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Six String Strummin' · Intermediate · Unit 1 · Lesson 2

Lesson 2: Pattern One: D-DU-UDU

The most useful strum pattern ever written ·

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • I can play D-DU-UDU cleanly on one chord.
  • I can carry the pattern through a progression.
  • I can play 'Everywhere Pattern'.

🕸Groove Check3 min

  1. Mute the strings with your fretting hand and strum straight eighths: down-up, down-up.
  2. Keep the pendulum going 30 seconds without a hiccup.
  3. Accent beats 2 and 4 slightly — feel the backbeat.

✋Why This Pattern Works5 min

  1. Hits land on 1, 2, 2-and, 3-and, 4, 4-and — never on 3.
  2. Beat 3 is a ghost: the down-swing misses, and the up after it connects.
  3. Master this slowly; it should feel like rocking, not counting.

🥁Count It3 min

  1. Count the rhythm out loud before you play.
  2. Turn on Counts or the metronome and lock in with it.
  3. Loop it slowly first; speed comes on its own.
1 Count the Pattern '1, 2-and, ... and-4-and' — say it, then play it.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop

📖Play It7 min

  1. Read it slowly and cleanly the first time through.
  2. Drag-select any tricky spot and loop it.
  3. Use the tempo slider — move up only when it's clean.
2 Build It Slow D, D-U, (miss), U-D-U — count '1, 2-and, and-4-and'.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop
3 Two Chords In The pattern with a change — swap during the beat-3 miss.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop

🎵Everywhere Pattern7 min

  1. Play 'Everywhere Pattern' — start at 70% tempo with the slider.
  2. Once it flows, try singing anything over it. Seriously.
4 Everywhere Pattern D-DU-UDU over the four-chord loop — instant singer-songwriter.
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Tempo 75 bpm Count‑in Metronome Drums Loop

👂Train Your Ear2 min

  1. Press play on any line above, look away, and listen once through.
  2. Hum the first bar back, then find it on the guitar by ear.

✨Make It Yours3 min

  1. Take one idea from this lesson and bend it — change a rhythm, reorder the chords.
  2. Play your version twice so it sticks.

MY ENDING (write or describe it):

🏠This Week at Home

⭐Practice Tracker

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5
Everywhere Patternonce through, daily
Pattern One: D-DU-UDUclean & steady
Metronome onat least one exercise
My own variationmake one up

★ Check off each day you play — ten focused minutes counts. Consistency beats marathon sessions.

🍎Teacher Guide

PREP

  • Pattern One: D-DU-UDU: The most useful strum pattern ever written

COMMON MISTAKES & FIXES

  • Rushing ahead of the beat. → Fix: Turn the metronome on and drop the tempo until it feels easy.
  • Buzzing or muted notes. → Fix: Press just behind the fret with the fingertip, thumb relaxed behind the neck.

IF STRUGGLING

  • Drop the tempo well below comfortable and loop one bar.
  • Play just the chord changes (or just the rhythm) before combining.

IF ADVANCED

  • Bring it to full tempo with the metronome.
  • Add your own variation — a different rhythm, an extra chord.

EXTENSIONS

  • Apply tonight's skill to a song you already love.

TALKING POINTS

  • D-DU-UDU shows up in campfire, country, pop, and worship music constantly — it's the workhorse.

✅Assessment

Tap one level per skill — saved on this device.

Accuracy
Plays the right notes and chords.
Timing
Keeps a steady beat.
Tone
Notes and strums ring clean and clear.

★ BrightNote · Six String Strummin' · Intermediate · Unit 1 · Lesson 2 · v1.0 · generated from lesson data

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