Up Stroke

Lesson 17
Author : Chris Colby van Scyoc
Last Updated : September, 2024

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LEARN

UP STROKE
Written Materials for This Lesson

Welcome to the Up Stroke! This may seem weird at first. Think about it like this: in order to prepare for a downstroke, we bring our strumming hand up above the Low E String in preparation for the downstroke. So, really - we've been doing up strokes all along. Only we have not been engaging the strings on the up stroke. Up to this point, we have purposely Missed the strings when coming back up. In short: try not to let this trip you up too much. Although, admittedly, strumming the strings on an up stroke will seem Really Weird at first. No worries! Soon, up strokes will be as natrual as downstrokes.

Up Strokes

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JAM!

JAM #1

Bells

This jam is called "Bells" - it's an easy song - just two chords! ...and it goes on for a long time. So, we don't have to concern ourselves with restarting or looping the video. This is an opportunity to get lost in a groove...playing the same chords until it becomes a meditation or a relaxing place of sorts. Be mindful of your fingers, though. If you feel any discomfort, pain, or fatigue, stop and take a rest. I love this groove - have fun!

Review: What We Know!

NEW:
~ From This Lesson ~
Power Chords

PREVIOUS:
Flats and Sharps
Natural Notes on the Low E String
Notes on the Low E String
Single-String Picking
Eighth Notes
Am Chord
Changing Chords - E and Am
Am7 Chord
Changing Chords - E7 and Am7
E7 Chord
E Chord
Em Chord
Em7 Chord
Tuning and Tuners
Your first open chord - Em11
Quarter Notes
Half Notes
Whole Notes
Downstroke
Counting bars (measures) of four. Also known as 4/4 ("four, four time")
Muting all the strings with the fretting hand
Playing on beat one of every measure (the first beat of each measure)
Playing in time
Let's build upon this! Fantastic!

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