Today, Mark takes in depth look at strumming. He explains pressure and positioning among other technical aspects.
Taught by Mark Lincoln in Basic Guitar with Mark Lincoln seriesLength: 23:57Difficulty: 1.0 of 5
Review- Warm-up the hands.Ready?
- Stretch the wrists.
- Play the major and minor open chords.
- Warm up your strumming muscles by relaxing the wrists and letting the pick flow over the strings.
- Play the E major chord in the "new" way and play the type 1 barre chords.
- Play the A major chord in the "new" way and play the type 2 barre chords.
- Practice the "slanting A" technique.
- Practice the type 1 minor barre chords.
- Practice the type 2 minor barre chords.
- Play all of the type 1 mini-barre chords.
- Play all of the type 2 mini-barre chords.
- Review and practice quantitative and qualitative techniques.
- Review last week's exercises.
- Practice "wrist warming."
Strumming is a rudimentary part of playing the guitar, and learning some of the various ways to go about it can make you a more diverse and well-rounded guitar player over time. When most of us start out, we have the tendency to strum all of the strings regardless of the chord we're playing. This is a natural tendency in lieu of the fact that we're in the process of learning so much information at once, that inevitably the accuracy of our strums might fall by the wayside. Nevertheless, it is important to become aware of the sound that we're producing from our guitars and make the necessary adjustments to our strums in order to create the most beautiful and refined sound as possible. In today's lesson, we're going to take a closer look at strumming and some techniques that will hopefully help you become a more precise and consistent guitar player.
What is strumming? Well, in its most simple and fundamental form strumming is the act of brushing one's fingers or pick across the strings of an instrument e.g. the guitar, right? But as you know by this point in your musical education, there’s a lot more than meets the eye to strumming effectively! Chapter 2: (03:41) Under Pressure Under Pressure
Perhaps one of the most important facets of strumming the guitar and making it sound "pleasing" is the pressure one applies to the strings as one strums. Too little and you can’t hear it, too much and you may be crashing across the strings and producing an undesirable sound. So how do you find the right balance of pressure? Simple! Practice and experiment! Only by playing will you be able to find the appropriate amount of pressure necessary to produce the optimum sound from your particular guitar and your particular gauge of strings. Yes, the amount of pressure can change as a function of the instrument and strings (and style of playing too for that matter) especially if you use lighter strings. Lighter strings require more sensitivity. Ultimately though, it is of the utmost importance that one does not over-strum in order to produce the most refined sound that the instrument is capable of producing. Chapter 3: (09:45) Positioning Exercise 1
Play Cadd9 using the "down-down-up-down" strumming pattern.
C add 9
E_0_
B_3_
G_0_
D_2_
A_3_
E_x_
Make sure to stretch your wrist first (see previous wrist relaxation exercises) and strum from the wrist. Yes, your forearm will be moving, but the bulk of the movement should come from the wrist itself. Watch me in the video for more on this. Relax your fingers and wrist and allow the pick to flow over the strings. Hold the pick so that it's comfortable and loose in the fingers, but not so loose that the pick falls out. There is a balance that you will need to find for yourself, and part of that balance is finding the right pick for you. Some people do better with light picks, but most of the veteran guitar strummers I know use medium or heavy picks. I like the Jim Dunlop medium gray picks, because they tend to be easier to hold, yet are malleable enough to accommodate the strings. This is an extremely important point, because the pick is the only tool between you and the strings! If the pick is too hard (hard picks are generally better for picking, leads etc.), you may be prone to crash over the strings and loose the subtly that you need to produce a sweet sound. A pick that is too light may not produce the volume you need, and you may continually break picks in an attempt to increase your volume. So, pick selection is important!!! Experiment with different thicknesses until you find the pick that works best for you.
Alright, so assuming you've got a hold of a pick that suffices, at least for the moment, strum the Cadd9 chord. Focus on playing softly and listen carefully to the sound that you are producing from the guitar. How does it sound? Are you getting a nice sound from the instrument or does it sound as if your pick is grating and sliding over the strings abruptly? Some people have problems playing an upstroke in a particular rhythm and sometimes this can be caused by not allowing the pick to play on its alternate side. In other words, once the pick finishes its journey downward, the other side of the pick should be pressed against the strings. Both sides of the pick should be employed. In the video, I'll show you in detail how this should look and how to effectively use the pick so that both sides of the pick are used equally (in a down-up strum or snap-strum). Holding the pick more loosely between your fingers can help to remedy the problem.
Positioning
As I've mentioned in numerous previous lessons, how you position your strum hand will dictate which strings you strum as well as the accuracy and finesse of the strum itself. And once you have a good handle on playing chords, you will hopefully be able to focus at least a little more on your strum hand and the manner in which you position it in relation to the strings. Of additional import is your pick work and your ability to manage the pick effectively as we discussed in the previous page. All of these facets combined will help you to become a better strummer and subsequently, a better guitar player. Check this out!
In the next series of exercises position your strum hand specifically in relation to the strings that are being held down in each chord. Focus on keeping your strum hand in place and in control so that only the strings indicated are being strummed.
Play the A5 chord:
A5
E_x_
B_x_
G_x_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x_
Exercise 2
Place your strum hand right at the D-string with your pick resting on the string itself. Keeping a minimal amount of distance between your pick and the string(s) you intend to strum can help to eliminate error and sloppiness in your strums. Using the strum from Exercise 1, strum only the D and G-strings. Hopefully you noticed that I indicated that only two strings should be played. Yes, a power chord is only technically a diad and not a full chord. Make sure that you are only strumming the two strings indicated and strumming primarily from the wrist. Keep your forearm motion limited and focus on relaxing and playing from the wrist. Play the strum slowly at first until you get a good feel for strumming only two strings at a time. Then, increase the tempo as you get more comfortable.
Exercise 3
Play this Asus2 chord:
Asus2
E_0_
B_0_
G_2_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x__
Place your strum hand again right at the D-string with your pick resting on the string. Strum the D, G, and B strings. Since you will be strumming a downstroke first, it will be helpful for you to keep the pick in proximity to the string that you are striking first - in this case, the D. If you were starting your rhythm with an upstroke, you could rest your pick on the G or B strings. It's always good to have an awareness of your starting point in the strum sequence so that you are in close proximity to the strings. Again, limit your arm motion and focus on fully relaxing your wrist. Chapter 4: (07:44) Circles
Exercise 4
Play the open A major chord:
A
E_0_
B_2_
G_2_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x_
Repeat Exercise 3. Now however, you are free to strum all of the top four strings: D, G, B and E. Try to avoid strumming the A and low E strings if you can by keeping your strum hand in close proximity to the high strings. What have you noticed so far about these exercises? Have you been able to control your strum hand and keep it from straying away from the strings that you are targeting? Control of the strum hand comes with practice and focus. Also, as you gain more control over your strumming hand, you become free to focus your attention on nailing chord changes with your fretting hand.
Exercise 5
Go through the same process outlined above. This time, use a series of C chords:
Cmaj9
E_0_
B_0_
G_0_
D_0_
A_3_
E_x_
Cmaj7
E_0_
B_0_
G_0_
D_2_
A_3_
E_x_
C
E_0_
B_1_
G_0_
D_2_
A_3_
E_x_
Start by playing only the A and D strings and work your way up to playing the A, D, G, and B strings. Remember to relax your wrist and really focus on allowing the pick to flow over the strings. Gradually expand the distance that you are allowing your strum hand to move to accommodate the number of strings you will be strumming. Try this exercise with other chords as well, and see how you can apply this technique in other scenarios.

Learning the basics of the guitar, the building blocks if you will, is an extremely important step in learning and mastering the guitar. This series is all about the basics.
Lesson 1
This lesson is all about the basics. Mark explains guitar parts, holding the guitar, and more.
Length: 13:12 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 2
Mark begins by discussing equipment every guitarist should own. Then, he introduces chords and proper tuning methods.
Length: 17:28 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Mark finishes his discussion of the "open" chords. He applies these chords to basic rhythm and strumming concepts.
Length: 17:33 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Mark reviews the major chords and introduces the minor chords. He also covers strumming techniques in greater depth.
Length: 25:48 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
Mark introduces a few more minor chords. He also provides a monster chord exercise.
Length: 16:36 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 6
Mark Lincoln continues his discussion of chords and strumming. He introduces several new exercises in this lesson.
Length: 19:30 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 7
Mark covers several topics in this lesson. He explains scales and barre chords. He also demonstrates how to find notes on the fretboard.
Length: 21:45 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 8
Mark Lincoln covers E shaped barre chords in greater depth. Mark refers to these chords as "Type 1" barre chords.
Length: 15:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 9
Mark covers the A Shape / Type 2 barre chords in greater depth.
Length: 17:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
Mark introduces minor barre chords that utilize the shape of the "open" Em chord.
Length: 13:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 11
Mark introduces minor barre chords based on the shape of the "open" Am chord. He refers to these chords as "Type 2 Minor" barre chords.
Length: 12:36 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 12
Mark demonstrates abbreviated versions of the "Type 1" and "Type 2" barre chords. He calls these "mini barre" chords.
Length: 17:43 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
Mark teaches the "mini barre" version of the A major shaped barre chord. He also explains dissonance.
Length: 20:29 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
Mark Lincoln applies mini-barre chord concepts to minor chords.
Length: 12:28 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 15
Mark Lincoln explains essential components of guitar technique.
Length: 15:59 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 16
Mark Lincoln explains how dynamics can enhance your playing. He covers topics such as volume, tempo, rests, and more.
Length: 27:48 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 17
Mark Lincoln explains more about guitar technique. This time around he introduces "transition strums" and continues his discussion of liquid chords.
Length: 26:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 18
Mark Lincoln explains what harmonics are and how they are played.
Length: 15:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 19
Mark Lincoln expands on the concept of liquid chords. He explains new chord variations and how they can be changed in mid-strum.
Length: 16:21 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 20
Mark demonstrates how chord progressions can be spiced up by adding hammer-ons and pull-offs.
Length: 12:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 21
Mark explains how chord fingerings must be altered when applying "liquid chord" concepts. He also provides a few new "liquid chord" exercises.
Length: 11:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 22
Mark returns to the land of chords. This time around, he provides an exercise that contains four variations on the A chord.
Length: 14:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 23
Mark provides a chord progression that shifts from one D chord to another in six steps.
Length: 15:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 24
Mark delves deeper into chord construction and alternate chord voicings.
Length: 13:36 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 25
Mark tests your guitar knowledge with a pop quiz. Then, he discusses quantitative and qualitative changes.
Length: 22:54 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 26
In the 26th installment of his basic guitar series, Mark reviews the quantitative and qualitative changes he presented in lesson 25.
Length: 17:34 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 27
Mark provides exercises designed to make you a better rhythm player.
Length: 0:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 28
Mark Lincoln expands on the rhythm exercise from lesson 27. This time around he incorporates several C based chords.
Length: 14:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 29
Mark discusses proper playing technique. He provides a few exercises that facilitate right hand mechanics.
Length: 17:02 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 30
Mark provides an exercise that features two new chords - Cadd9 and Dsus2.
Length: 0:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 31
In the 31st lesson, Mark discusses his "finger glue" technique. This technique improves speed and accuracy.
Length: 21:31 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 32
Mark takes a step back in lesson 32 to explain how to make quick and accurate chord changes.
Length: 22:14 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 33
Mark explains how to use the slide technique between chords.
Length: 19:24 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 34
Mark reviews qualitative and quantitative changes. He explains how to keep time while performing these changes.
Length: 21:17 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 35
Mark discusses qualitative and quantitative changes within an A minor progression.
Length: 19:56 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 36
Mark Lincoln discusses several techniques that can be used when transitioning between chords.
Length: 21:43 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 37
In this lesson, Mark once again covers the subject of chord transitions. This time around, he focuses on barre chords and includes several helpful exercises.
Length: 23:25 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 38
In lesson 38, Mark discusses how playing single notes rather than chords can spice up your playing.
Length: 22:56 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 39
Lesson 39 is all about rocking out. Mark discusses some tips to take your playing to the next level.
Length: 18:08 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 40
Lesson 40 takes a deeper look at slash chords. Mark discusses why they're called slash chords, and how they are formed.
Length: 14:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 41
In lesson 41, Mark reviews the warm-up section and provides new tips on playing adequately from the wrist.
Length: 22:09 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 42
Mark builds further on barre chord techniques and liquid chords.
Length: 17:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 43
In lesson 43, Mark discusses additional skills related to learning and playing chords, specifically "liquification" of chords.
Length: 20:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 44
Lesson 44 is all about trying new things. Mark discusses experimenting with your playing in order to take it to the next level.
Length: 17:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 45
In this lesson, Mark once again talks about changing up chord derivatives to create a more unique sound.
Length: 20:56 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 46
In lesson 46, Mark explains how to maximize your options by maintaining chord shapes while playing.
Length: 21:44 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 47
Today, Mark takes in depth look at strumming.
Length: 23:57 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 48
Mark Lincoln teaches an original song entitled "Shine Like the Sun."
Length: 18:59 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 49
Mark teaches some useful information on how to mix postures, "finger glue," and techniques to make your chord changes speedy and more effective.
Length: 30:56 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 50
In this lesson, Mark guides you through the world of alternate chord voicings. He teaches several shapes and shows how they can be used to enhance your playing.
Length: 23:06 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 51
Mark brings us a very appealing aspect to better understand the guitar. With his explanation of "liquified" chords, mark will explain how to move up and down the guitar to create different chord voicing.
Length: 25:32 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About Mark Lincoln
View Full Biography
Mark Lincoln was born in S. California but was raised near Portland Oregon in a town called Beaverton. When he was twelve years old, he began his journey into the realm of the creative by composing poetry and was later published in a journal called "In Dappled Sunlight." He wrote for four years until his older sister blessed him with his first guitar, an old beat-up nylon stringed classical guitar. Mark played that guitar for five years, continuing to compose his own lyrics and starting the process of matching his own words with chords that he was learning on the guitar. He learned to play chords from his friends and from music books that he both bought and borrowed. Mark cited his four biggest influences, at that point at least, as The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, The Rolling Stones.
Mark cites his most current influences as Radiohead, U2, older music by REM, and Peter Gabriel amongst others. He performs with two acoustic guitars, one being a six-string M-36 Martin with a three-pieced back for increased bass response, and a Guild Twelve-string which is his most recent acquisition. Mark is fond of saying that the twelve-string guitar is better because you get two guitars for the price of one, but he still plays his Martin equally as much and with the same passion.
Mark ended up in Fort Collins Colorado where he currently lives, works as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and continues to write, teach and perform music. He currently performs with a group called "Black Nelson" as well as with a number of other seasoned professional musicians including his cousin David, a virtuoso lead-guitar player. Mark has performed in many of the smaller venues in Denver and Boulder, as well as some of the larger ones including the Fox Theatre, The Boulder Theatre, Herman's Hideaway, and also at The Soiled Dove where he opened for Jefferson Starship as a soloist. Some of Mark's originals are also available for your listening pleasure on MySpace.
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Lesson 7 is all about arpeggios. Danny provides discussion and exercises designed to build your right hand skills.
Free LessonSeries DetailsMiche introduces several new chord concepts that add color and excitement to any progression.
Free LessonSeries DetailsPamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...
Free LessonSeries DetailsHawkeye teaches several Robert Johnson licks in this lesson. These licks are played with a slide in open G tuning.
Free LessonSeries DetailsMitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJessica kindly introduces herself, her background, and her approach to this series.
Free LessonSeries DetailsTime to unlock your creativity because in this information packed lesson. Mark dives deep into how to deconstruct the process...
Free LessonSeries DetailsOrville Johnson introduces turnarounds and provides great ideas and techniques.
Free LessonSeries DetailsSteve Eulberg does a quick review of this lesson series and talks about moving on.
Free LessonSeries DetailsIn this lesson Randall introduces the partial capo (using a short-cut capo by Kyser) and talks about how it can make the...
Free LessonSeries DetailsOur electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Kris analyzes different pick sizes and their effect on his playing. Using a slow motion camera, he is able to point out the...
Free LessonSeries DetailsNick starts his series with Alternate Picking part 1. Improve your timing, speed, and execution with this important lesson.
Free LessonSeries DetailsLisa breaks into the very basics of the electric guitar. She starts by explaining the parts of the guitar. Then, she dives...
Free LessonSeries DetailsMark Brennan teaches this classic rock song by Jethro Tull. Released on the album of the same name in 1971, this song features...
Free LessonSeries DetailsAlbert Collins brought a lot of style to the blues scene. In this lesson, Kenny breaks down Albert's style for you to learn.
Free LessonSeries DetailsBrendan demonstrates the tiny triad shapes derived from the form 1 barre chord.
Free LessonSeries DetailsChris brings his ingenuity to this lesson on the American folk song called "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" Also known as...
Free LessonSeries DetailsTosin explains some of the intricacies of the 8 string guitar such as his personal setup and approach to playing.
Free LessonSeries DetailsLearn a variety of essential techniques commonly used in the metal genre, including palm muting, string slides, and chord...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJane Miller talks about chord solos in part one of this fascinating mini-series.
Free LessonSeries DetailsWhile we have attempted to provide you with an accurate rendition of our video lesson experience, there are some features which
require a membership with us!
At JamPlay, we give you the ability to monitor your own progress for any lesson! If you watch one of our lessons and feel as though you understand around half of it, mark your progress at 50%. This adds the lesson to your customized Progress Report, and gives you an incredible ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.
With thousands of lessons at your fingertips, JamPlay can be a touch intimidating to a first-time user. With Progressive Bookmarking, we give you the ability to systematically bookmark sections of any lessons you are working on to quickly access later. After all, what is the point of all this content if it isn't easy to use?
JamPlay also gives you the ability to leave notes for yourself on any lesson. Just like in any educational system, taking your own notes while learning gives you the ability to highlight the instruction that is important to you. Leave your notes, and we store them in our database for you to reference each and everytime you come back to the lesson.
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.I still strugle after 3 years with the strumming. especially on electric, it sounds harsh and to loud. I wish there was a better way to learn this quicker. not sure what iam doing wrong
Hey Menno! Please read my articles on the site under the titles Guide to strum Mastery and also tune in to my chats if you have the chance....I know I can help you:) ML
Thanks for this lesson. Strumming is hard for me. I have to remind myself time and time again to relax my wrist. I especially have trouble with the up motion. Thanks for helping me clarify these important concepts. This is a lesson I'll repeat
Thanx Kerry great to hear from you:) ML
Bravo Mark tout en finesse (all very precise and adapted). keep goin on. merci
Thanks for a great lesson Mark! I have been looking for right hand lessons. The exercises are just what I needed.
Hi Marie how are you? I'm really glad that I and Jamplay can provide the stuff you need to progress and be a better guitar player....keep it up and rock on! Tahnks! Mark
i love this lesson it helped me alot!!! You are one of my favorite teachers!
Hi Anmol thanks for the great feedback and for the record....you're one of my favorite members! Rock on my friend! Mark
Great lesson Mark...This is the info I have been looking for!
Hey Dude what's up? Thanks and great to hear from you brother! Rock on!!! Mark
Good lesson as ususual. Thanks Mark
Hey Rit thanks and great to hear from you! Mark