Tremolo Chords
How to Play Tremolo Chords— Strumming Chords Rapidly
- Counterintuitively, you should use a heavy pick to strum rapidly.
- Strum in down-up strocks, gradually increasing speed.
- Relax the picking hand and let the pick bounce off of the strings. It should barely make contact with them.
Tremolo Chords
This technique is often heard in gypsy jazz, blues and swing. But it can be a powerful technique builder, and there’s no reason why it can’t work in just about any style.
About Plectra
You will want to use a fairly heavy pick to attempt this technique. The pick must withstand the force of being rapidly brushed across every string. Although the pick is heavy, the technique is light and only a minimal amount of pick surface area will contact the strings. Still, a lighter pick will easily fly out of the player’s hand like a wood chip. A pick with heft is probably required.
About Technique
The key to mastering this technique is a loose and relaxed grip. Practice brushing rapidly back and forth across the strings with a loose grip. This is a fairly advanced technique, so it is better suited to more advanced players.
The Exercise
First prepare the AminMaj7(9) chord with the left hand. This is the only chord used in the exercise.
Then, ideally with a very heavy pick, gently brush four downstrokes to warm up.
Progress to the eighth notes (with returning upstrokes).
Slowly increase speed until you have sixteenth notes.
As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.