Anybody got any pointers on how to strum when traditional old hymns come around? Amazing Grace, When the Saints come Marching In, etc., all have a fast beat with no obvious strum pattern. New stuff like Chris Tomlin is much easier in comparison, I don't know what to do with these old songs.
guitar strumming for traditional hymns
Discussion in 'Music Ministry' started by corndogggy, Mar 4, 2008.
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corndogggy Active MemberSite Supporter
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My daughter taught herself to play the guitar. She found sites online with the chords for many new songs and many old hymns as well. She just strums as she sings. 1-2-3,1-2-3, (Amazing Grace) and 1-2-3-4,1-2-3-4, (Oh When the Saints) Nothing fancy, just changing chords as they come along. It sounds great! It sounds very old fashioned. No fancy strum patterns. Just plain simple guitar and the voice of a young lady praising the Lord.
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Thou shalt not strum on a hymn. Thou shalt burn thy plectrums for they are a detestable thing.... ;) I know....I shouldn't be so wishy-washy and vague huh? ;)
But yeah, generally better off trying to pick as much as melody as possible through the chords on hymns....and every song come to think of it :) -
Don't fret over it. Just let the music string you along. You'd have to be a nut to do anything else. Follow this advice and you will be neck and neck with the best players. This method will be your bridge to better guitar. I don't know much about electric, but acoustic with you for a while. At some point, you will want to pick a more advanced player for advice, however.
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Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>Site Supporter
Try this on a few songs....
Drop the low E string to D. Play the melody of one of these old hymns out of the D chord position with your index & middle finger, and hit the newly tuned D string with your thumb, along with the open A. If you are playing with other folks, just capo up to them. Remember to play the G chord with your ring finger on the bottom string on the fifth fret, instead of the third, and mute the A string with the same finger. The A chord requires the bottom string silent. If you do it enough, you will be able to master the chord changes, while picking the melody out. It doesn't work with everything, but the old timers sound great that way. -
Here is the simplest way....
If the hymn is 4/4 strum it this way... Bass, strum, strum, strum
Most other hymns can be played this way... Bass, strum, strum. -
Furthermore, had Joe said ANY of this, I would vote to ban jo(e) forever.
Nyyyyyaaaa....beat THOSE puns! -
We need to GET-Tar and feathers... someone needs to pluck them birds.... Those two players have gone to far... I might just pick-up one of Amy's rolling pins, and smack someone.
So who is keeping score here anyway? Someone note what I have said...we need some new music staff around here... I will not Stand by and see this thread amplified to some type of pun-o-rama. -
Before we drop-D nonsense that is this punfest, we need to have a few more, just in case of emergency.
By the way Tim, do WV coal miners only play miner chords? Yes I am digging deep for these. -
Mod's please don't barre MP from posting. But of chorus, if TinyTim says to, I shouldn't disagre with hymn. -
Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>Site Supporter
:laugh:
Say, do you guys know how to tell when the stage is level ?
The banjo player drools out of both sides of his mouth. -
corndogggy Active MemberSite Supporter
So, in all seriousness, old traditional hymns need a bluegrass pick/strum pattern? And yes, this is for acoustic. The ones I can't figure out are the more upbeat traditional songs, such as "I'll fly away". We play it so fast that doing a typical pick/strum pattern is uncomfortable, playing the pick/strum half as fast seems too slow, there's no modern type of funky strum pattern that is unique to that song, so I've been kind of lost. -
A pair of wire cutters!