Having Trouble Switching Chords and Strumming At The Same Time? Try This!


If you are having trouble switching from chord to chord and strumming at the same time, it is all a matter of familiarity.  The fingers from one hand are just not used to holding and switching shapes with the other hand strumming up and down.  The simple answer to this is to practice, but you can break it down the way you practice in a way to make learning how to change chords while strumming easier.
1. Work on switching chords without strumming
First thing you can do is work on switching chords without worrying about the strumming.  If you do not know what chord progression to work with, you can use G - D - E minor - C which are all open chords.  Work on it until you can switch chords without any long pauses to place your fingers into the chord's shape.
2.  Get the strum down
Secondly, work on strumming.  Pick one strumming pattern to work with.  If you don't know where to start, use the following: Down - Up - DOWN - Up - Down - Up - DOWN - Up with an emphasis or accent on the bold-faced/ all capitalized DOWN stroke.  If you are having trouble with strumming, start playing it slow, then build your way up to faster strokes.
3.  Work on one switch at a time.
The next thing you can do is work on a single chord switch and slowly strumming the strum pattern.  You can use the chord change from C to G with each chord using the D U D U D U D U strumming pattern.  Work at it really slowly, then work your way up to faster speeds.  Remember, it's about how much your hands are familiar with the movements and finger shapes.  So the more you work on it, the more your fingers will move into place without much conscious effort on your part.
If you feel up for a challenge, use this with more involved strumming patterns and harder chord shapes.

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