strum

But the rigorous process of interviews, followed by group activities and then a 60-second showcase, sees Mr Hall cut before the chance to strum a chord in front of judges.

Afternoons would be spent relaxing, Díaz knitting while her husband strummed guitar.

As for the crowd, no one sang along, and any clapping was done mostly between songs, as everyone focused on hearing the exquisitely intricate strumming.

As she experiments between strumming up and down, the forceful strike gives the stringed instrument a more percussive feel.

“I’m poisoned, and I don’t feel well,” he murmurs against a strummed acoustic guitar, the quiet confessions of one tough talker bringing a bleak kind of comfort to another.