Emily Zimmer Shares Strumming Secrets for Beginners

The violin, piano, accordion, guitar — many musical instruments require hand independence in order to play well. But if you're just starting out, that can be tricky to achieve! It's common for beginner guitarists to struggle with managing chord changes and strumming patterns together.

In this video, Lessonface teacher Emily Zimmer shows her top tricks for beginner guitar players learning to strum. Spend some time practicing with these techniques, and you'll find your the independent movement for your hands needed for confident guitar-playing a lot easier.

0:00 The Secret to Great Strumming
0:30 Learning the Grid Technique
1:37 Counting The Beat
3:32 Counting Ghost Strums
4:22 Basic Strum Patterns
6:15 Intermediate Strum Patterns
14:28 Strum Pattern with 3/4 Time

ABOUT EMILY Hi, I'm Emily. Since 2002, I've played music professionally as a solo artist, band member, composer, session musician, and hired touring musician in many genres including rock, blues, country, r&b, folk, and metal. While obtaining my Bachelor's Degree and my Associate's Degree, I studied jazz and classical music. It is my pleasure to bring what I've learned from these experiences to my students. > Book a lesson with Emily

Emily's lessons are rated five stars in 311 verified student reviews, like this one:

Em is a terrific teacher...very patient and takes the time to provide good feedback. Em knows how to encourage you to play even when your chords sound like, well, like they shouldn't.

-Jay, review from May 9, 2020