More Than Calypso: 77 Strum Patterns to “Drum” Your “Strum”

NUMBER OF VIDEOS: 140
NUMBER OF CMTE CREDITS: 10

Description:
The strumming hand can be underestimated, but it’s half of what makes your guitar playing “come to life”. The “music therapy strum” (aka calypso—down, down-up; up down-up) is a great strum pattern, but there is so much more out there that can be used to bring life to your guitar playing, provide songs authentically, help facilitate rhythmic interventions with a strong beat, and concepts/rhythms that could be used when songwriting/producing. As you learn all these strum patterns, you will start to think “like a drummer” and change your strumming hand to compliment the contexts you find yourself in as a music therapist. Short tutorial videos explain the concepts, applications, and show/breakdown the strum patterns, and short practice videos help you practice the strum patterns at slower to faster tempos. The goal of this course is to be exposed to many different strum patterns, strumming techniques (e.g. “fingers” vs. “thumb”), time signatures, “swung” vs “unswung”, and unique strum patterns that are inspired by songs to develop seemingly infinite flexibility and adaptability as you play guitar for those that you serve. 

Testimonials:
Here are testimonials from other videos I’ve produced:

“I really enjoyed these videos! I thought the speed in which you taught the riff and broke down each bar was perfect for playing along. It made the riff seem much more approachable.”
-    Rebekah, MT-BC

“Ryan, these videos are really dynamic and engaging!! I love the camera set-up, editing, and the audio feels like it's at a really good level. So glad to have a sneak peek at these resources!”
-    Olivia, MT-BC

“Power chords and reading tabs have never been my thing but you make them easy!”
-    Abby, MT-BC

Objectives:

  1. Participants will be able to identify and practice 77 different strum patterns. (BCD V.A.6)
  2. Participants will identify different reasons for providing different strum patterns for therapeutic effectiveness. (BCD V.A.6)
  3. Participants will be able to identify and practice strum patterns in 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8, and strums that are “swung” vs “unswung”. (BCD V.A.6)
  4. Participants will be able to play strum patterns that are authentic to different genres of music (e.g. country, EDM, and reggae). (BCD V.A.6)

Prerequisites:

  1. Access to a guitar in tune
  2. Payment for course
  3. Functional skills on guitar

Qualifications and Credentials:
Ryan Johnson, MM, MT-BC is a music therapist who has worked in a wide variety of settings and populations. He has been teaching guitar for 10 years, is a working guitarist, and artist. Ryan loves teaching advanced guitar skills to others because it augments musical experiences and brings joy.  

Opportunity Schedule and Format:
PART 1: Introduction and song examples (16 minutes)
Ryan gives an overview of the main ideas and concepts and the course’s format. Then song examples are provided as demonstration of concepts.

PART 2: 4/4 Time (61 Strum Patterns) (419 minutes)
Tutorial and practice videos for strum patterns in 4/4. Application of strum patterns in MT contexts are reviewed. 

PART 3: 3/4 & 6/8 Time (16 Strum Patterns) (83 minutes)
Tutorial and practice videos for strum patterns in 3/4 & 6/8. Application of strum patterns in MT contexts are reviewed.  

Total Time: 518:31

Number of Credits Offered:
10 CMTEs

Course Access:
Video access indefinitely, and Ryan will notify the email list if that changes! Music therapists pursuing continuing education credit must watch the entirety of all the videos and complete the course within 90 days of purchase.

Opportunity Cost:

  • $140 for “More Than Calypso: 77 Strum Patterns to ‘Drum’ Your ‘Strum’” until June 28th! Then back to $200

Refund Policy:
Within 30 days of purchasing the course, if you are not 100% satisfied, I will gladly refund you. Course purchase after 30 days are final sale only. Send an email to support@riffswithryan.com for more information. 

CBMT Relationship:
“More Than Calypso: 77 Strum Patterns to ‘Drum’ Your ‘Strum’” is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 10 credits. Riffs with Ryan [Provider Number: P-246] maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.