Strum - Jazz and Funk

Jazz and Funk

The simple four-to-a-bar rhythm is associated with Jazz guitarists such as Freddie Green, although they may subtly vary the chord on each beat.

A simple eight-to-a-bar rhythm is known as "straight eights" as opposed "swung eights", in which each pair are played as the first and third notes in a triplet.

The fretting hand can also be lifted off the fretboard to damp a chord, creating staccato and percussive effects. In reggae and ska, a few staccato "chops" are played per bar. In funk rhythm playing, the strumming hand keeps a fairly steady motion in 16th notes, while the left hand, basically holding down a jazz chord damps some of them in a syncopated pattern.