Stop Strumming Like a Windshield Wiper

If you're looking for the biggest shortcut when it comes to strumming chords on the guitar...

Whether electric or acoustic...

Let me save you some time: it's all about efficiency and economy of motion...

Read On...

Why Strumming from the Elbow Doesn’t Work

Let’s start with the common mistake: strumming from the elbow. Whether you're playing electric or acoustic guitar, this type of motion is inefficient. Why? Because your elbow takes too long to stop, change direction, and get your hand where it needs to go. The result? Sloppy timing, missed strings, and difficulty when trying to be precise.

Now, imagine you're trying to arpeggiate a chord — picking out individual notes while still holding a chord shape. Doing that accurately from an elbow-driven strum is even harder.

The Waving Motion: Your New Best Friend

Here’s the solution: strum from the wrist using a smooth, waving motion. Think of your hand moving in a small arc. Your pick starts up here, arcs downward, and finishes down here. That’s how you know you're using the waving motion correctly. It’s subtle. It’s efficient. And best of all — it makes switching between strumming and picking a breeze.

Check out the video Here

This tiny movement gives you:

• Less effort
• Greater control
• Better precision
• Easy transitions between full chord strumming and picking out individual notes

It's Not “My Way or the Highway”

If you already have a method that works great for you — awesome! I’m not claiming this is the only way. But if you're struggling to cleanly strum or arpeggiate chords, and you're tired of feeling clunky or off-time, then this wrist-based waving motion might be the game-changer you need.

Bonus: it’s way less tiring over long sessions, too.

Precision in Chord Targeting

This approach also helps when switching between chords that use different numbers of strings. Whether it’s a six-string barre chord or a tight little four-string voicing, you’ll have the control to only hit the strings you want to hear — not the ones you don’t.

Remember to always have fun with your guitar and I’ll see you next time…

If you are looking to learn another excellent rhythm guitar skill, you can check out my FREE lesson on how to weave lead guitar melody lines to your rhythm guitar playing here: https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro

Have you ever heard extra notes played between chords and wondered, "Why do THESE notes sound good?" or, "How can I do that?".

Most guitar players struggle to find the right notes to play between chords to make their songs sound better.

The fact is, it's easy to do once you learn how. And the result is your guitar playing sounds much more complex than it is...

This is good news for you:

I've created a brand new eGuide (yes, it's free), where I show you an easy way to connect chords with single-note melodies to sound like a pro.

The best part is it's 100% FREE (no strings attached)!

Download your copy instantly so you can instantly make your rhythm guitar playing sound better. https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro

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