Percussive strumming: the chuck on 2 and 4
A strum with a percussive 'chuck' on beats 2 and 4, where the strumming hand slaps the strings dead on the downstroke, through Am, C, G and D. The chuck plays the part of a snare drum, so a guitar on its own sounds like a guitar and a drummer. It's the sound of countless acoustic covers, and it trains the strumming hand to mute and strum in the same motion without breaking its swing.
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
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
On 2 and 4 let the side of the palm land on the strings as the hand comes down, so the strum is a thud, not a chord.
Counted '1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and', the pattern is down, up, chuck, up, a missed down, up, chuck, up. On 2 and 4 the hand comes down onto the strings with the side of the palm, near the soundhole, so they stop dead with a thud instead of ringing a chord. The upstroke straight after brings the chord back.
Think of the chuck as a downstroke that lands short: the same swing, with the palm arriving on the strings at the same moment as the pick. The fretting hand can help by easing off the strings just as the chuck lands.
On beat 3 the hand swings down without touching the strings, so the chord from the 'and' of 2 rings on into it.
Mistakes to watch for
- Breaking the swing to slap, which drags the up after the chuck.
- A chuck that still rings: the palm lands too lightly or too close to the bridge. Land it flat and firm.
- Chucking so hard the pick flies out of the hand. It's a slap, not a punch.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 54
- 59
- 63
- 68
- 72
- 77
- 81
- 86
- 90
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 Strumming with a chuck?
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 is a chuck in guitar strumming?
A muted strum: the strumming hand lands on the strings and stops them as it strikes, so you hear a percussive thud instead of a chord. On beats 2 and 4 it takes the part of a snare drum.
Can the fretting hand do the muting instead?
Yes. Some players chuck by relaxing the fretting fingers so the strings don't sound, which is easier at first; the palm chuck gives a fuller thud. Both are worth having, and the exercise works with either.
More acoustic exercises
All 20 acoustic exercises · Strumming patterns · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises