How to strum any pattern to any song, naturally and easily!

The only strumming tutorial you will ever need.
Learn how to strum like a real musician.
This video explains how to develop a strong and natural rhythm in your strumming hand, so that you can emulate any rhythm you hear without having to remember "down-up-down-down-up" type patterns.

Download the accompanying chart here with the 10 examples used in the video:

Link to the Smells Like Teen Spirit tutorial (fingerstyle):

View more lessons here:

00:00 introduction
00:36 feel the beat properly
01:42 the upstrum
05:04 ex.1 Stand by me
07:16 ex. 2 Gloria
09:09 ex. 3 Rock in the USA
10:36 ex. 4 Inaudible Melodies
13:14 ex. 5 Riptide
14:10 ex.6 Mr Jones
14:55 ex.7 Highway to Hell
15:23 ex.8 Flake
16:27 ex. 9 Another Brick in the Wall
17:13 ex.10 Smells like Teen Spirit

#howtostrum
#strummingpatterns
#strummingtheguitar

[hakeemoneday]

"When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear." I am sixty. Started playing exactly 11 months ago. I am just ready to learn strumming, and you show up! Thank you, Matt, for your genius. Have a great season.

[SandraMills-qyft]

Been struggling with my strumming since I started learning. This has stripped all the white noise out of my brain and suddenly I get it. This is definitely one to save.

[SM-wfby]

I'm a 77 year old, wanna be rock star!😂and found your tutorial to be the best I've seen so far on YouTube. I'm useless with a plectrum and found your method to be the best yet. Thank you so much Matt, and all the best with your channel.👍

[stevecole]

There is no lesson more important than this very one. Not just for guitar, or rhythm, or strumming. ESPECIALLY for grooving to a rhythm with LEAD play.
ANYBODY who picks up ANY musical instrument, THIS should be their very first lesson. For so many reasons.
Thank you my friend. You’re doing Gods work brother.

[rdegulielmo]

Sometimes it just takes a good teacher to point out something so simple, and so evident to make you have an a-ha moment. Years I been playing and in the first 7 minutes, my strumming actually sounds like something nice. Thank you!

[PeripheralFervor]

Self taught a little guitar at age 36. Could never get strumming with the down up stuff. It seemed stiff, unnatural and just fumbled up my mind .Threw in the towel and am attempting it again at age 50. This video just confirmed I don’t need to hyper focus on down up down up and can go with my instincts of wanting to just feel it. This helped me have a foundation to go off of and answered a lot of questions I’ve been having in my head! Thank you!

[mike]

This is genius! I am 64 y/o beginner here. I have learned the cowboy cords, but can't keep a steady rhythm. I think folks have learning guitar backwards. We should become expert (or at least very good) strummers first then add in learning cords. I have subscribed to your channel. Maybe I can finally learn to play a complete song with the proper rhythm :-) Thanks again!

[mikesiegele]

73 years old and starting playing acoustic guitar year & a half, after not playing for 30 years. Took almost a year to get finger tips toughened up. I only played rhythm back in the day. Had no training other than 3 guitar players in local band I hauled around, they showed me some techniques.
I had a box truck, and a chord chart. It’s a blessing to have an ear for music.
Thank You for sharing

[wenzbee]

This is so simple but so profound. THANK YOU.

[TCHARRISON]

I have been watching beginner Guitar lessons on Youtube for the past 3 or 4 days. Yours is the one I will be coming back to again and again. I have also noticed a large number of mature aged beginners in their 70's and that is fantastic, it's so good for them to keep their brain active and discover their matter what age. Age should never be a barrier to learning, and music certainly gives us a good mental workout. You're never too old to learn something new. Thankyou very much😊

[Daithai]

Great tutorial. Thanks so much for posting this

[juliemateus]

You are a captivating teacher. I found myself learning from you and really enjoying your content.

[ColmPower-uo]

Im teaching guitar for years - I've just changed the way I will teach rhythm! - thanks matt

[edd]

I found this video by accident and it really crystallised something going on in my head in that when I strum I really have no idea what I’m doing and unless I really know the song it can easily sound nothing like what it is supposed to sound like. I especially don’t know when to change cord within whatever strumming pattern I am playing. This video is inspiring and gives me an idea of what to address - so thanks and I will look up more of your videos.

[REBEC]

This is by far the most humbly and professionally well presented strumming video❤🎉🎉

[danharwell]

Thanks for not babbling on…and..on.
Like So many Others instructional videos do.
Your is very valuable and straight to the point
Thank You!!

[HXLLogisticsLLC]

Can't wait to practice later today. I'm not musically inclined and the only way I learn is by having it explained and given examples. Definitely gonna subscribe

[northeast]

Just started trying to learn guitar at the ripe age of 51, have been jumping back and forth between many you tube channels and so glad I came across yours, not takin anything away from any of the other fantastic people on you tube showing people how to learn guitar, but this video alone has just made everything so much clearer. Haven’t even got my guitars on me at the moment but just strumming my hand against my jacket had me picking out some of the tunes. Amazing sir, purely amazing, sending my thanks from Bonnie Scotland, thank you and look forward to watching many many more of your videos now. Honestly video this has helped me so much. Can’t wait to get home to put into practice alongside this video.

[paulcote]

Guitar Gold, thank you very much. Boy I gotta get to work on this, you sound amazing thank you

[wildalbalass]

Great stuff. Perfect timing for this 66 yr old beginner.
Many thanks.