The 1..2..3..4.. rhythm must be getting pretty old by now. Let's make it more interesting. Today we'll be look at strumming patterns. This is one of those things that some people get right away, and others really struggle at first, but either way, once you get it you'll get it, and you'll be a better person for it.

So choose a comfortable chord (the examples use G), and let's try a few:

The down arrows indicate that you will be makng downstrokes.

Note that on all the beats (the numbers), you will play a downstroke, and on all the ands (the plus signs) you will play an upstroke. This is the general rule. Master this concept and rhythm will be a piece of cake.

This one is trickier, because you actually skip a beat. Listen to it and let it flow, but make sure you're using the correct up and down strokes.

This rhythm is an exception to the rule. Instead of playing the ands as upstrokes, you'll play all downstrokes. The difference is that the beats will be accented, which means you make them sound stronger by playing them a little harder.

Once you become comfortable with these rhythms, try applying them to this chord structure: