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You are not alone with this. Some people find the strumming very difficult and it takes a looong time to crack it so don’t panic just yet. You are still early days. My guitar journey as I approach my 3rd TACiversary is one of struggling with Barre chords but strumming I have no problems with (see my last post in the Play For Us). That is because I no longer think about it. Teachers have to start by breaking it down into UP… UP DOWN…UP DOWN UP type instruction and to start with that is what you’re trying to remember. It’s the difference between translating a second language and thinking in it. I would suggest not getting too hung up on the exact lessons right now and just practice going up and down. This can be as slow as you like. Even with an open neck and no chord held or just a single chord doing up down and getting the pick feeling right in your hand so you don’t chuck it across the room or lose it in the sound hole (I speak through experience). Get used to simple up and down because that is the fundamental thing you will always do. A lot of the complicated strumming patterns you see, the player is going continuously up and down but just muting the strings or lifting the pick off the strings to lose the parts of the pattern they don’t want to hear. If you want to get into it properly then there is a Strumming course in the Skills section of TAC so that might be worth a run through. But my main advice is get up and down going then you will have the foundation you need to do anything. Good luck! Darren (Moonhare)