Ska
Guitar Strums
One key element to keep in mind when playing ska,
is the constant emphasis of the up beat or & (and). There
can be some other variations on these basic ska rhythms, but these
will serve you well in most situations.
All of the strum examples are played on this C chord.
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Ska Guitar,
Strum #1
This first strum is a staple of ska. You are playing rhythmic
clicks on the beat (strumming down), and play short chord
jabs on the up beats (strumming up).
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Ska Guitar,
Strum #2
You could just play the up beats, without putting the rhythmic
clicks on the beat. This is a little more difficult than
the first strum. Playing the clicks in strum #1 gives you
a clear reference where the beat is, and therefore helps
you keep the time. You could freely go between putting in
the clicks and leaving them out. In traditional ska, the
guitarist would play the off beat with only a down strum.
This gives a more mellow attack than the brighter sound
of strumming up. The video below demonstrates strumming
up, but you should also experiment with strumming all down
on this one.
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Ska Guitar,
Strum #3
If the overall tempo of the tune is slower, 16th notes
can be used in the strum to keep that jacked up ska feeling
going.
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Page 2, Getting started playin the Ska
Ska
Guitar 101 Jump Zone
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