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#154667 - 04/25/05 09:18 AM How to make a good guitar strum
SemiLiveMusic Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 08/28/04
Posts: 2206
Loc: Louisiana, USA
How do you do this? I am using psr2000. I can't figure out how to get a good strumming sound that sounds real. Arpeggiating chords, that sounds find for little fills and arpeggiated sounds but I have heard these strum sounds on styles and wonder how you get that? How many fingers do you use to voice the chord? Anything you can tell me? I am talking acoustic guitar sound. I thought SolidChord or FolkGW_pick1 voice might do it but maybe there is some kind of certain RH technique you use? I think maybe it would sometimes also be best to do it on offbeats.
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Bill

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#154668 - 04/25/05 10:25 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
btweengigs Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 09/09/02
Posts: 2204
Loc: Florida, USA
Bill...
On the 2000 I usually use Jazz Guitar or Nylon Guitar for the strum. They are both very mild and when the balance is set right, provides a great accomp.

You might also try some of the guitar Multi-pads. The 3K greatly improved the guitar multi-pads, but you may find something to your liking there.

Eddie

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#154669 - 04/25/05 10:45 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
SemiLiveMusic Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 08/28/04
Posts: 2206
Loc: Louisiana, USA
What are you DOING with your right hand? If you choose Nylon Guitar voice, do you just press three keys or four or five or just what? Any secret to what you are doing? Any certain settings off/on? I'll fool around with it some more, just wondering if anyone uses any tricks.

BTW, when I say strum, I mean ONE strum (per strike). Not some continuous sound. Like you strum down on an acoustic guitar.
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#154670 - 04/25/05 10:49 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
Starkeeper Offline
Member

Registered: 09/16/02
Posts: 1704
Loc: Toronto
What I do is roll the notes from left to right with my right hand (low to high), 4 notes would be great, if you can. I am not a guitarist, so it might not sound realistic to you, but sounds like a strumming guitar to me.
Starkeeper
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I play Roland EM20 and Yamaha PSR550

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#154671 - 04/25/05 10:50 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
Beakybird Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/27/01
Posts: 2227
If you are playing live, it is very difficult to do. If you are recording, there is software out there. Rhythm 'N Chords which interfaces with Cakewalk has a strum library and lets you create strums by using the left hand to make the chord and pressing down on different keys with the right hand for different strum types (up, down, bass, etc.) These strum chords resemble guitar chords, and not keyboard chords.

It's very tough to imitate a guitar strum live, but strides can be made, for sure.

Beakybird

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#154672 - 04/25/05 11:02 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
SemiLiveMusic Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 08/28/04
Posts: 2206
Loc: Louisiana, USA
I've got a decent sound going using FolkGuitar at the moment. Just single strums on offbeats. Also, another way that sounds pretty real is I use my right thumb to press the root note and then right after that on the next beat, use three fingers for the best of the chord. Kinda like you'd do when playing, striking the root as the bass note with your thumb or pick.
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Bill

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#154673 - 04/25/05 11:47 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
jamman Offline
Member

Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 666
Loc: City of Angels in the golden s...
get a used digitar.
http://pro-music-news.com/html/04/e91114ch.htm

used to be like 250$ in late 90's.

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#154674 - 04/25/05 11:54 AM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
travlin'easy Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15576
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
Bill,

You can set the voice effect to STRUM, which is best suited for certain types of piano, but will work with any voice.

The best person to ask about this is Don Mason, who I consider a master with his right hand when it comes to arranger keyboard playing.

Gary
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PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!

K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)

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#154675 - 04/25/05 12:16 PM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
tony mads usa Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 14376
Loc: East Greenwich RI USA
SLM ... I play a technics kn6000 and I've created a backing file for "Unchained Melody" and I use a '50's style guitar strum on just the second beat of each measure (I think... I'm not at home so I can't check) ... I use Starkeeper's method of left to right, mostly 5 fingered chords ... sounds good to me ...
I've used a 'jazz guitar' strum on the left hand in an old tune called "Perdido" ... It sounds something similar to the 4 beat strum the guitar player in our band had when we played the tune (it fits in well in a 40's medley), but I guess if you listen closely, you could tell it's not a real guitar ... But then, it's NOT ...
t.
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t. cool

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#154676 - 04/25/05 12:43 PM Re: How to make a good guitar strum
DonM Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 06/25/99
Posts: 16735
Loc: Benton, LA, USA
Thanks Gary.
I actually release the left hand (the chord is on hold) and use both hands to strum the guitar.
Guitars have six strings. I hit the bottom "string" with my left pinky, then a couple of notes with two more left fingers and the rest with the right hand. Practice until it sounds like a guitar strum.
DonM
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DonM

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