D-DU-UDU: the most common strumming pattern

Down, down-up, up-down-up: the most played strumming pattern in pop and folk, here through G, D, Em and C. The hand keeps its down-up swing the whole time and simply misses the strings on beat 3, which is what gives the pattern its lift. Once it's automatic it fits under most songs in 4/4, and you can stop thinking about the strumming hand and listen to the music.

The D-DU-UDU strum: 4 bars of 4/4 in E standard, written at 90 bpm.

The strum: an arrow down or up for each strum, a cross for a muted one, a dot for a single note, and a faint arrow where the hand keeps moving without touching the strings.

Practise it at 54 bpm

Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 90 bpm. No account or microphone needed.

Goal tempo: 90 bpm
Starts at: 54 bpm
Length: 4 bars, looped
Tuning: E standard
Time: 4/4
Level: Beginner
Plays with: Drums

How to play it

Keep the hand swinging on beat 3 but miss the strings: the down you skip is what makes the next up land on time.

The pattern is down-up eighths with two strokes missed: on 1 down, on 2 down and up, on 3 the hand goes down but misses the strings, then up, and on 4 down and up. Counted with the misses in brackets: 1 (and), 2 and, (3) and, 4 and.

The skipped down on beat 3 is the part to practise. The hand has to keep swinging through it, just clear of the strings, or the up that follows comes early. Saying the pattern as you play, 'down, down up, up down up', helps it settle.

Each chord lasts a bar: G, D, Em, C. If you need more time for a change, start it on the bar's last up: it's the lightest stroke and the ear barely misses it.

Mistakes to watch for

Stopping the hand on beat 3 instead of swinging through it, which shifts the rest of the bar.
Running the two ups in the middle together into one long stroke.
Every stroke equally loud. Let the downs on 1 and 2 come out a little stronger and the ups lighter, and the pattern starts to groove.

A speed plan

The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:

That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 90 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one. Strums are checked for when they land, not for which strings rang.

Questions

How fast should I play The D-DU-UDU strum?

The goal is 90 bpm in eighth notes, which is 3 strums a second. Start wherever every strum is clean: the player begins at 54 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.

What songs use this strumming pattern?

Hundreds of pop, folk and rock songs in 4/4 can be strummed with it, which is why it's so often taught as the first real pattern. It won't match every recording stroke for stroke, but it fits under most songs at a medium tempo.

What does D-DU-UDU stand for?

Down, down-up, up-down-up: the strokes that hit the strings, grouped as they fall in the bar. Between the groups the hand still moves but misses, up after the first down and down on beat 3.

More acoustic exercises

All 20 acoustic exercises · Strumming patterns · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises