strumming help

[Dist]

Can anyone here who is a guitar player please give me some tips on strumming and getting it to sound good please. Ive been following Justin Sandercoes online lessons (so far i have learnt D, A and E chords), and have just started his lesson on some basic songs that can be played with those 3 chords, but im having trouble getting it to sound good.

Walk of life isnt too hard, since its just playing each cord once (although i cant quite keep up with its speed as it takes me too long to switch between chords at the moment), but songs like big yellow taxi which involve strumming i just cant get to sound right. I dont know if its because im doing the upstroke wrong or something, but the clicking sound of the pick hitting the strings deafens out the sound of the guitar a bit (i cant set my guitar amp too loud), and im not sure what else is causing it, but the sound of my strumming just doesnt sound like its the way its ment to be done, it sounds like just random string hitting, even though i am using the correct frets, and hitting the correct strings.

Could it be the pick im using? Not having handled any other picks then the one i got given, im not sure what weight/thickness it is compared to others, but it does seem like quite a strong pick, with very little flex to it.

 

[Lydzor]

I would have thought that a flexible pick would make more noise as it flaps about hitting the strings as opposed to a sturdy one. Is your pick getting caught on any strings when you strum, if so then it's more likely due to a thicker pick, both are usable for strumming however. From what you're saying it might also be that your chord changes aren't fast enough, or applyling enough pressure on the strings? Tried doing it at a really slow pace instead?

It would be good to hear a soundclip or watch a video to see what your problem exactly is though.

 

[eekfek]

remember learning the guitar takes time and a lot of patience,, when you see someone play something that looks simple its because they have practiced it so it becomes like second nature.

Strumming is a skill that you will develop over time but you first need to be competent in correctly forming/holding chords so they ring clear, and just as important is how you sit with the guitar and how you hold it.

practice practice practice, it's a long and sometimes laborious task but it can be extremely rewarding when you finally nail what seemed an impossible piece of guitar playing.

gluck

 

[helmet]

Good advice from eek .

Take 15 mins each night just to make the shapes with your fretting hand, no strumming, constantly changing between shapes of about 5 chords. A D G F C

Take 15 mins each night just to play the sequence of chords above in random order, forget actual songs for that time. Down up down up, then change chord.

Do that for a week (whilst trying your songs or whatever you want to do), see where it gets you.