3/4 Waltz Strumming Pattern

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

One strum on each of the three beats of 3/4, the first a little stronger. Written in arrows it is D D D, in 3/4.

The player above plays it at 90 BPM over the chords D – A – Bm – G. Press Start to hear it, or slow it down to see each stroke.

How to count Waltz downs

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

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

↓ 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 uses three of the six eighth-note slots in the bar: all of them down strokes, with the hand swinging past the strings three times. Every stroke lands on a beat, so it is as steady as rhythm gets. The bar ends with a silent swing on the “&” of 3, a free moment to move your fretting hand to the next chord.

Playing it

Count “ONE two three” and strum beat 1 a little louder. A waltz should sway, so let the hand fall heavier on 1 and float on 2 and 3.

Silent swings

On every “&” the hand moves without touching the strings. Keep it moving there, in the same down-up rhythm.

All down strokes

Lift the hand just clear of the strings between strokes. Keep that return small: at 90 BPM each eighth note lasts 333 ms.

Practise it step by step

Rhythm only: mute the strings with your fretting hand and play it while saying “1 & 2 & 3 &”.
Hold D, set slow motion to ×0.5 (45 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 3 into the next bar, where the chord changes.
Normal speed at 54 BPM, with the click on if you want the beat under you.
Chord changes: D – A – Bm – G, one a bar (or every 2 bars until the changes are clean).
Up 4 BPM at a time to 90 BPM, then toward 140 BPM for faster songs.

At 90 BPM a bar lasts 2.00 seconds and you play 90 strokes a minute. Slow motion at ×0.5 brings that down to 45.

Chords to try

D – A – Bm – G Am – Dm – E G – C – D

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 down on beat 1 a bass note and you have Waltz boom-chick-chick (B D D).
Add an up on the “&” of 3 and you have Waltz: D D DU (D D DU).
Add an up on the “&” of 2, and add an up on the “&” of 3 and you have Waltz: D DU DU (D DU DU).

Change it in the pattern builder