Bars & Strumming On 1

Beginner Grade 1 Module 1: A & D Chords + Play Your First Song!
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Let's learn a simple strumming pattern and get started with rhythm.


View the full lesson at Bars & Strumming On 1 | JustinGuitar

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do you strum all strings?

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Welcome to the community Mark.
No, you strum from the root note. For the D chord that is from
the D string, On the A chord that’s from the A string and the
E chord that’s from the E string, so all 6

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@mjrino welcome to the community.
As 'stitch has already described, for your first three chords the number of strings is different. Justin does mention this in the lesson - video or description. Keep looking out for this sort of info for chords ahead in the near future also.
Cheers :blush:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator

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Justin’s comment about accepting imperfection and difficulty at this stage of the game is so important if you’re going to stick with guitar for the long haul. Perfectionism and growth are not compatible. There’s a great book on this topic: Mindset by Carol Dweck. I highly recommend it.

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This is one of those times I’m thankful to be a drummer. Timing is in my head without even thinking about it. I also don’t have a problem with one hand doing something different than the other. However, hitting the notes correctly is certainly a challenge!

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I have been learning for 13 days re: E, A and D chords, practicing notes, strumming, switching chords, 1 minute chord exercise, basic scales and keys, with basic music theory to break it up.

This is the one exercise that ties all of the above together and has produced that epiphany where you suddenly begin to understand.

There is immediate aural feedback, and you hear the importance of why timing is so fundamental. I am now in a better position to understand why a couple of work colleagues who play, both have stated that timing is so fundamental when playing.

I love that this exercise incorporates all of one’s learning so far into one practice session.

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Hello @putonghua73 and welcome to the Community.
What a fantastic post to read. It is fantastic to see comments from people who are having aha moments, when suddenly separate pieces of learning coalesce and form a cohesive whole.
Good stuff.
Cheers :smiley:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide

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@Richard_close2u when making chord changes while strumming on 1, is it best to make the chord change:

  1. immediately before the beat 1 of next bar? If i do this the chord will keep sounding for couple of seconds.
  2. or immediately after beat 1 of current bar? If i do this the chord will only play for a short period of time.
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Make the change before the beat, so your strum on beat 1 is the chord for that bar

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@dantejms
Hi Dante
As this is a module 1 question I’m assuming your chord changes aren’t fast enough to change after beat 4 as JK (@jkahn ) is suggesting. If you are able to change chords just before beat 1, then you would be able to strum on every beat.
The idea of just strumming on beat 1 is to give you time to change chords ready for beat 1 of the next bar. So it depends on the tempo and how fast your changes are.

To keep it sounding even, I would say start by strumming on 1 and start changing on beat 2 ready to strum on 1 of the next bar. If this is easy, then start changing on beat 3.
As your chord change speed builds over time you’ll be able to strum on beats 1 and 3, and then eventually on all 4 beats before you change chords.
🎸 David

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Hi @dantejms
You have had good advice already.

Think of it this way.
Beat 1 is the defining beat of every bar.
It is a vital element of music.
Without beat 1 being clearly marked the rhythm would be wobbly.
You need to do whatever it takes to have your strumming hand strumming and your fretting hand fretting when beat 1 arrives.
In the very early stages that will mean lifting off a previous chord very quickly.
As your skills develop and your chord change speed improves, you will be able to leave it later and later in the preceding bar and still make it to beat 1 of the next bar in time.
Do not miss beat 1.

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when should I move on to the next video / lesson? not sure about what my short term goal should be

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Hi Carlos, @spirit723
Welcome here I hope you have fun ,and I hope you have moved on and just keep doing these exercises in between… and steadily moving forward and consolidating…I don’t know how far you’ve gone and what you can do, but the best short term goal is the next lesson, right?..but feel free to ask, usually an answer or nice encouragement doesn’t take that long.

Greetings,Rogier

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hello. I am trying to learn how to play guitar. however a few years ago I cut off the tip of my middle finger on my left hand in an accident. It wasn’t a whole lot, the nail completely intact, the bitty piece of meat under, the tip of the finger gone. playing isn’t too difficult, but it makes it difficult to be consistent. I was wondering if I should learn the guitar left handed.

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Hi Jose @biscuit4567, and welcome to the community! I’m still a beginner myself, so I hesitate to offer any thoughts. Hopefully one of the experienced folks here will offer up some advice!