The Art Of Combining Strumming With Picking Guitar Chords

In this video, I show you how to greatly improve the sound of your rhythm guitar playing by combining strumming with picking when playing the chords of a progression.

You hear this in songs all the time and will be something you do often once you know how. 

In some instances you will strum with a little picking, and in others you will pick with a little strumming. There are many possibilities available to you.

In this lesson, you learn how to combine strumming with picking in 5 simple steps:

1. Chordal Picking:

Here you learn the basics of chordal picking that you will be integrating with your strumming.

2. Alternating One Bar Strumming With One Bar Picking:

Next, you begin integrating the picking with strumming, alternating between the techniques every other bar.

3. Alternating Half Bar Strumming With Half Bar Picking:

Here, you begin alternating every half bar between picking and strumming to further integrate the two concepts together.

4. Integrating Strumming And Picking Combinations: 

In this step you will mix previous approaches together.

5. Randomize Strumming And Picking:

The final step gets you randomising strumming with picking. This is where you make it up on the spot which is what you will do a lot of the time. 

Watch the video below to learn more:

Combining Strumming With Picking Chords Video Tutorial

Combining Strumming With Picking Chords In A Progression

Chordal Picking

The following is a chord picking pattern we will use in conjunction with strumming:

Strum Chord Pick Guitar Example 1

Alternating One Bar Strumming With One Bar Picking

The following are two ways you can begin combining strumming and picking together by alternating bars with each technique:

(i)

Strum Chord Pick Guitar Example 2

(ii)

Strum Chord Pick Guitar Example 3 

Alternating Half Bar Strumming With Half Bar Picking

We can reduce the alternation of strumming and picking to half a bar each:

(i)

Strum Chord Pick Guitar Example 4

(ii)

Strum Chord Pick Guitar Example 5 

Integrating Strumming And Picking Combinations

To further integrate strumming with picking we can mix up the approaches form the previous example like so:

Strum Chord Pick Guitar Example 6

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Created on Oct 11th 2021 21:25. Viewed 235 times.

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