On the up-strum lol (acoustic guitar), how can I AVOID playing the E A D (or whi

Question:You know, when you're playing a chord that only calls for the plucking of the D G B E strings for example. I seem to have problems with an up-strum, I typically either pluck too many strings or not enough. Solutions? Will regular playing help me or is there some exercise I should do?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: You know, when you're playing a chord that only calls for the plucking of the D G B E strings for example. I seem to have problems with an up-strum, I typically either pluck too many strings or not enough. Solutions? Will regular playing help me or is there some exercise I should do?

A simple thing to keep in mind is that when you up stroke, you don't really have to sound all the strings because they are sounded on the down stroke which keeps resonating while you are up-stroking.
Basically, put a little curve like a half-circle on the upstroke.

While the heel of the right hand can be used to mute the top three strings, practice is required to fine tune the ability of the up-strum technique to to catch only those strings desired.

I assume you're a beginner. After while you just seem to "know" how to not hit certain strings, you'll be able to play a chord in arpeggio without even looking.

All I can suggest is to make good use of your thumb. This might be a little harder on Acoustic guitars as they are sometimes wider than most electric guitar necks. You should be able to mute the E string with the thumb of your left hand...but you might need to stretch quite a bit for, say, a D chord.

Be careful to limit the movement of your strumming hand. Students tend to over strum. Keep the movement to a minimum while at the same time keep your wrist relaxed.