Guitar Rhythm and Strumming Syllabus

Rhythm and Strumming syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Rhythm and Strumming in Guitar, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Rhythm Fundamentals

   4 topics

   • Time Signatures
   • Counting Beats and Subdivisions
   • Using a Metronome
   • Note Durations and Rests
2. 2

   Strumming Patterns

   5 topics

   • Downstroke Strumming
   • Down-Up Eighth-Note Patterns
   • The 'D-DU-UDU' Pattern
   • Syncopation and Accents
   • Muted Percussive Strums
3. 3

   Dynamics and Feel

   3 topics

   • Playing Loud and Soft (Dynamics)
   • Groove and Pocket
   • Strumming Hand Relaxation
4. 4

   Fingerpicking and Travis Picking

   4 topics

   • Thumb and Finger Assignment (PIMA)
   • Basic Arpeggio Patterns
   • Alternating Bass (Travis Picking)
   • Pinch and Chord-Melody Patterns
5. 5

   Rhythm Styles

   4 topics

   • Folk and Country Strumming
   • Reggae and Ska Off-Beats
   • Funk Sixteenth-Note Strumming
   • Latin and Bossa Nova Patterns

Rhythm and Strumming flashcards for Guitar

22 of 50 cards from the Rhythm and Strumming deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What does a time signature tell you in music notation?

   The top number tells how many beats are in each measure; the bottom number tells which note value gets one beat (e.g., in $\frac{4}{4}$ there are 4 beats per measure and the quarter note gets the beat).

2. In the time signature $\frac{3}{4}$, how many beats are in a measure and what note gets one beat?

   There are 3 beats per measure, and the quarter note gets one beat. It is the classic waltz meter, counted "1 2 3".

3. Why is $\frac{4}{4}$ time called "common time" and what symbol can represent it?

   It is the most frequently used meter in popular music; it can be written with a "C" symbol instead of the numeric $\frac{4}{4}$ signature.

4. What is the key difference between $\frac{6}{8}$ and $\frac{3}{4}$ time even though both contain six eighth notes per measure?

   $\frac{6}{8}$ groups the eighth notes into two beats of three (compound duple feel: ONE-two-three FOUR-five-six), while $\frac{3}{4}$ groups them into three beats of two (simple triple feel).

5. What is the difference between simple meter and compound meter?

   In simple meter each beat divides naturally into two equal parts (e.g., $\frac{4}{4}$, $\frac{3}{4}$); in compound meter each beat divides into three equal parts (e.g., $\frac{6}{8}$, $\frac{12}{8}$).

6. How do you count eighth-note subdivisions in one measure of $\frac{4}{4}$ time?

   "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &" — the numbers fall on the beats (downbeats) and the "&" (and) falls exactly halfway between beats (the off-beats).

7. How do you count sixteenth-note subdivisions of a single beat?

   "1 e & a" — the beat is divided into four equal parts: the number, "e", "&", and "a".

8. What is a downbeat and what is an off-beat (upbeat)?

   The downbeat is the numbered pulse of the measure (1, 2, 3, 4), with beat 1 being the strongest; the off-beat (upbeat) is the "&" that falls between the numbered beats.

9. What does BPM stand for and what does a metronome marking of 60 BPM mean?

   BPM means beats per minute. At 60 BPM there is exactly one beat per second, so each beat lasts $\frac{60}{60} = 1$ second.

10. What is the formula for the duration of one beat in seconds at a given tempo?

    Beat duration $= \frac{60}{\text{BPM}}$ seconds. For example, at 120 BPM each beat lasts $\frac{60}{120} = 0.5$ seconds.

11. What is the recommended process for learning a new strumming pattern with a metronome?

    Start at a slow tempo where you can play the pattern perfectly (often 60–80 BPM), lock every strum to the click, then increase the tempo in small increments (about 5 BPM) only after playing it cleanly several times in a row.

12. What is the relative duration relationship among whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes?

    Each value is half the previous: 1 whole note $=$ 2 half notes $=$ 4 quarter notes $=$ 8 eighth notes $=$ 16 sixteenth notes. In $\frac{4}{4}$, a whole note lasts 4 beats, half note 2, quarter note 1, eighth note $\frac{1}{2}$, sixteenth note $\frac{1}{4}$.

13. What is a rest in music, and how long do whole, half, and quarter rests last in $\frac{4}{4}$ time?

    A rest is a notated duration of silence. In $\frac{4}{4}$: a whole rest lasts 4 beats, a half rest 2 beats, and a quarter rest 1 beat — the same durations as the corresponding notes, but silent.

14. What does a dot after a note do to its duration, and how long is a dotted half note in $\frac{4}{4}$?

    A dot adds half the note's own value: dotted duration $= 1.5 \times$ original. A dotted half note lasts $2 + 1 = 3$ beats.

15. What does a tie do between two notes?

    A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one continuous sound whose length is the sum of both values — e.g., a quarter tied to an eighth lasts $1 + \frac{1}{2} = 1\frac{1}{2}$ beats, struck only once.

16. In an all-downstroke strumming pattern in $\frac{4}{4}$, on which counts do you strum, and what must the hand do between strums?

    You strum down on each numbered beat (1, 2, 3, 4); between strums the hand returns upward through the air without touching the strings, keeping a constant pendulum motion.

17. What is proper downstroke strumming technique for tone and consistency?

    Motion comes mostly from a relaxed wrist (with some forearm), the pick brushes across all target strings in one fluid sweep, gripping the pick loosely with a slight angle so it glides rather than snags.

18. What is the "constant motion" (pendulum) rule of strumming?

    The strumming hand keeps moving down on every beat and up on every "&" without stopping, whether or not it hits the strings; rhythmic patterns are made by choosing which passes make contact. This keeps timing steady automatically.

19. In a straight down-up eighth-note pattern in $\frac{4}{4}$, which strokes fall on the beats and which on the "&"s?

    Downstrokes fall on the numbered beats (1, 2, 3, 4) and upstrokes fall on the "&"s, giving "D U D U D U D U" counted "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &".

20. How does an upstroke typically differ from a downstroke in execution?

    The upstroke usually brushes only the top (thinnest) 3–4 strings rather than all six, is lighter, and is played on the hand's natural return motion — it should not be a separate forced movement.

21. Spell out the famous 'D-DU-UDU' strumming pattern against the eighth-note count in $\frac{4}{4}$.

    Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &": Down on 1, (skip the & of 1), Down on 2, Up on "& of 2", (skip beat 3), Up on "& of 3", Down on 4, Up on "& of 4" — i.e., D _ D U _ U D U.

22. In the 'D-DU-UDU' pattern, what happens on beat 3, and why is this the hardest part for beginners?

    No strings are hit on beat 3 — the hand still moves down but misses the strings (a "ghost" downstroke). Beginners struggle because they must keep the pendulum motion going without making contact, then catch the very next upstroke on the "& of 3".

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