Hi, I'm Caren Armstrong, and this is a lesson on basic strumming on an acoustic guitar!

This is a free preview lesson of what you get with a Full Access membership with Guitar Tricks. If you enjoy this preview lesson and want to learn even more, click the yellow button on this page to try Full Access, which includes thousands of lessons and more about today's subject strumming.

Today I'll teach you how to use your right hand to generate a solid, musical rhythm guitar strumming part. Whether you are accompanying your own vocals or playing in a group situation, rhythm is the backbone of all things musical!

I'll be demonstrating with my fingers, but you can definitely apply everything we discuss to your flat pick.

We will learn how to achieve a relaxed, even, consistent method of getting across your strings easily and with great tone.

Focus on the right hand exclusively, don't worry about making a chord at first, look at your right hand and listen to the sound you are making. If you are hanging up, digging in, hitting your knuckles you need to adjust the shape of your hand and the rotation of your arm until you have a nice smooth brushing effect in both directions. Relax!

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