Moving 16th notes – Accents

Now that we understand how 16th notes work, we’re going to practice accenting them in different ways. Just like our 8th-note accent exercise, this helps your strumming feel more controlled, dynamic, and intentional.

How it Works

We’ll practice 16th-note accents in two different ways.

First, we’ll accent by subdivision group:

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a
Accent the 1 of every group, then the e, then the +, then the a.

This helps you feel where each part of the 16th-note grid lives across the full measure.

Then, we’ll play a steady stream of 16th notes and move one accent at a time through the entire pattern:

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Starting with the 1, then the e of 1, then the + of 1, and continuing all the way through until every 16th-note position has been accented.

This exercise helps build precision, control, and confidence so your accents can land exactly where you want them.