Some instruments make sound when you pluck or strum their strings. Guitars, ukuleles, harps, and banjos are string instruments. The strings vibrate back and forth when you touch them, and that vibration creates sound. Thicker strings make lower sounds and thinner strings make higher sounds.
Stretch rubber bands of different thicknesses across an open box and pluck them to hear different pitches. If available, let children gently strum a ukulele or guitar and feel the vibrations with their fingers. Watch videos of string instruments being played and notice how the player uses their hands.
Strum instruments are instruments with strings that you play by moving your fingers or a pick across the strings. Guitars, harps, and ukuleles are strum instruments. When you strum, your fingers or a pick brush quickly across the strings, and the strings vibrate to make sound!
A guitar has many strings stretched tightly across its body. Each string is a different thickness or is tuned to a different tightness. Because each string is different, each one makes a different pitch when you strum it. When you strum all the strings together, you hear many different pitches at once, creating a full, rich sound. When you strum individual strings, you hear different notes.
Strumming creates rhythm and melody. When musicians strum a guitar in a pattern—down, down, up, down, up—they create a rhythm that listeners can feel. When they move to different strings in a special order, they create a melody. A simple strum can make a song, and a complex strum pattern can make a song come alive!
Different strumming styles make different sounds. If you strum fast and energetic, the sound is bright and lively. If you strum gently and slowly, the sound is soft and peaceful. If you strum hard, the sound is loud and strong. If you strum delicately, the sound is tender. The same guitar can sound completely different depending on how you strum it!
Learning to strum takes practice, but it is very rewarding. When you learn to strum, you learn to coordinate your hands—one hand holds or positions the guitar, and the other hand does the strumming. You learn to feel the rhythm in your body and make your hands match it. Strum instruments have been played for thousands of years, making beautiful music all over the world. If you ever pick up a guitar or harp, you are joining a tradition of musicians going back through history!
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