Hi Guys
just starting to sink my teeth into Mod 12 power chords, My issue is strumming … down strokes sound pretty good, the upstrokes are another story. Been practicing with "I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) by the Proclaimers and Robert Palmers “Bad Case of Loving You” Just cant seem to find the magic.
Any one else having these issues?
Cheers
Nick
power chords feel like I should down-strum most of the time. At least for the stuff I have tried.
There are a couple exceptions, and on those, it is important to try to just hit the strings you intend to ring. Avoid the muted or ignored strings or you will get a clunky mute sound that is not pleasing. This is not always possible, but make the attempt.
Also, you want to try to control the aggressiveness you strum with. Find the balance of sounding the way you feel without transferring a lot of energy into the strings. Over-doing the energy in the strum can make it sound messy.
I am at the same stage. To me just doing down strums sounds best. Still at the very early stages of getting them to sound right most of the time. I am using the Kinks song ‘You Really Get Me’ to practice on and this sounds like all down strums in the original.
It really depends. If you’re chugging, all down strums sounds good. If it’s a bit faster, looser, or more percussive, eg Nirvana, Green Day, etc etc, you’re going to need to do up strums too. So make sure your muting is on point and go for it.
Thanks Tony… Great advice
‘You Really Get Me’ is a great practice song for my level. (once I slow it down LOL) 