Strumming Pattern Trainer
See and hear the strumming patterns behind real songs. Pick a pattern, choose a chord, and play it at a tempo you can follow — with a moving highlight on every down and up stroke. New to strumming? Start with the strumming technique guide.
Play a strumming pattern
Every pattern the trainer can play, with its down (↓) / up (↑) stroke arrows and count. The interactive player replaces this chart when JavaScript loads. New to strumming? Start with the strumming technique guide.
- All Downstrokes Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &The foundation strum: one firm downstroke on every beat. Steady, even, and the first pattern every beginner should own before adding upstrokes.
- Eighth-Note Down-Up Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &Continuous down-up eighths that keep the hand in constant pendulum motion — the groove machine behind fast folk and pop rhythm playing.
- The Most Common Strum Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &The ubiquitous "D-DU-UDU" pattern behind countless campfire and pop songs. Miss the strings on the rests while keeping your arm swinging.
- Driving Downstroke Eighths Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &A relentless all-downstroke wall of eighth notes with accents on the beats — the tight, aggressive engine of punk and pop-rock rhythm guitar.
- Boom-Chick (Country) Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &The Carter-family "boom-chick": a bass note on beats 1 and 3, a chord strum on 2 and 4. Alternate a low bass string with a brushed treble chord.
- Backbeat Eighths Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &Down-up eighths with the accent shifted onto beats 2 and 4 — the backbeat feel that makes a rhythm part sit in the pocket with the snare.
- Reggae Skank Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &The off-beat "bang": short, accented upstroke chops on the "ands", with silence on the beats. Keep every stroke crisp and clipped for the skank.
- Ska Upstroke Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &The faster, sharper cousin of the reggae skank — muted, staccato upstrokes on every off-beat drive the two-tone ska bounce.
- Slow Ballad Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &A sparse, breathing ballad strum that leaves space between hits. Let the chords ring and lean on the accented downbeat for a gentle, emotive pulse.
- Anthem Ballad Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &Starts open on the downbeat then fills the bar with steady down-up eighths — the building, arena-anthem strum that lifts a slow chorus.
- Folk Alternating Feel Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &A steady down-pulse with a single up-strum pickup at the end of the bar that leads the ear back to beat one — a classic flat-picking folk feel.
- Waltz Count: 1 & 2 & 3 &A three-beat sway: a strong bass-ish downstroke on beat 1, then down-up strums on beats 2 and 3 for the lilting one-two-three of a waltz.
- Three-Beat Downstrokes Count: 1 & 2 & 3 &The simplest waltz strum — one downstroke on each of the three beats, accented on beat 1. A perfect first pattern for 3/4 time.
- 6/8 Ballad Count: 1 2 3 4 5 6The slow compound lilt of 6/8: two dotted pulses per bar with an up-strum lead-in on the last eighth — the rocking feel of many slow blues-ballads.
- 6/8 Rolling Count: 1 2 3 4 5 6A continuous, rolling 6/8 groove that keeps all six eighths moving with accents on the two main pulses — great for driving Celtic and folk tunes.
- 16th-Note Funk Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & aConstant sixteenth-note down-up motion peppered with muted ghost strokes and accented open hits — the percussive "wacka" scratch at the heart of funk.
Tip: slow the tempo right down, loop one pattern over a single chord, and only speed up when your strumming hand stays relaxed. Pair it with the metronome to push your tempo over time, then test your timing in the rhythm tap trainer.
About strumming patterns
A strumming pattern is just a fixed sequence of down and up strokes — some hit the strings, some are "ghost" strokes that keep your hand moving in time. The secret to a good groove is that constant pendulum motion: your arm never stops, it simply misses the strings on the beats you don't want to sound. Learn a handful of patterns and you can back almost any song.
- What is the most common guitar strumming pattern?
- Down, down-up, up-down-up — written D-DU-UDU. It fits a huge number of pop and folk songs in 4/4 time. Keep your hand moving down-up the whole bar and just miss the strings on the rests.
- How do I keep a steady strumming rhythm?
- Never stop your strumming hand. Move it down-and-up continuously like a metronome and only make contact on the strokes you want to hear. Practise slowly with a click before speeding up.
- Do these patterns work on ukulele?
- Yes. The down/up motion and the patterns themselves transfer directly to ukulele, mandolin, and other strummed instruments — only the chord shapes change.