Guitar Strumming Technique
Today, I gave a free one hour introductory Guitar Strumming Technique class in Walnut Creek. I started out demonstrating a right handed funk chicken picking technique. The best example of this is the “Theme From Shaft” sound track which was recorded with my 40 piece electric guitar rock ensemble that included numerous students of mine in Bay Area as well as some professional musicians I brought in for the recording session.
Before you start working on the pattern, try using a real cry baby wah wah pedal from Jim Dunlop guitars in Benicia California, and then take your left hand and cover all 6 strings and strum a 16th note rhythm pattern which you count as “1–ee-and-ah, 2-ee-and-ah, 3–ee-and-ah and 4-ee-and-ah (each syllable representing a sixteenth note). Now you accent with your right hand the first 16th note of each beat at a slow tempo of 50 b.p.m. working up to 120 b.p.m. Then, practice displacing the accent only on beat 3 to 2nd 16th note. On beats 1,2 and 4 keep it normal accenting first 16th note of each beat.
Once you have this down you apply the wah-wah effect with your right foot on the wah wah pedal. Start with the pedal fully open and gradually push down to the floor to full closed position on beat 4. When you get the hang of it then try making the foot pedal be fully down on beats 2 and 4.
A good example of this is demonstrated on my recording of Shaft with my 40 piece guitar ensemble.
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