Funk push is an advanced 4/4 strumming pattern in sixteenth notes. Written in arrows it is DU XU DU XU.
The player above plays it at 92 BPM over the chords Am – Dm – E. Press Start to hear it, or slow it down to see each stroke.
161 strumming patterns from beginner to funk and Bollywood, played with real chords, with slow motion and a moving strum hand.
Funk push is an advanced 4/4 strumming pattern in sixteenth notes. Written in arrows it is DU XU DU XU.
The player above plays it at 92 BPM over the chords Am – Dm – E. Press Start to hear it, or slow it down to see each stroke.
| Count | 1 | e | & | a | 2 | e | & | a | 3 | e | & | a | 4 | e | & | a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strum | ↓ | · | · | ↑ | ✕ | · | · | ↑ | ↓ | · | · | ↑ | ✕ | · | · | ↑ |
| Hand | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↑ |
Say the count out loud and strum only on the bold words: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
↓ 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.
DU XU DU XU uses eight of the sixteen sixteenth-note slots in the bar: four down and four up, with the hand swinging past the strings eight times. Four strokes fall on the beat and four between beats. The bar ends with an up strum on the “a” of 4: many players let go of the chord there and change while the open strings ring.
A full chord on 1 and 3, chucks on 2 and 4, and an up strum on the “a” of every beat that pushes into the next one.
On every “e” and every “&” the hand moves without touching the strings. Keep it moving there, in the same down-up rhythm.
On every “a”, brush the top three or four strings, a little softer than the downs.
Hit every beat harder (the bold arrows), with a bigger swing rather than a tighter grip.
On beat 2 and beat 4, strum with the strings muted for a dry “chk” instead of a chord.
At 92 BPM a bar lasts 2.61 seconds and you play 184 strokes a minute. Slow motion at ×0.5 brings that down to 92.
Funk guitar is a percussion part. The hand moves in sixteenth notes the whole time, most strokes are muted scratches, and the open chords that cut through are placed exactly against the bass and drums. Many funk songs stay on one or two chords for minutes.
Change it in the pattern builder
Count “1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a” and play accented down on beat 1, up on the “a” of 1, accented chuck on beat 2, up on the “a” of 2, accented down on beat 3, up on the “a” of 3, accented chuck on beat 4 and up on the “a” of 4.
92 BPM here, 184 strokes a minute. Learn it near 56 BPM; songs with this feel usually sit between 85 and 115 BPM.
It is advanced. Sixteenth-note down-ups should feel easy first, and the silent swing on the “&” of 1 into the up strum on the “a” of 1 needs slow, careful repetition at 46 BPM.
Lift your fretting fingers just enough that the strings stop sounding, or let your strumming palm land on them as you strum. It should sound like a snare drum.