alt-strumming vs down strumming

**l1pacman1l** · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 11

i got a question.
ive been playin gh since #2 came out
and i just got good enough to start FCing songs (i think i have 10?)

whenever i play someone in real life they never down strum, they alt-strum the entire song. I always down strum even the fast parts except knights of cydonia, TTFAF, etc.

Is it really better to learn to alt-strum during the entire song if i want to be able to FC the harder stuff? (one, raining blood, cliffs of dover, etc.)

**juwarnke** · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:31 am Post subject:

i would say that it doesn't really matter. I always downstrum outside of anything fasterthan NotB. just as long as you are able to alt-strum consistently during the fast parts it shouldn't have any effect.

**l1pacman1l** · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 11

k cool.
i was gonna be pissed if i had to learn to alt-strum like that.
i do pretty good at normal stuff tho so i think im ok.

**NfskMjmMal2** · Joined: 27 Aug 2008 Posts: 1000

You should be able to use both, if you want to start FCing harder songs. Having more options available to you maximizes the chances for you to be able to hit a certain section. I'm not saying you should alt-strum everything, but I'm saying that if you need to alt-strum where downstrumming is very difficult, then you should be able to. Otherwise, it's pretty much personal preference on which one you choose to use. Have you tried downstrumming Number of the Beast or FCPREMIX? Alt-strumming will get you higher scores on a great number of songs, along with more FC's. There's no harm in having another tool for you to use if you need it, but the question is whether you want to put in the time to gain that tool. How badly do you want higher scores and more FC's? That's what you need to ask yourself.

**l1pacman1l** · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 11

i can alt strum most of fcpremix but number of the beast just rapes me.
i think ill start working on alt-strumming, i meen it can only help not hurt

**dAgnArUs** · Joined: 12 Apr 2008 Posts: 126

You gotta learn both.
I can downstrum FC F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. up to the aggro part, and in the same run i FC the end lead with alt strumming.
You just gotta find out how fast you can downstrum, experimenting with different songs (if you're a good downstrummer, you can easily get the trogdor riff/before i forget riff.)

**A-Dubz** · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 272

**Xeraii** · Joined: 13 Aug 2008 Posts: 24

I alt-strum everything no matter what the speed, or unless I'm bored and feel like whacking the strum bar down as hard as I can.

I downstrummed up until I first played Barracuda on hard, then when I got to KoC I decided I really needed to change how I strummed.

**Deak2112** · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:02 pm Post subject:

I'm on the better side skillwise and i'm a pretty strong down strummer. I don't think I should alt-strum things that I can downstrum. Sometimes I'll alt-strum when it adds convenience but otherwise I don't.

It's easier to alt-strum these kinda things:

rather than these at the same speed:

so maybe alt-strumming lines will help but I don't see how it would help the later.
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**NfskMjmMal2** · Joined: 27 Aug 2008 Posts: 1000

**l1pacman1l** · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 11

ive never honestly had any debate on alt-strumming until i started FCing songs. i nearly put my guitar through my TV when i was trying to downstrum the fast part on miss murder, which i eventually got. After I attempted the seeker it really made me think i should be alt-strumming from the beginning. Although i fret stuff better, such as

it really helps my precision to when i downstrum parts like this

**Leland** · Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 11 Location: Salt Lake City

I downstrum everthing I can, the reason being that I am much more accurate with downstrums, especially on songs like fcpremix where there are notes all over the place.

I suppose if you are an accurate alt-strummer there would be no reason not to use it.

**thunder121** · Joined: 27 Sep 2008 Posts: 243

I personally cannot do slower parts with out down strumming. Also, parts like miss murder fast part, i down strum the whole thing, but its tiring. on seeker, i decided to just go into practise to get the right speed and that helps. Its all about whats most comfortable and what actually works.

**stevieblaze** · Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 25

Don't altstrum when you don't have to if you're good at downstrumming, but it's definitely a good skill to have. When you start playing harder songs, you'll get used to it and kinda figure out which is easier to use in certain situations.

**Kingrazor** · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 26

Try as I might I can't adjust to alt-strumming everything. I downstrum almost exclusively. I'm slowly getting better at switching back and fourth between alt-strumming and down-strumming in the middle of songs, but I still have to down-strum most stuff.