I’m OK with the rhythm is changing strings (chords) that’s the issue as it comes an odd point. It comes between ah and 2 which is a small gap so end up with either 7 or 9 notes in the bar as trying to anticipate the change. This is going to take some time.
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I find putting the accents on Beats two and four a little unnatural. I want to put them on beats one and three. I wonder if others have this issue.
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John @Kanjo
I know what you mean, I think as beat one is often the start of a new chord there is a tendency make that stand out. But like all things with the guitar it takes practice.
By the way welcome to the community 
Michael
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I just started to practice shuffle strumming and took advice of Justin to listen and just strum along to the beat of various blues songs.
So far I find the shuffle strum using two downstrokes is more suited to slower beat songs (for myself anyways). I find it hard to get in a groove using downstrokes only for faster songs.
I expect the response will be that there are no general rules and 2 downstroke shuffle strums work for both slow and fast blues songs.
Please provide some examples of faster blues songs using 2 downstrokes if you have them.
Thanks in advance.
Attila
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Justin’s explanation of the Shuffle Rhythm reminds me of my paramedic days and heartbeat rhythms. They divided the typical rhythm patterns into 3 categories: Regular: your ‘normal’ rhythm which doesn’t change and is even, so like the strumming patterns we’ve learned so far.
Next group was called Regularly-Irregular. The beats are not evenly spaced, but they are in a pattern that repeats. This would be like bum-ba-dum, bum-ba-dum vs bum-bum-bum. This reminds me of this Shuffle Rhythm.
The last group was called Irregularly-Irregular, which was more or less random beats. That was bad.
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Thank you, bipbap, for explaining my heart beat to me. Now I get it.
OBTW, I hope you are enjoying this Blues introduction as much as I am. Perhaps I’ve found my guitar niche??
Hello AlinFlorida,
If what I said was helpful, I am glad 
I was surprised because I tend to enjoy rock more than blues, but I didn’t really enjoy the power chords lesson so much. I really like the blues lesson though. I certainly hope to get better at it!
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Question for whoever might be able to answer:
I use a digital/customizable metronome (RC-5 loop pedal to be exact). I am still very new to the settings and how it works. Is there a way I can set the rhythm and tempo close to a 66% shuffle? Would a “swing pattern” make sense?
Long story short, I’m looking to practice this to the beat of the metronome (if possible), and eventually create my own backing tracks for improvising later.
Hi @dusmchad , others may disagree, but I don’t think it makes sense to try to nail down the exact percentage of the shuffle using a metronome. It’s something you should just do by feel. Set the metronome to play on the beat (not on the “ands”) and try to stay on time with the down strums. Play the up strums to get a good shuffle groove going, without worrying if it’s 66% or 75% or whatever. Don’t over think it.
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I agree with John @jjw the shuffle is a feel and each song has it’s own feel.
Thank you Justin for all of your generosity and patience. I am not only learning to play the guitar here but I’m also discovering that men can be so wonderfully sweet and supportive. Thank you !!!
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For me, this is one of your best lessons so far. Strumming has always been the hardest part of playing guitar for me personally, and all of your lessons on strumming are the best I’ve seen. Complex strumming patterns are not easy for a beginner. It’s all about listening to the music and feeling it. Reading diagrams of up and down arrows just doesn’t work for me. I have to listen and play it, and sometimes it takes a long time to get it right. A good example would be Wonderwall by Oasis. How complicated it that? The chords I find easy, but the stumming pattern I find really hard to get right. Strumming with muted strings is something I do all the time. During practice, if I am about to play a song I start off playing the strumming pattern with muted strings for a bit, so I can get into the song. I always do that first, unless it is a song I’ve played many times before and I’ve already memorized the pattern. Maybe it is different for other people, but for me the strumming is the part I have to practice the most. I find it doesn’t take me long to learn chord shapes and change between them, but putting it all together with the correct strumming for a particular song is the most challenging for me.
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