2nd Most Common Strum DDDDU & Accents

This lesson teaches the strumming pattern that appears in "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," "Let Her Go," and "Live Forever" - the second most useful rhythm after down-down-up-up-down. This pattern introduces accents and dynamics that make your playing sound more musical.

• Down-down-down-down-up pattern with proper accent on beats 2 and 4

• How to create dynamics by strumming thicker strings vs thinner strings

• Why accents happen on beats 2 and 4 (where the snare drum hits)

• Thumb-over-top technique for muting unwanted strings cleanly

• Building from simple eighth-note strumming to the full dynamic pattern

Creating accents isn't about strumming louder - it's about making the other strums quieter. This technique works on both clean and overdriven sounds, and once you master it, you'll have access to countless slower-tempo songs that use this foundational pattern.

Here's how to Accent your strumming!