Strumming pattern · Styles · 4/4
Ska & reggae off-beat
Short, choppy strums on every off-beat — the “&” between the beats — with the beats themselves left silent. It’s the skank of ska and the chop that drives reggae.
1
&↑
2
&↑
3
&↑
4
&↑
– U – U – U – U · miss, up, miss, up, miss, up, miss, up
ChordG
Chords (guitar)
Change chord every
How to play it
- Your hand still moves down on every beat, but misses the strings; hit them only on the way up.
- Keep each strum short: relax your fretting hand straight after the strum to mute the chord.
- It feels backwards at first — tap your foot on the beats and strum between the taps.
- Start slowly — around 60 BPM — and only speed up once the pattern feels automatic. Use the chord loop to practice changing chords without breaking the rhythm.