Technique 9 min·beginner
Your First Strum Pattern (D – D U – U D U)
The single most-used strum pattern in pop and folk. Get this in your right hand and 80% of beginner songs unlock at once.
The pattern is D · D U · U D U over a 4-beat bar. Counted: 1 · 2 + · + 4 + (the · are silent strums where you keep your hand moving but don’t hit the strings).
Keep your hand moving
The hand swings down on every down-beat and up on every off-beat — even on the silent strums. That’s how the pattern stays in time.
Drill
- Mute the strings with your fretting hand and just chukka the rhythm 30s.
- Hold an Em, do the pattern 4 bars.
- Switch to D, 4 bars. Loop Em → D for 1 minute.
Self-check
Did you complete the drill above and feel confident with this lesson?
Sources & attribution
- Wikibooks · Guitar / Chords · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lesson copy © Free Chord Book. Content adapted from sources marked CC BY-SA 4.0 is itself shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.