: Your hand should move down on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4) and up on the "ands" (1 & 2 & 3 & 4). To create a rhythm, you simply miss the strings on purpose during certain motions while keeping your arm moving.

: Practice new patterns while muting the strings with your left hand. This lets you focus entirely on the rhythm without worrying about chord changes. Essential Strumming Patterns

Most popular songs in 4/4 time can be played using just a few foundational patterns:

: Beginners often start with only downstrokes (D-D-D-D) to lock in the timing before adding upstrokes.

What are some good strumming patterns to practice? - Facebook