Without a solid foundation of rhythm, music is not really music at all… it’s just noise. Developing a strong sense of internal rhythm starts with practicing simple patterns with a metronome. From there, you can either speed up or, what’s sometimes even harder, slow down the tempo. Pattern #1 will be all downstrokes, Pattern #2 will be alternating down and upstrokes, and Pattern #3 will be a syncopated rhythm with pauses on the first and third strums. You’re going to learn these great strumming patterns using the E minor and A chords, so have your metronome handy, and let’s get started!