Hi fam,
I know that 16th note strumming patterns can be intimidating and frustrating at first. That’s why I wanted to make you a “16 Note Strumming Technique Checklist”. It gives you some tips to keep in mind as you work on taking your strumming skills to that solid intermediate level.
My favorite tip for getting used to 16th notes is to use the KISS principle.
Jumping right into a complicated strumming pattern of one of your favorite songs can often overload your current skills and make things pretty difficult to keep on the rails.
Simplifying the strumming at first and slowly building it up can free up enough CPU space in your brain to successfully play through a full song. You can always build on the easy things you can play to move toward those solid intermediate 16th note strumming patterns.
Don’t be afraid to K.I.S.S. when it comes to working on 16th note strumming patterns.
On another note, we’ve got some live Strumming Masterclass sessions coming up soon. All you have to do to attend is visit the link below and choose the date that works best for you. Hope to see you there.
Nate
1 - It’s All a Mental Game - Don’t let 16th notes psych you out. If you speed up an 8th note strumming pattern, it can be just as difficult as a lot of 16th note strumming patterns. You have to develop your ability to strum faster either way.
2 - Stay Relaxed - If you tense up when you strum, you will have a hard time keeping up with the tempo of faster songs, and you will get tired faster. Try to stay aware of any tension that may creep into your fingers, hand, arm, or shoulder. Here is a great analogy for this. Pretend that you have some honey on your pinky finger, and there is a feather stuck to it. Now, flick your hand as if you are trying to get the feather to fly off. It’s tough to be tense at all if you keep this motion in mind.
3 - Don’t Death Grip the Pick - If you grip the pick too tightly, you will have a tough time getting the pick through the strings. The lighter the grip on the pick, the easier it will glide through the strings. It’s going to take some time to find a balance between holding the pick lightly enough and not having it fly out of your hand, but you will find the sweet spot.
4 - Don’t Dig Too Much of the Pick Into the Strings - Digging a lot of the pick into the strings can get your strumming stuck. Try to use as little of the pick as possible to produce the amount of volume you want.
5 - Mind Your Upstrokes - If your upstrokes are getting caught, be sure not to dig too much of the pick into the strings as per the last tip. Another thing to keep in mind is that your upstrokes don’t have to hit all six strings. Just the thinnest 3-5 strings are usually more than enough depending on the chord you are playing.
6 - Don’t Use Just Your Elbow to Strum - Don’t lock your wrist and use just your elbow to strum. I’m not saying to not use your elbow at all, I’m just saying to not use only your elbow. It can hurt after a while and slow you down in the long run.
7 - Don’t Forget About the Constant Strumming Technique - This was crucial for your 8th note strumming abilities, and it will be crucial for your 16th note strumming as well. You won’t have to use this technique forever, but it sure helps with your strumming foundation.
8 - Use Smaller and More Efficient Motions - When you stat speeding things up, you need every advantage you can get. Keeping your motions small and focused can make it a lot easier to get things up to speed.
9 - Ramp Things Up With a Metronome - Use a metronome to start slow and nail your strumming technique. You can gradually speed things up to your target goal. This will help build your speed and keep track of your progress.
10 - Always Apply Everything to Songs - It’s one thing to be able to perform a technique on it’s own in a vacuum, but it’s an entirely different thing to perform a technique in the context of a full song. Always have a song or two in the works that apply your current area of focus. In this case, it would be strumming.
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