Strumming pattern and the staff

Hello

I was looking some music sheets i found somewhere around and i saw something that confuse me

The song comes with a pentagram showing that the notes on this section/measure are all Eighths then it should be a steady rythm of down strokes or an even series of alternate strokes, right?

But I see it comes with a strumming pattern like the one given on the typical "chord over lyrics" notation... like DDU UDU

Now, how is that pattern a line of full Eighths? it is possible or its a mistake?

Hey KLZ39,

It's a bit difficult to discuss exactly what you are referring to without seeing the music in question. But what I think that might be saying is, even thought the DDU pattern is written out, during that section you should continuously strum eigth notes. Try it both ways, see which sounds correct. Great question!

Originally Posted by: Guitar Tricks Admin

But what I think that might be saying is, even thought the DDU pattern is written out, during that section you should continuously strum eigth notes.

[/quote]

But then, the pattern would be just a sugestion since the sound will come as a row of even notes... also when i get into the Up Up it will have a "ghost" down in between that will never have the same timming as the Down Up or am I getting crazy here?

[quote=Guitar Tricks Admin]

Try it both ways, see which sounds correct.

Honestly, it sounds right doing a D DU UDU ...but it would never be 6 Eights in a row

Anyway im gonna check further into this thing because the source of this music sheet is as sketchy as it can be...

Thanks

been playing for 50 years plus and reading sheet music for about 40 years and never saw a " pentagram " on any of them?

Could you post a picture of that? just load up the picture with the 6th icon on top of the reply box.

Herman

Originally Posted by: hsnoeckx

been playing for 50 years plus and reading sheet music for about 40 years and never saw a " pentagram " on any of them?

Sorry if I'm mixing the terms here

I'm talking about the five lines where you place the notes in... The staff I guess?

I learn the basics music terminology in Spanish, so sometimes I get lost in the translations... Still struggling to get around how "Do" turn into "C" or how a "corchea" became an Eighth

The notes on the 5 lines are the melody notes, not the strumming pattern so use the strumming pattern provided. Hopes that clears it.

I grew up like you with the notes called Do, Re, Mi but the first band I joined the singer used the same system but the rest of the musicians used the C,D,E system so I learned that quickly and now I don't even have to think about it and can switch between the systems in an eye blinc.

Originally Posted by: hsnoeckx

The notes on the 5 lines are the melody notes, not the strumming pattern so use the strumming pattern provided. Hopes that clears it.

I know that, the point is that the sheet I was reading had both and the discussion I was... trying to have here is that it seems to me kinda incoherent

I mean, if you are told to do one down, then down, up, down. I will think that the second and third notes have different duration than the first one since there is a silent up after it, but notes on the staff are all eights and have no breaks

You tell you know it but obviously you don't, the eight notes on the staff are the melody line, not the strumming notes for the chords, they are not related to the strumming pattern in such a way as you think with other words, if you can sing then the notes on the staff is what you would sing and the chords that are above the staff is what you would play on the guitar with the proposed strumming pattern to accompany yourself while singing.

Originally Posted by: hsnoeckx

You tell you know it but obviously you don't, the eight notes on the staff are the melody line, not the strumming notes for the chords, they are not related to the strumming pattern in such a way as you think with other words, if you can sing then the notes on the staff is what you would sing and the chords that are above the staff is what you would play on the guitar with the proposed strumming pattern to accompany yourself while singing.

No they are not, but you are not wrong... I mean you will not be wrong if the sheet I was looking at was a professional music sheet...

But I was talking about a simple guitar tab with a staff on top, so every note on the tab have corresponding note (o series of notes) on the staff, kinda the notations you see on this site sometimes

The notes were supposed to indicate the timming but they don't, so it comes with the pattern

Anyway, I found another one of the same tune that have a notations

It states that the playing is still DDU UDU but in the notes included a simplified notations that makes more sense for what I would expect

Somehow I can't post images from the phone so I'll try to explain it.[br] Instead of the row of eights it was something like this

Quarter Eight Eight*Eight Eight Eight Eight[br] *Tied notes

So I guess that would be it

Could it be that the tab and staff are for a maybe fingerpicking guitar and the chords with strumming pattern for a second guitar? sounds like it the way you discribe it.

Originally Posted by: KLZ39

I was looking some music sheets i found somewhere around and i saw something that confuse me

This could be cleared up with a picture of the notation question. Maybe you can find a way to upload an image?

It sounds like you are looking at some kind of syncopated rhythm with tied eighth notes that actually last the duration of quarter notes. Something like this:

That pattern has a quarter note, but you can get the idea of what I mean by the rest of the measure. Hope that helps!

Man, I feel i made a mess and im sorry about it

I usually stay away from anything related to the pentagram/staff because i know it requieres a lot of knowledge to read it right, but when its tied to a tab i assume is only for indicate the timming of the notes/strumming...

After take a beating from Herman im now aware that this may no be the case lol

As for the piece i was looking at, im sure its wrong.

Its pretty much the same image Christopher post but it is like if it was copied by someone with no knowledge of what it was and mess it up on the transcript, making all the notes Eights and not including the tie line. And instead of the red arrows it included a Strumming pattern indication on the top "DDUUDU

I'll put a piece now im on the computer

So, i guess there is no mystery about this

Thank you and sorry about the mess

Cant post more than one pict so here is the second one

Originally Posted by: KLZ39

So, i guess there is no mystery about this

Thank you and sorry about the mess

No worries! Glad you got it figured out. :)