[OwenMc]

Hi, I am new to this forum and new to playing guitar. I am busy learning, and find that most tabs have the chords above the words indicating what chord you should play, but how do you know what the strumming pattern is. A song I would like to know is bad moon rising by CCR and the live acoustic version of good riddance by green day, but I cant work out the strumming pattern, as in up up down up etc
Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Owen

[dadfad]

The best way to work out strumming patterns is to listen to the tune several times. As you do, establish the beat by tapping your foot. Learn to ignore things like fills or little out-of-rhythm lines, things like that. Verbally counting-off (like "one-and-two-and-one-and-two-and-...") can help too. After you have a good grip on tapping your foot to the rhythm in time, hold your guitar and dead-strum in time with the recording (not even chording as you do, just mute them with your fretting hand as you dead-strum). Once you're comfortable with that, start chording as you play. Use the simplest chords you can if need be until you get it down. Then just go from there.

And welcome to GTU.

[OwenMc]

Thanks for the quick reply - I'm off to do some foot tapping

Thanks
Owen

[markigta]

And dont forget, Bad Moon Rising sound best with the only the bass note struck before the chords

http://www.guitartab...?fileid=3407661

Heres a decent tab. As always thats good advice from the guitar God(dadfad)/\ /\

[SmoothD]

Thanks for the quick reply - I'm off to do some foot tapping

Thanks
Owen

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just make sure that your cat is not underfoot!

Meeeouch!

Good luck and welcome to GTU!

[OwenMc]

I might give Good riddance a miss, and start with bad moon rising as its my first song I'm learning on. Once I get that right I might be able to get good riddance.

Thanks for the replies and the welcome!