Downstroke

Downstroke refers to a movement direction in which a stroke or action is directed downward, toward the floor. The term is used across several fields, most notably in music and percussion, with additional uses in mechanical and technical contexts. In musical instrument technique, a downstroke is the stroke made when moving a tool or implement downward, as opposed to an upstroke.

In guitar and other plucked-string or picked instruments, a downstroke describes the motion of a pick or finger moving from the string nearest the floor toward the strings nearer the player's head. This often produces a stronger, louder attack than an upstroke, and is a common element of strumming patterns in many genres, especially rock and pop. The combination of downstrokes and upstrokes creates rhythmic textures. On bowed string instruments, the analogous term is the down-bow, while downstroke is sometimes used informally to describe a downward bowing motion.

In percussion, a downstroke is the act of striking downward with a stick or mallet. On drum sets, it commonly refers to a downward hit on the snare, bass drum, or cymbals, contributing to accents and dynamic contrasts. The term contrasts with an upstroke, where the stick returns upward.

In mechanical contexts, downstroke denotes the downward phase of a cycle, such as the movement of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or a piston. It is paired with the upstroke, the upward phase, and may affect force, speed, and efficiency in machinery.