Switch Chords While Strumming (Beginner Lesson)

[u/SixStringShef]

https://youtu.be/lZgwFgNY0B4

Hi! If you have trouble switching chords and strumming at the same time, you're not alone. It's probably the most common hurdle for players new to strumming.

The way most guitarists get through this problem is by releasing the hand just a bit early. On the last upstroke of a pattern, right before the chord change, we usually let go of chord 1 and actually strum the open strings to keep time while we change. Typically this is so fast and so subtle that your ear won't even notice it.

This doesn't get taught or talked about a lot, and I think it's because a lot of players eventually do this without even thinking about it.

That said, it can be hard to make yourself do this if you're not used to it. It's a lot of coordination. So I usually give my students a simple exercise to practice it: we play the downstroke of chord 1, the upstroke where we release, and then the downstroke of chord 2.

The attached video is a quick 3 minute lesson where you can see this in action, along with some of the details I think are worth looking out for.

Happy practicing!