In this video
This live session with Fraser is all about one thing: how to make strumming feel natural rather than mechanical. Inspired by a video from the No Theory Club channel, the session builds from a simple idea and then explores it in real depth.
The session opens with a jam on Make Your Own Kind of Music by Mama Cass, using it to demonstrate how a strong internal sense of beat allows you to navigate rhythmic shifts without thinking about them, then moves into the main topic:
The glide — the single most important thing that makes strumming sound natural is not the pattern you play, but the sound you make. The pick should glide across the strings rather than pluck them individually. This is demonstrated clearly by comparing a strummed E chord to a picked one, showing how different the timbre is
Loose pick grip — the pick should be held so loosely that it can spin in your hand, and for strumming that is actually the goal. The difference between pick grip for strumming versus lead guitar is explained, and why gripped picks with texture still work best even when held loosely
Wrist rotation — strumming comes from a rotating wrist, not the elbow. The shake-your-hand-dry analogy makes this immediately clear
Unbroken motion — every strumming pattern is just the same constant down-up wrist movement with certain hits included, skipped or muted. Rhythm should be thought of as a muscle to exercise rather than a pattern to memorise
The three-level exercise — a practical metronome drill at 60 BPM starting with down strums on every click, adding upstrokes between clicks, then doubling the count to sixteenth notes. Each level is demonstrated live, finishing with a demonstration of swing feel
Songs used throughout include A Forest by The Cure, Make Your Own Kind of Music, Wonderwall and Norwegian Wood. There is also a good discussion on pick types including the Jazz III, Dunlop Maxi grip and shark fin picks, plus tips on the F bar chord and fretting hand pressure for anyone working on that.