[bradford192]

hey there this is my first post on the message bored ive been playing the guitar for about a year iam currently learning a song by phantom planet called california iam having trouble learning the strum however i whould greatly appreciate if someone whould help me out thanks alot

[dadfad]

From a previous post on a similar topic...

If you have problems doing the same strums as say on a recording, a good tip is to just listen to the recording several times and do nothing but tap your foot. As you really get that timing structure together with your foot, try to play it yourself, using your foot as you play with the same tapped structure, slowly at first then up to speed.

You might want to experiment with different strumming styles and rhythms. Try strumming the neck in alternating bass-strings (6,5,4) then treble strings (3,2,1) rhythms, back and forth between the two sides of the neck. Or try the old "boom-chukka" rhythm... One-an-a-two-an-a-One-an-a-two-an-a... etc. Or stum chord-then-note-then-chord-then-note. There are lots of ways to approach strumming.

You can also go "all the way".... Put down that pick and start using your fingers to play! That's how the finest acoustic guitar work is done.

And welcome to GTU.