Learning to strum is one of the first hurdles beginners will need to overcome. It can prove to be a frustration of many a guitarist , so it is always beneficial to keep such lessons interesting by learning patterns to specific songs. This particular strumming pattern is relatively easy to play, employs a couple of interesting techniques and, most of all is lively and fun!

Folsom Prison Blues is an archetypal Johnny Cash rhythm and is there to hear on many of his classic recordings. It is a simple down, down up pattern played at a relatively high tempo, although not all the strings are always played and, to emphasise the rhythm, you can employ a softening technique with your left hand so the notes do not sound. This creates a percussive-type sound which gives the pattern a level of distinctiveness. Not playing all the notes of a chord is a common technique employed by rhythm guitarists and it is worth trying this out for other patterns. Want to see more? Have a look at the video.

Introduction

Teach

Extra

The Chords
Chord diagrams are taken from the Guitar Toolkit App. Click on one of the images for more details of this App.