Too New To This.

Welcome to Chordie Natsumi!!!!

You have found an awesome forum with lots of knowledgeable people.

Here are a few suggestions:

Justinguitar.com

On youtube search yourguitarsage.

These guys are very helpful for me. I've only been playing about 1 1/2 years.

Oh 1 more. Do a search for "mike herberts 10 strum google video". It's a good video.

When combining the strumming with chords, your chords need to be second nature. You can't think about 2 diff things at once. With your chords being instictive you can concentrate on your strumming. Start slow and it will come to you.

Welcome.  What kind of music are you into?  Maybe we can suggest some easy two or three chord songs to practice on.

I have a couple of comments. 

1. The matter of keeping a rhythm or pattern going is a matter of practice.  Are you practicing the rhythm or pattern, or are you trying to play it without practicing it?  If the latter, then practice it.  That means to dissect it, slow it down, concentrate on that and only that, and then do it until you can do it steadily (albeit slowly) and then speed it up until you can do it quickly and then keep doing it until you can do it without thinking about it.  This is not a matter of 1/2 hour.  It is the matter of 1/2 hour a day for however long it takes.  Some folks who are already adept at learning strum patterns, 1/2 hour may be enough.  For folks who are just beginning to learn them, 1/2 hour a day for a month may not be enough.  But rest assured that it will come in time. 

2. Forget what it's "supposed to sound" like.  Play it the way you like.  Until you've been playing for three decades, have gone to conservatory, and beat out 1,200 other accomplished guitarists trying to get the single studio position to back up a famous lead singer, what "it's supposed to sound like" doesn't mean squat (at least not to me).  I think it's much better to be able to interpret songs to your own style, even if you don't have one yet. 

3. Nothing wrong with simple melodies picked out.  That's something I can't do yet, so don't run yourself down for that.  I'm can get the strumming patterns fairly easily, but not the melodies picked out.  We each bring what we have, and have to learn the rest.  Learning takes practice and time.  You'll get where you want to go if you just relax, put together a plan to get there, and make the effort through relaxed and focused practice. 

- Zurf

Strumming is basically about bashing out the rhythm of the song on your guitar. It's the rhythm that drives the song along. Here's how I usually try to explain how to get into the rhythm of a song...

Listen to the song, and with your strumming hand hit out the rythm, along with the song, on your leg or something. Like pretend drumming, but with one hand. Once you get into the rythm your hand will be bashing out a beat on your leg and you can usually pick up from that what's an down beat (strum) and what's an upbeat (strum).

It's hard to explain without showing you but hopefully you get what I mean.

Thank you for all the responses.
zguitar is kind of right, I generally just find songs I like, find the music, try to play it, fail and get extremely frustrated.
I see people pick up a guitar and just play. My dad's friend can't even read music and doesn't know chords, he just picks up his guitar and plays how he thinks it's supposed to sound and it's amazing because he's so right.
People can just play like it's second nature and they don't have to think about it.
I know that can't happen overnight, I'm just way too impatient about it, you know?
But thanks for the help, I'll definitely take a look at those websites

zguitar - No offense taken.  Your input is as valuable as mine.  Tell you the truth - I only do one or two songs as anything even close to a cover.  It's always been my opinion that if you want something that sounds exactly like the original to just play the record.  I like when I hear something radically different.  Listen to Patsy Cline do Crazy, and then Willie Nelson's version.  Both "Country", but the songs are completely different.  The Doors did "Light My Fire."  OK song, nothing too special (from my point of view, it's understood others will think it's wonderful).  Jose Feliciano did it and WOW!!! What a song!  It's a completely different version.  Shoot, even Eric Clapton redid Layla.  Electric version early in his career.  Twenty-five or so years later he redid it as an acoustic and it's hard to tell that it's even the same lyrics.  Made another mint off the same song.  Nice gig if you can get it! 

I hear you.  I think it's great that you've found a motivation that works for you, and I admit it seems for many others.  I just am concerned that a newbie will think they pick up the guitar and within a few months of lessons sound like Eric Clapton or Eric Johnson or Chet Atkins or any of the other guitar gods of whatever genre you like.  Wonderful if you can - I just get worried that people will run themselves down and feel inadequate if they can't sound like these rarely and extraordinarily talented individuals.  I worry more that they might set aside the guitar and think "Well, I tried it.  Didn't work out."   

I've got nothing at all against tribute style covers, just so long as folks use them as an encouragement as you suggest and not as a frustration as I worry about. 

- Zurf