and doing all downstrokes....? Is that what you're
calling a power chord????
A power chord, I think, actually consists of 3 root notes being played (at different octaves?)
Like the A power chord Paul Kossoff uses to start All Right Now - Index finger on 2nd fret G string (A)/ strech pinky to 5th
fret B and E strings (E and A notes) (like a partial barre chord on the 3 high strings).
To play full 3 A note power chord, hit the open A string and strum down on the G,B,E strings. All Right Now :wink:
To me, that's a power chord, and if that's easier than a regular chord then I'm doing something wrong.
I can play it now with no problems. It did take me awhile though.
Also - I usually don't play Full chords, even if I'm fingering them.
I mean I guess I do - a part here and a part there, just not a full up or down sweep usually.
Back to single string picking - I Love 60's British Blues. And to get that solo style, the picking is usually ALL hard UPstrokes.
Okay, I'm done now. :)
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Two questions:
1) Why is playing power chords bad? Weren't they created because they don't sound messy with distortion not because playing normal chords is too hard?
2) Where in the original post does it mention that they are playing only power chords?
Hi angel
of course there's nothing bad in playing power chords. I love heavy metal and that's the reason why more than 2 years ago I finally decided to embrace a guitar! Of course if you want to play metal/hard rock/punk you must use power chords: Iorn Maiden's Running free doesn soud the same if played with open chords!...but if you know power chords only you can not play a lot of other kinds of music
Cheers
Matteo
A lot of people say power chords are better with overdrive, but I happen to love the sound of a full chord with good overdrive on it, sounds delicious. (I'm hungry, gve me a break)
Playing power chords isn't bad in itself, but if thats all one does it is very limiting. There are only so many sounds 2 notes can make :P
It doesn't say that they were playing only power chords (i guess, i didn't actually go back and look) however using downstrokes is commonly associated with punk rock, a genre that puts power chords to full use, I think thats how the connection was made.
Well, I guess I can agree with the full chord and overdrive sounding delicious.
Nothing like dialing in the tube overdrive and hitting a nice open A chord. Very James Gang!!!!
That's actually how I test the sound usually.
Hey Taso - did you see my pics on the B chord thread????
I look a lot like you (or your Avatar :lol: )
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
yep. nothing wrong with power chords. nothing wrong with a genre of music requiring a certain technique.
my original observation was simple. I jam with people every week. some big differences in ages. thirty years or less.
I nootice that older players have several kinds of rythym and picking styles. those youngest just downstroke.
they just downstroke. a comment one guy made ...one week we jammed and had fell into a loose bluesy twelve bar.
the next week when this guys buds showed I mentioned that the week before we played songs.
huh? songs? we didnt play songs. maybe because we sounded close.
when the downstrokers were jamming I didnt think we were palying songs either...just another structure.
they made simple chord shapes and moved them up and down the neck. all downstrokes and not power chords (all the time).
I find this interesting, non judgemental, and different.
