Originally Posted by: Jay Pham

I'm trying to learn some Japanese pop songs and came across this strumming pattern, which I completely have no clue how to do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJeHFfnyGUI (at 0:20 or the chorus, 1:05).

[p]That's a funk, R&B type rhythm pattern. It's mostly muted (ghost note) 1/16th note strums with an occasional single note pattern. Something like this.

|--------------------------------------------|

|--------x-x-x--------x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--|

|--------x-x-x--------x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--|

|--9-11-x-x-x-9-11-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--|

|--------------------------------------------|

|--------------------------------------------|

Over & again until the next chord change. The line is a C#minor7 chord, but all the player is doing is hitting the B, hammering-on to the C#, while muting everything else. Then muting all the strings & doing that quick 1/16th ghost note strumming.

Keep your wrist loose. Mute everything except the 2 notes you want sounding. Keep your wrist strumming even 1/16th notes.

This tutorial covers that kind of rhythm guitar approach.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12404&s_id=632

Hope that helps!