Sunday Strum, Episode 18: Spaced Out Strumming ––Lesson

Features
By published

We're back with a new episode of Sunday Strum!

In this week’s example, I demonstrate a pattern aimed at creating space.

Sometimes less is more, and by creating a gap between chord changes, a more dramatic effect can be achieved.

Feel free to experiment with this simple idea to really change up what may otherwise be too straight ahead.

Check out the lesson below!

Justin Horenstein is a guitar instructor and musician in the Washington, DC metro area who graduated (cum laude) from the Berklee College of Music in 2006. He also plays in Black Clouds, a 3-piece atmospheric/experimental band. Their new album, Dreamcation, was released on November 4, 2014 via Collect Records.

More about Justin at 29thCenturyGuitar.com and BlackCloudsMusic.com.

Justin Horenstein
More about lessons
American songwriter, guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of Metallica James Hetfield performs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavillion in Chicago, IL on April 5, 1986.

Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield
Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a deep blue suit and polka-dotted shirt and plays his green refin Strat; the late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher [right] screams and inflicts some punishment on his heavily worn number one Stratocaster.

“The intensity of Rory’s guitar playing – the emotion, the sound and his incredible attack – was mindblowing for me”: Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to the late, great Irish blues-rock icon Rory Gallagher
Rotosound Swing Bass 66 strings

“A distinctive brightness that no other strings have been able to capture”: How Rotosound revolutionized the bass world with its Swing Bass 66 strings – and shaped the sound of rock music in the process
See more latest
Most Popular
Rotosound Swing Bass 66 strings
“A distinctive brightness that no other strings have been able to capture”: How Rotosound revolutionized the bass world with its Swing Bass 66 strings – and shaped the sound of rock music in the process
Nathan East pointing to his signature Digbeth DB-EAST head and smiling
“It’s always in the back of your mind saying, what can we improve on? What would I do? What would I dream of in an amp?” How Clapton collaborator and session great Nathan East is teaming-up with Laney on a signature amp unlike any other
Vicki Peterson
“Walk Like an Egyptian was so silly. But solid players have asked, ‘What are you playing at the end?’” Vicki Peterson sees herself as “a bit of a hack player,” but she still made guitar-pop history with the Bangles – and guested with Tom Petty
Eric Clapton performs onstage in London in 1989
“The concept of the guitar duel at the end was just appalling”: Crossroads is an essential piece of '80s guitar lore, but not every guitar legend was a fan of the film
Billy Rankin
“Zal is really nobody’s guitar hero. Fans say he’s the most underrated player ever; many guitarists rate him amongst the best... but I’ve never heard anyone call him their ‘guitar hero’”: Billy Rankin on lessons learned from the legendary Zal Cleminson
Yoyoyoshie of Otoboke Beaver performs on the Park Stage during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2024.
“I’m extremely honored. It reminded me that it’s important to stick to my own playing style”: Her fans include Dave Grohl, Jack White and Eddie Vedder, and she’s the face of Fender’s Hello Kitty campaign. Why Yoyoyoshie is Japan’s next great guitar hero
Joe Satriani wears futuristic wraparound shades and a leather jacket as he plays a solo on his Chrome Boy Ibanez signature guitar. His new 3rd Power Dragon amps are in the background.
“The three of us plugged into my Marshall, passing the cord around. The one thing Eric said to me was, ‘Wow, there is so much gain!’” Joe Satriani on reuniting with Eric Johnson and Steve Vai and the devil in the detail of Eddie Van Halen's playing
Plini performs at The Fillmore on January 30, 2020 in San Francisco, California.
“I like that their appearance intrigues non-guitar players and bothers old-fashioned people”: Despite early love from Eddie Van Halen and Allan Holdsworth, headless guitars became a punchline – yet in 2025, they’re more popular than ever. We found out why
The Chameleons perform live
“Once Dave got his Roland Space Echo, it changed the vibe… that, and a lot of marijuana”: They inspired everyone from Oasis to the Smashing Pumpkins. Now English post-punk luminaries the Chameleons are back for more
Andy Fairweather Low is suited and booted as he plays an archtop live during a 2022 UK festival appearance.
“When I worked with Eric Clapton, I thought I was getting fired every tour”: Andy Fairweather Low on his first gig, a beloved dumpster guitar find and the mistake he made with Roger Waters that he can never forget