Happy Friday, my friends! New lesson today where I look at the 1972 classic Stuck in the Middle With You – and teach you how to master its iconic strumming pattern in 3 steps. Keep on scrolling and you'll find some additional percussive strumming tips, plus a list of song lessons I've made that use that technique. Enjoy! -David

LESSON #588​
​"Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel

In today's new lesson, I’ll kick things off by teaching you the iconic strumming pattern – which I'll break down in three sequential steps. Master one, move on to the next... and before long you'll be golden.

From there I'll talk through the chords used in the verse and refrain sections, with a few misc tips thrown in to help you keep a steady strumming groove while changing chords quickly.

Here's what I tackle in my video lesson:

• 0:00 Lesson Overview
• 1:11 Strumming, Step 1
• 2:53 Strumming, Step 2
• 4:02 Strumming, Step 3
• 5:02 Verse
• 7:14 Refrain

If this is the first time you're learning this strumming pattern, be patient with things! It's one thing to wrap your head around it, but it's quite tricky to get your strumming hand fully comfortable with the percussive down-strums and accented up-strums.

I have a bunch of practice materials you can use to get up to full speed with this one. This includes diagrams of my step-by-step strumming exercises, a separate video looking at the intro riff, and some play-along practice tracks.

​Get all these on my lesson webpage »​

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Need Help with the Percussive Slap Strum?

You'll want to check out lesson #490 where I explain this technique from the ground up, with a nice overhead camera view. Print-friendly guide included!

As for other songs that use this technique – here's a list! Note, each of these employs the percussive slap strum in slightly different contexts... and that's what makes things fun & interesting.

• ​Handle With Care by Traveling Wilburys
• ​Into the Mystic by Van Morrison
• ​Uncle John's Band by Grateful Dead
• ​Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
• ​Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots
• ​Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin
• ​The Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie / Nirvana
• ​Night Moves by Bob Seger
• ​Have You Ever Seen the Rain by CCR

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That'll do for this week's entry. To all of you who requested Stuck in the Middle With You, I am grateful for your patience – and I hope you dig the lesson!

Until next time ✌️ David

Browse all my lessons at songnotes.net​