How do you strum?

**Echelar** · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 1246 Location: Fort Wayne, IN

How you strum the average note in the average song? I'm not speaking of the super-fast notes that you pretty much have to go up-and-down to get, but just any old note. I think I'm weird because I strum up with my pointer finger, so I'd like to see if lots of people are doing it too.
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**JCirri** · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 4576

I thought I was weird for the same reason.
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**Fly1ngV** · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:40 am Post subject:

i, myself, strum up and down on a normal basis, it makes me more comfortable when i have to do those long fast areas, and i see that i hit more notes than when i just strum one way, my thumb and pointer fingers are almost retarded on their own, but together they make a person of slightly above average intellect.

**ibanezhead** · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 12:02 pm Post subject:

Honestly I think I may be one of the only ones that does this, but since I have been playing guitar for around 25 years I can not use my thumb or fingers like most do for this game. I use a pick, just like I would to play normal guitar. The one thing I have noticed is I have to be real consistent with how hard I strike because sometimes it wont push the paddle down all the way especially on the fast picking parts of solos where I am alternate picking everything. I hope they fix this on the next guitar they make so you do not have to push as hard for that little click to register that you strummed a note it is very irritating when you know you hit it but it did not register!

**Atremains** · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 648 Location: Western Mass

i tried using a pick, didnt really like it, thumb all the way
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HsAxTakexIt (4:37:20 AM): XD
HsAxTakexIt (4:37:35 AM): too bad your elbow doesnt have a finger to push select
HsAxTakexIt (4:37:57 AM): the next evolution of man : the elbow finger

**Mike** · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 44 Location: Quebec, Canada

I always strum down with my thumb, but like most of us (I think), strumming up and down is necessary for fast parts. By the way, this makes me think that my strum bar lost parts of his paint :!: Don't know if I strum too hard or if it's just normal for having played too much :wink:
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**deathtongue** · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 8:17 pm Post subject:

I'm a plucker, I use my thumb and only pluck down... needless to say I have trouble with the really fast parts! That's why I haven't been able to finish all the songs on the hard level. I've been meaning to learn how to strum properly but when I try I totally lose my timing. Can anybody suggest a good song to practice on?
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**Atremains** · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 648 Location: Western Mass

hmm. maybe unsung?
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HsAxTakexIt (4:37:20 AM): XD
HsAxTakexIt (4:37:35 AM): too bad your elbow doesnt have a finger to push select
HsAxTakexIt (4:37:57 AM): the next evolution of man : the elbow finger

**OliCat** · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 5 Location: illinois

i strum with my pointer finger and my thumb. on faster passages, i just use my thumb. on the really fast ones, i have to go up and down to nail it on a consisntent basis.

**ghorsche** · Joined: 13 Mar 2006 Posts: 18

Watch out; this post is going to be heretical.

*I strum down with my thumb (or occasionally thumb and forefinger together, as if I was holding a pick) most of the time when it's practical. This is up to and including some of the running 8th notes on "Guitar Hero" on hard (though not all of them).

*I grab onto the strum bar and pull it down and up for most fast repeated notes, whenever it isn't too confusing to do so. I find I am much more accurate this way than with proper down-and-up strumming. If I don't hold the strum bar, I tend to miss a fair number of the upstrokes and often get the timing slightly off. I use this method in situations ranging from the single 8th notes toward the very end of "Story of My Love" on hard (my timing gets off with only downstrokes) to the main riff of "Cowboys from Hell" on hard and (perhaps even worse) almost every note of "The Breaking Wheel" on both hard and expert. Don't worry, I use hammer-ons and pull-offs to do "Cowboys from Hell" on expert :wink:

*I do proper down-and-up strumming, with my thumb and forefinger together, on syncopated rhythms that are too confusing to use the method above on. I still tend to miss a few upstrokes, but I get a lot less discombobulated if I miss a note than I do when I'm grabbing the strum bar. The best example I can think of at the moment is the main riff of "Bark at the Moon" on expert.
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+ all of expert cleared on a different memory card :lol:

**Atremains** · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 648 Location: Western Mass

yea i do that too, i hold grip is real tight actually, i guess it helps my accuracy
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HsAxTakexIt (4:37:20 AM): XD
HsAxTakexIt (4:37:35 AM): too bad your elbow doesnt have a finger to push select
HsAxTakexIt (4:37:57 AM): the next evolution of man : the elbow finger

**Drakken** · Joined: 09 Feb 2006 Posts: 183 Location: South Jersey

Most of the time, I strum down using my thumb. On faster parts that I'm comfortable with, I'll strum up and down. I can't strum up and down on parts with tricky (to me) fingering, like, say, Cowbeys From Hell on Expert. Just haven't practiced it that much yet.
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Drakken's modest Expert drums goals (updated 2/16/08):
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5* all songs (58/58!)
10 million (currently 10.53 million!)
FC Epic

Cyberscore - Great high scores site for other games

**Niall** · Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:08 pm Post subject:

I usually strum down. I have trouble with HOPOs, so I use single fingers on the keys and the thumb for each note. Or try to anyway.

But I cleared everything but five songs on Expert that way. Why yes, I do have a bit of a sore thumb at times, why do you ask?

For the really, really fast notes, I'll hold on to the strum bar as was said above, but I lose most rhythm that way.

I want to see what I could do with strumming up using index and middle fingers alternatively - gonna have to restart on easy for that. Likely make up a new band to chart that progress. Hmm, "The Bloody Digits" sounds about right...

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**Madibart** · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 5

For those folks who said they strum with their thumb except for the fast parts where they strum up and down...how do you strum up with your thumb? Are you using the end of it or the side? My wife uses her thumb but only strums down (she just finished medium).

I hold my hand like I'm holding a pick but then just use the end of my index finger. I do strum up and down where I have to for the rythym (like the beginning of Get Ready 3 Rokk) but I almost always just down strum.

I have managed to finish all the songs without much alternate picking and no ho/po's but I might have to try them to get to 5 stars.
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**blackmamba** · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 175

am i the only person here who uses a guitar pick? im tellin you guys, its so much easier and more accurate. Try it.