D D D DU Strumming Pattern

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

Three downs and a quick down-up at the end of the bar, a gentle lead into the next chord. Written in arrows it is D D D DU.

The player above plays it at 85 BPM over the chords Em – C – G – D. Press Start to hear it, or slow it down to see each stroke.

How to count D D D DU

Count	1	&	2	&	3	&	4	&
Strum	↓	·	↓	·	↓	·	↓	↑
Hand	↓	↑	↓	↑	↓	↑	↓	↑

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

↓ 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.

D D D DU uses five of the eight eighth-note slots in the bar: four down and one up, with the hand swinging past the strings three times. Four strokes fall on the beat and one between beats. The bar ends with an up strum on the “&” of 4: many players let go of the chord there and change while the open strings ring.

Playing it

The last down-up is a pickup into the next bar. Many players let go of the chord on that final up strum and let the open strings ring for a moment, which buys time for the change.

Silent swings

On the “&” of 1, the “&” of 2 and the “&” of 3 the hand moves without touching the strings. Keep it moving there, in the same down-up rhythm.

Up strums

On the “&” of 4, 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 &”.
Hold Em, set slow motion to ×0.5 (43 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 the “&” of 4 into the next bar, where the chord changes.
Normal speed at 52 BPM, with the click on if you want the beat under you.
Chord changes: Em – C – G – D, one a bar (or every 2 bars until the changes are clean).
Up 4 BPM at a time to 85 BPM, then toward 130 BPM for faster songs.

At 85 BPM a bar lasts 2.82 seconds and you play 106 strokes a minute. Slow motion at ×0.5 brings that down to 53.

Chords to try

Em – C – G – D G – C – D C – G – Am – F

The essential patterns use only plain down and up strums in eighth notes. The strumming hand swings down on every beat and up on every “&”, and each pattern is just a choice of which of those eight swings touch the strings. Two or three of them, played well, will carry most pop, folk and film songs.

One step away

Leave out the up on the “&” of 4 and you have Four downs (D D D D).
Add an up on the “&” of 2 and you have D DU D DU.
Add an up on the “&” of 3 and you have D D DU DU.
Add an up on the “&” of 1 and you have DU D D DU.
Add an up on the “&” of 2 and you have Shuffle: D DU D DU (D DU D DU).

Change it in the pattern builder

Common questions

How do you count the D D D DU strumming pattern?

Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” and play down on beat 1, down on beat 2, down on beat 3, down on beat 4 and up on the “&” of 4.

What tempo is D D D DU played at?

85 BPM here, 106 strokes a minute. Learn it near 52 BPM; songs with this feel usually sit between 70 and 130 BPM.

Is D D D DU good for beginners?

Yes, once four downs and chord changes feel easy. The one moment to watch is the end of the bar, from the “&” of 4 into the next bar, where the chord changes; start it at ×0.5, 43 BPM.

Which chords go with D D D DU?

Any chords. Try Em – C – G – D, or G – C – D, or C – G – Am – F, or type your own in Advanced.

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