Difficulty with Strumming chords quickly?

Question

I'm learning guitar and I can pick single notes and alternate picking directions quickly, but chords are still causing me difficulties. Any tips?

Answer 1

Is it that you're having trouble changing between chords quickly?

The simple answer is PRACTICE. Then PRACTICE some more.

You have to train your fretting hand fingers to "know" where to go without having to think about it and place them individually - so that you can think "G chord" and your fingers automatically form the correct shape and go where they're supposed to, then you can think "C chord" and again your fingers know where to go.  The only way to get to that point is to practice forming the chords and changing between them, over and over until it becomes automatic.  

Get used to forming the correct "shape" in the air over the fingerboard,-- lets say a G chord --  and then put your fingers down on the strings all at once; then lift your fingers off the strings, form the shape of a C chord in the air over the strings, and put your fingers down on the strings all at once, lift your fingers off , form a D chord shape over the strings and set your fingers down onto the strings, etc, with different chords - A, F, Em, Bm, E, etc.  

Then practice these chord shapes, strumming them and changing between them over and over and over about a thousand times SLOWLY until you develop accuracy and can change between them smoothly without any breaks in your right hand strumming or picking rhythm.  Once you can play these chords and change between them slowly, you can gradually begin increasing the speed of your playing.  But resist the temptation to play fast until you can play accurately at a slow tempo.

Answer 2

try strumming without a pick first, then after you get the feel of it, use a pick. this should somewhat help you get the coordination down.

Answer 3

You don't have a good grounding in the BASICS... I'll almost bet you are self taught and learned for free off the internet.

HIRE A TEACHER... they will help you unlearn your bad habits and how to think ahead when you are playing chords because that is the trick.. you have to THINK at least one chord change ahead, but if you don't have the other basics... then it's a whole lot harder.