Hey there, friends! Today I want to share what is possibly the single most helpful tip to help you change chords while strumming — and ensure your rhythmic groove stays smooth as butter 🧈

The secret: begin your chord changes while finishing your strum pattern. This means you will briefly be strumming open, unfretted strings... but this buys you valuable time, and it sounds just fine.

Check out my new video lesson showing this up-close:

LESSON #601
​Smooth Chord Changes while Strumming

​Click to Watch Free Video Lesson​

My lesson uses a common chord progression (G-D-Em-C) in 4/4 time, played at a moderate tempo. But importantly — this trick will work with any chord transition, just about any strumming pattern, in any time signature.

Tabbed out, this would look something like this. Notice how the final strum of each chord is "empty", meaning you're strumming open strings. This buys you time — which you can use to get your fretting hand in place for whatever chord is next.

I would wager this is something nearly all intermediate & advanced guitar players use unconsciously — especially when playing at faster speeds. Don't think of it as a cheat or shortcut... but rather a pragmatic hack that ensures your strumming is consistent as you transition from chord to chord.

DON'T MISS IT
​Practice Guide & Play-Along Videos Available

As per usual, I have some print-friendly notes and some play-along videos to accompany my main tutorial. These additional videos demonstrate a few subtly different ways to use this technique.

​Get all these on my lesson page »​

ALSO AVAILABLE
​Looking for Strumming & Rhythm Help?

If you're looking to brush up on any of your strumming skills, I've got you covered! I've got dozens of lessons on my Strumming & Rhythm topic page, most of which include print-friendly practice guides to help you get up to speed faster.

These lessons tackle general tips & techniques you'll use in various songs, from classic rock to country to blues — and much more.

​Browse all my Strumming & Rhythm lessons »​

Whether viewing my new lesson or something else from my Strumming & Rhythm library, I hope you find something helpful!

And remember — feel free to reply to this email with any questions you have about strumming and rhythm, or any other topic. I'm always happy to hear from folks, give you some tips, or if nothing else point you in the right direction.

Thanks all, and I'll catch you in the next one ✌️

David

Browse all my lessons at songnotes.net​