Is It OK to Strum With Your Thumb?

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Most beginners tend to get curious about strumming without a pick because they can’t quite seem to get the hang of playing with a pick yet! While at this point in your learning, I’d recommend just using a thin pick and struggling through it for a bit, I will say that in my playing, I probably opt not to use a pick about 50 percent of the time.

Is it OK to strum your guitar with your Thumb? Strumming with the Thumb will give the player a much rounder sound compared to the brighter sound they can expect with a pick. With the down strums, one uses the fleshier part of the Thumb, but on the up strums, the nail might catch the string, resulting in a brighter and more accented up strum. It doesn’t always make the most sense musically, though. It can sound a bit awkward.

Strumming:

In music, strumming is a way of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar, ukulele, or mandolin. A strum or stroke is a sweeping action where a finger or plectrum brushes over several strings to generate sound.

On most stringed instruments, strums are typically executed by a musician’s designated strum hand (usually the musician’s dominant hand, which is often responsible for generating the majority of sound on a stringed instrument).

When using a pick, there tends to be one way that most people do strumming, whereas when not using one, there seems to be more variety and modification available to the player.

For instance, when not using a pick, the player gets more options for how to angle the fingers on the strings, whether to use the Thumb, fingers, or a combination, how one moves their arm, and how much is right to move the Thumb and fingers independently of the arm. There are also more tonal variations that one can play around to get the exact sound they’re looking for.

Work on getting the Thumb’s angle just right so that the Thumb doesn’t get caught on the thinnest string on the up strums and so the player doesn’t get much of their nail on the up strums. Sometimes this means flattening the hand out a bit.

When strumming with Thumb, one can choose to keep the fingers open and pluck from the elbow, similar to how one would play with a pick. Alternatively, one can anchor their fingers on the guitar and strum using Thumb more independently of the arm. See which one works better for the player.

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Basic Fingerstyle Strumming:

Personally, this technique is the one I use for basic fingerstyle strumming. With this method, the player is going to strum down with the fingernails of their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fingers.

For strumming up, the player will “brush” just the upper strings with the last segment of the index finger. If one is trying to strum with three fingers the same as they do when they strum down, they will get caught up in the strings. So, using just the first finger is smoother.

For both strumming down and up, be sure and keep the right hand relaxed. The fingers should give as they glide across the strings.

One could also strum down with their index finger only, but I think they lose some of the sounds and accenting power of using three fingers. But if there is a faster strum, one may shift more to using just the first finger for speed.

Strumming With Your 1st Finger:

If the player chooses to strum with 1st finger, one might notice that this is the opposite situation from when strumming with the Thumb – the nail hits the downbeats, and the flesh hits the upbeats. It is generally a more pleasant sound, but if one wants the muscle to run both the up and downbeats, they could flatten the whole hand out to achieve this. It would give a much softer and more delicate sound, but that might be just the sound one is going for!

When playing with the 1st finger, like when playing with the Thumb, experiment until one finds a proper angle where the finger isn’t getting caught on its up strums. People strumming with their 1st finger tend to use a finger movement and less arm movement.

Strumming as if You’re Holding a Pick:

If the player is after the brighter sound one typically gets with a pick, but still don’t want to use one, they can put the Thumb and 1st finger together as if they’re holding a pick between them. When one strum this way, the nail hits both the up and down strums, mimicking the pick’s sound.

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One can also strum from the elbow, just as they would if they were holding a pick. It is a great option to use in a pinch, too, say if the player accidentally drops the pick mid-song, which happens from time to time!

The Thumb Strum:

Strumming with just the Thumb can be used when someone is looking for a softer, more subtle sound. They don’t get the same volume that they do when using their fingernails on the down strum. One can use the thumbnail for accents on the up strums or avoid using a thumbnail to keep it soft.

Related Questions:

What is the standard pick error for beginners?

A common beginner mistake is to use a pick that’s too thick. It makes it harder to strum and is the main reason some beginners reject using a pick. There’s a vast range of thicknesses to choose from. Beginners should use something between 0.65-0.73.

Any thicker than that and the pick will feel too stiff. It will feel too rigid like there’s a ‘barrier’ between you and the guitar. Any thinner than that, and it will be too pliable and ‘flappy.’ You won’t feel ‘connected’ the guitar. We’re seeking a happy medium that gives you control and connection. In my experience, 0.65-0.73 is the sweet spot for beginners who want to learn how to strum a guitar fluidly.

How do you do an upstroke when strumming with your fingers?

There is, however, an upstroke that is done with any finger. Still, it involves not rotating the wrist like regular strumming- the movement is more like merely closing the hand so that the finger travels into the palm quickly. It allows you to push the strings into the soundboard and strike multiple strings. The reverse is the fingers extending out and striking strings in a downstroke. Another way of doing this is to use the three fingers not involved in holding the pick to pick or stroke the strings on the upstroke.

What is a strumming pattern?

A strumming pattern is a preset pattern of down and upstrokes played with the fingers or a pick against the strings. The strumming pattern will determine the rhythm of the music. The different patterns provide different rhythm, which can be played according to the different songs.

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One can strum with either the fingers or with a pick. There are many strumming patterns available to learn. Some essential strumming patterns are: –

  • All Downstroke Strumming
  • Down and Up Strokes
  • Muted Strum Pattern
  • Strumming with Rests
  • Complex Rest Pattern

Why Your Strumming Sounds Horrible and How to Fix It?

If one has too much tension in the right arm, then the strumming is doomed to sound bad, and it’s not the most natural thing in the world to fix either because it feels natural for the player to strum in that fashion.

Be lazy in Strumming Action. Don’t Put in a lot of effort. Everything should be light, relaxed, and smooth. The key is to let the arm fall across the strings.

The pick which the player uses is also super talented and will dramatically alter how the strumming sounds on the guitar. If the player uses fingers to play, then the correct posture is also essential.

Conclusion:

Strumming, like any guitar technique, is a very personal method of playing and ultimately depends on how comfortable one feels. Some guitarists prefer to play with a pick as it is easier on their strumming hand, whereas others like to feel more connected to the instrument and only use their fingers.

Whatever the approaching player chooses, be sure to take things slowly and work at a pace, they feel comfortable with, ensuring that they nail the strumming method!

As the sessions progress, getting more comfortable strumming without a pick comes in handy, one can try mixing it up. For example, the player can maybe hit the bass note with the Thumb and then strum with the 1st finger.

Play around with this! It is a great way to develop and customize a unique sound. Don’t get too caught up with the “right” and “wrong” ways to do this. Always remember – playing the guitar, while there are technical aspects to it, is a creative and personal venture! The player’s playing should have pieces of them all over it.