6/8 D D U Strumming Pattern

161 strumming patterns from beginner to funk and Bollywood, played with real chords, with slow motion and a moving strum hand.

Down, down, up on each half of the bar: the standard 6/8 strum. Written in arrows it is DDU DDU, in 6/8.

The player above plays it at 60 BPM over the chords Am – Dm – E. Press Start to hear it, or slow it down to see each stroke.

How to count 6/8 D D U

Count	1	2	3	4	5	6
Strum	↓	↓	↑	↓	↓	↑
Hand	↓	↓	↑	↓	↓	↑

Say the count out loud and strum only on the bold words: 1 2 3 4 5 6

↓ down · ↑ up · ✕ chuck (muted) · B bass note · b second bass note · bold: accent · dashed: palm-muted · underlined: short. The last row is the strumming hand, which keeps moving even where nothing sounds.

DDU DDU fills all six eighth-note slots in the bar: four down and two up. Two strokes fall on the group starts and four between them. The bar ends with an up strum on eighth note 6: many players let go of the chord there and change while the open strings ring.

Playing it

Down, down, up on each half of the bar, with the first down of each group a little stronger. The up strum leads straight into the next big beat.

Up strums

On eighth note 3 of every group, brush the top three or four strings, a little softer than the downs.

Practise it step by step

Rhythm only: mute the strings with your fretting hand and play it while saying “1 2 3 4 5 6”, or in dotted beats “1 la li 2 la li”.
Hold Am, set slow motion to ×0.5 (30 BPM) and play along until four bars in a row are even.
Loop the trickiest moment on its own: the end of the bar, from eighth note 6 into the next bar, where the chord changes.
Normal speed at 40 BPM, with the click on if you want the beat under you.
Chord changes: Am – Dm – E, one a bar (or every 2 bars until the changes are clean).
Up 4 BPM at a time to 60 BPM, then toward 80 BPM for faster songs.

At 60 BPM a bar lasts 2.00 seconds and you play 180 strokes a minute. Slow motion at ×0.5 brings that down to 90.

Chords to try

Am – Dm – E G – C – D D – A – Bm – G

Waltzes, 6/8 and 12/8 all group the pulse in threes. In 3/4 there are three beats, strong-weak-weak. In 6/8 and 12/8 there are two or four big beats, each split into three eighth notes, which gives ballads their rocking, swaying motion.

One step away

Make the up on eighth note 3 a down, and make the up on eighth note 6 a down and you have 6/8: all downs (DDD DDD).
Leave out the down on eighth note 2, and leave out the down on eighth note 5 and you have 6/8: D (U) D (U) (DU DU).

Change it in the pattern builder

Common questions

How do you count the 6/8 D D U strumming pattern?

Count “1 2 3 4 5 6”, or in dotted beats “1 la li 2 la li”, and play down on eighth note 1, down on eighth note 2, up on eighth note 3, down on eighth note 4, down on eighth note 5 and up on eighth note 6.

What tempo is 6/8 D D U played at?

60 BPM here, 180 strokes a minute. Learn it near 40 BPM; songs with this feel usually sit between 45 and 80 BPM (counting the dotted beat).

Is 6/8 D D U good for beginners?

Yes, once four downs and chord changes feel easy. The one moment to watch is the end of the bar, from eighth note 6 into the next bar, where the chord changes; start it at ×0.5, 30 BPM.

Which chords go with 6/8 D D U?

Any chords. Try Am – Dm – E, or G – C – D, or D – A – Bm – G, or type your own in Advanced.

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