How To Play The Pefect Upstroke

Let’s talk about something that gives a lot of players unnecessary trouble: upstrokes.

Many students overcomplicate them, twisting their wrist or changing their arm motion entirely. But here’s the truth:

A perfect upstroke is simply the natural return of your hand after a downstroke.

???? The Core Concept

When you strum a downstroke, your hand naturally needs to return to its starting position to prepare for the next downstroke.
That motion—coming back up—is the exact same movement you want to use for your upstroke.

In other words:

• Don’t twist your wrist.
• Don’t change your picking angle.
• Don’t “force” an upstroke motion.

Just let your hand come back up naturally, and lightly brush a few of the higher (thinner) strings.

???? Why Upstrokes Feel Awkward (and How to Fix That)

When students try to make upstrokes feel “different,” they often:

• Over-rotate their wrist
• Move too far from the strings
• Hit too many strings (making the sound harsh or unbalanced)

But upstrokes aren’t meant to hit all six strings. They’re meant to add lightness and groove to your rhythm.

Tip:
Try this simple exercise:

1. Play all downstrokes for a few measures.
2. Now, on your way back up, don’t lift your hand away—just let it glide over the top few strings.
3. Congratulations—you’re already doing the perfect upstroke!

???? Keep It Natural

When you hear great rhythm guitar players, their upstrokes sound relaxed, not forced. The key is to let your wrist stay loose and keep your motion consistent.

So remember:

• Downstroke → normal motion
• Return (upstroke) → same path, lighter touch
• Result → smooth, musical rhythm

That’s it. No weird angles, no twisting—just natural motion and good timing.

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About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.